Primary Prevention Of Coronary Artery Disease |
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| By R.D. Hawkins | ||||
| Coronary artery disease is could be aptly described as
reduced blood flow to the heart primary caused by plaque.
Thus, primary prevention of coronary artery disease is all
about finding ways to minimize, or possibly reduce, the
accumulation of dangerous plaque in the coronary arteries.
In this article about primary prevention of coronary artery
disease we will discuss a handful of ideas, that according
to the American Heart Association, will help you accomplish
just that. *Tobacco smoke: For you smokers out there I know how hard it can be to quit, but in order to implement an effective heart attack prevention program quitting smoking is essential to achieving results. In fact, a recent study of 10,000 Korean men who smoked found that despite consuming a heart healthy diet their incidences of heart attack exceeding the average. People who smoke cigars or pipes seem to have a higher risk of death from coronary heart disease (and perhaps stroke) but their overall risk isn’t as high as that of cigarette smokers. Additionally, don’t think that just because you don’t smoke you aren’t at risk. Does your spouse smoke? Do you work in a smoky environment? Do you frequent restaurants and bars where there’s are a lot of cigarette smoke? If so you are just as much at risk as the person smoking the cigarette! *High cholesterol: Unless you have been marooned on dessert island for the last 20 years chances are you have heard of cholesterol and know it is major contributing factor for coronary heart and artery disease. But the question is do you really know the facts? Recently, just for fun (and to satisfy my curiosity) I decided to ask a few of my friends about cholesterol and what they are doing to reduce it. They all claimed to know a lot about it and its dangers, but their actions didn’t reflect their this. Most of them still cook with butter (65% saturated fat), eat cheese on their sandwiches and with breakfast (27% saturated fat), eat large portions of fatty red meat (30% saturated fat), eat plenty of fried foods (25% saturated fat but varies depending on the grease used for frying), and love their desserts (generally over 20% saturated fat). The general consensus was that by eating fruits or a small portion of vegetables they would be eating healthy. According to the American Heart Association a heart healthy diet should consist of no more than 7% of calories from saturated fat and less than 30% from total fat. The best suggestion here is to eat baked cold water fatty fish at least twice a week, keep other meat portions under 4 ounces per meal, increase your vegetable consumption, cook with olive or canola oil instead of butter, eat more soluble fiber foods (oatmeal, oat bran, flax, apples), adopt low fat dairy options, when given a choice purchase foods with plant stanols and sterols added, and become an expert label reader when shopping. What else? Other ideas for primary prevention of coronary heart disease are to exercise regularly, reduce stress, don’t drink too much alcohol, manage your weight effectively, and consider a prescription statin or natural cholesterol reduction supplement if needed. |
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| Article Source: http://submitter.co.za | ||||
| About The Author R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at Purchase Remedies.com |
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