A few steps to help avoid a heart attack.

Published December 29, 2001 in the North Island Weekender

 

We all know of dear friends or loved ones whom have been hit unexpectedly with a heart attack and we wonder why. Perhaps the person, male or female, was active physically, but still had too much weight around the waist, probably insulin resistant, and liked to indulge in too many sweets. I would like to tell you about a few more tests that are not routinely offered by your MD in Canada. Along with your blood fat tests they will give you a much better idea of your risk for a cardiac event such as stroke or heart attack instead of living in fear of having one just like your friend.
As is often the case many people have no idea what their blood fats, HDL’s, LDL’s and triglycerides, and fasting blood sugars are. Once you are forty you should know these values. I like the ratio of HDL/total cholesterol to be 3 or less where your MD may be happy with 4.5 for women and 5 for men! The more HDL’s you have the better and how you raise these is mainly by ingesting healthy fats such as salmon, sardines and flaxoils. The latter is best taken by the tablespoon on a daily basis. Eating salt water wild fish (that are not too big so you avoid too much mercury) is another great way to get omega 3 essential oils that are much more deficient in our diet than the omega 6 oils found in plants such as sunflower oils. Supplements of fish oils are suspect as they are often not purified of mercury and dioxins.
Tests I think are crucial are homocysteine and ferritin levels which I have discussed in my articles of July and Aug 2000 and are available from MD’s here. Homocysteine, if elevated, increases heart disease risk and is easily lowered with B12, folic acid and vitamin B6. Ferritin gives a level of the iron load in the body and if too high increases the risk of heart disease. In this article I want to discuss C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, apo A (primary protein in HDL and is favorable) and apo B (primary protein in LDL, low density lipoprotein, and is unfavorable) lipoproteins, antioxidant function and nutrient evaluations important for cardiovascular health.
C-Reactive protein and fibrinogen are measures of inflammation in the cardiovascular system. It is commonly understood by specialists that artery damage is a result of inflammation that results when LDL is oxidized and sets in motion an inflammatory response in the wall of the artery. When these levels are measured along with HDL and total cholesterol, prediction of a cardiovascular event were greater than either alone. If all are elevated in the top levels then there is an 8.7 fold increase risk of cardiac events. Elevations of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen indicate inflammation and can be lowered by statin drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor and Mevacor. These do have side effects such as liver toxicity and inflammation of muscles as well as CoEnzyme Q10 deficiency. CoQ10 is important for preventing fatigue and muscle pain. They also are immunosuppressive. So if you are looking for alternatives there are many antioxidants that lower the oxidation of LDL and thus the inflammatory process. Virgin olive oil famous for the French Paradox because France has one of the lowest rates of heart disease inspite of a high fat diet. Olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, which lowers blood pressure, as well as LDL oxidation. It also contains polyphenols that act as antioxidants. Polyphenols are also found in Gingko, green tea, red wine, licorice and ginger. Vitamin E and C are both required for lowering the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and 1200 IU’s of Vitamin E were found to be more effective than 400 IU’s. Vitamin C recycles Vitamin E. All of these agents may not lower your LDL cholesterol significantly but still lower your risk!
Antioxidants such as beta carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and selenium are measured as part of this cardiovascular risk profile in addition to B6, B12, folate, calcium, magnesium, homocysteine, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and the apoA and apoB lipoproteins. Another trade secret is that if your triglyceride/HDL ratio is too high then you are insulin resistant and that increases your heart disease risk also. See July 28^th 2001 article.
Knowing your cardiovascular risk gives you information on how to treat and thus prevent a cardiovascular event such as a stroke or heart attack. The company I use is Spectracell at http://www.spectracell.com/ and some extended health plans will help cover for this test. Now how much did that car tune up cost?
Take care of your heart till next time.

Dr. Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or www.DrPincott.com