Beauty Health for Life

(Article first published as Top Heart Disease Prevention Steps on Technorati.)
Why are some people seemingly able to eat a diet loaded with heart clogging fried foods and fats, while others seem destined to poor health regardless of their diet? This question has plagued medical researchers for decades. The answer is now beginning to unravel, in part due to advancements in decoding the human genome, and an understanding of the intricate genetic interactions which respond to diet and lifestyle decisions we make every day.

Genes Provide the Missing Link to Heart Disease
Scientists are able to watch gene alterations or switching in virtual real time, as they observe the positive or negative influences of specific food items in each meal. According to a study published in the journal Nature, researchers have identified nearly 100 genes which specifically control up to a third of the inherited factors controlling our cholesterol, specifically LDL cholesterol and triglycerides that are known factors in the development of coronary artery disease and heart attack risk.

Our Genes Aren’t Set in Stone
This study demonstrates for the first time that certain individuals are predisposed to developing abnormal types of oxidized LDL cholesterol through a hereditary link. Based on the results, up to 20% of people are at increased risk for developing heart disease, as their genes have been ‘switched’ in favor of  developing a poor blood lipid profile.

This does not mean that you’re condemned to poor health due to heredity. Our genes respond to the cues they receive from the foods we eat and the lifestyle we lead. A predisposition to heart disease is not destined. Fortunately, there are several simple steps you can follow to reduce and virtually eliminate the risk for coronary artery disease, regardless of the genetic cards you’ve been dealt.

Step 1: Eat Fat with Your Heart in Mind
Diet is the single most important factor which controls the actions of your genes. The nutritional content of each bite of food directly impacts and influences how each gene activates, and scientists are able to track subtle changes which take place after each meal. Diets which are high in hydrogenated trans fats such as fried foods are particularly damaging from a genetic perspective.

It’s important to understand that not all fats are the same when it comes to heart health. For a half century, saturated fats have been maligned, and most have been advised to avoid them at all cost. Nothing could be further from the truth, as these fats play an essential role in cellular health.

Omega-3 fats from fish and fish oil are essential to the prevention and treatment of heart disease. Ensure that the ratio of Omega-6 fats (from vegetable oil sources) to Omega-3 fats is no higher than 4:1 to reduce systemic inflammation and proliferation of coronary disease.

Step 2: Limit Refined Carbs and Wheat Based Foods
Extensive scientific data is mounting which correlates excessive consumption of wheat-based foods with progression of coronary artery disease. Wheat has been a part of the human diet for a relatively short period of our evolutionary history, and genetically we’re not well equipped to digest these grains.

To make matters worse, most foods made with wheat have been highly ined, stripping out any beneficial fiber which cause wild swings in blood sugar levels. Limit or fully eliminate wheat and ined carbs to avoid dangerous triglyceride and oxidized LDL cholesterol levels.

Step 3: Supplement with Heart Friendly Nutrients
People who are genetically predisposed to heart disease, as well as those with the desire to prevent this silent killer will want to supplement with a targeted nutritional cocktail which has been shown to stop coronary artery disease in its tracks. The B complex vitamins along with C and E provide critical support for the heart, as long as they are taken in their natural forms.

Magnesium, Selenium, Chromium and Potassium are essential minerals. It’s important to note that a daily multi vitamin doesn’t provide the proper amount or type of these critical nutrients. Choose a non-synthetic source made from whole foods. The amino acids Lysine and Proline in combination with Vitamin C (The Pauling Therapy) can be used for advanced protection against heart disease.

Research has uncovered the genetic link to heart disease which many have suspected since the beginning of modern medicine. We’re now able to use gene mapping to understand how this disease develops, and more important, how we can affect our diet and lifestyle to reduce our risk factors, and prevent and even treat coronary artery disease.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) results in nearly 1 million deaths each year and millions more are living with this disease and the limitations which lead to an early demise.  Coronary Artery Disease is avoidable and reversible by following a healthy diet and supplementing with targeted nutraceuticals.  Amazingly, this information has been understood and implemented with demonstrated results for decades and yet CAD remains the leading cause of death in the US today.

Coronary Artery Disease, or atherosclerosis is a progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries which provide blood to the heart.  Over the course of years and decades of poor dietary choices, external stress, lack of exercise and environmental pollutants, the normally flexible arteries begin to develop small cracks within the artery lining.  In an attempt to prevent blood from leaking through the cracks, the body uses its own patching mixture of minerals and oxidized fats to prevent blood loss.  Cholesterol is essential for good health, and limiting production in the body by taking statins only leads to further health issues.  Vibrant health is attained through healthy diet, exercise and stress reduction principles.

Following the Standard American Diet (SAD) which is packed with highly ined wheat, corn and sugar based carbohydrates leads directly to systemic inflammation throughout the body and micro-cracks in the lining of the arteries.  High triglycerides and the plaque promoting small, dense LDL cholesterol particles in the blood are the end result.  The key to plaque prevention is to eat plenty of raw green leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, healthy fats and lean proteins.  Eliminate all processed, ined carbohydrates, sugars, wheat and corn products.  This dietary plan will reduce the inflammation and high triglyceride levels which are the main cause of CAD, while halting further plaque progression in the arteries.

Dr. Linus Pauling was a chemist and winner of multiple Nobel Prize awards, and is best known for his work with Vitamin C.  Pauling furthered his work to include two amino acids which work alongside Vitamin C, and are essential in the fight to prevent and treat CAD.  Pauling found that Lysine and Proline, combined with Vitamin C creates a sticky substance which attaches to the foamy plaque deposits, ushering the deadly substance out of the coronary arteries.  This combination is known as the Pauling Therapy, and is currently used successfully by many people to eradicate plaque and reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease.  Additionally, supplements such as niacin, Vitamin D and green tea extracts have therapeutic effects which cause regression of the plaque that leads to hardened arteries.

Coronary Artery Disease is devastating in terms of disability, loss of productive years and the burden placed on an already failing health system.  We understand the root cause of this disease and also the proven natural therapy to prevent, halt and treat this affliction which many consider a death sentence.  A proper diet which favors raw vegetables, nuts, seeds and lean proteins instead of the typical highly processed carbohydrate fare consumed my most people will produce life altering results.  Further evidence shows that a regimen of specially targeted supplements can compliment a healthy lifestyle, leading to Coronary Artery Disease reversal and a lengthened lifespan.  CPDAKFVDVXH8