DIETARY GUIDELINES

Very simply, a low-fat, high-fiber diet is recommended for anyone with arterial disease. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and non-fat dairy products should be emphasized with fish, skinless poultry and lean meats used as “side dishes.” Total fat intake should not exceed 20 to 30 grams a day. To determine your daily fat intake, learn to read food labels and obtain a fat gram counter booklet, available in most supermarkets or bookstores.

The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease is a diet, exercise and stress reduction regimen that reduces the risk of arterial disease. It is available at bookstores in paperback or can be borrowed from your public library.

RISK FACTORS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Risk factors are personal characteristics and/or lifestyle choices that have been liked to the development of plaque in arteries. Some risk factors – including age, sex, and family history – are not able to be “controlled.” Others, however, can be controlled or modified to reduce the risk of developing arterial disease. These include: High cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, inactivity, diabetes, stress and obesity.

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance in the blood which, in excess, becomes part of the plaque deposited in arteries resulting in atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol enters the blood in one of two ways:

1. From the liver. The liver produces cholesterol and two types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. HDL (high-density lipoprotein), also known as the “good” cholesterol, transports cholesterol from the blood into cells. LDL (low-density lipoprotein), also known as the “bad” cholesterol, deposits cholesterol on the walls of arteries thereby contributing to plaque formation.
   
   
2. From the foods we eat. Cholesterol is found only in animal products (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, etc.). Fats from plant sources can contribute to a high-cholesterol level because oils, especially palm oil and coconut oil (which are ingredients in many packaged foods), can be converted to cholesterol in the body.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure leads to damage of the lining of arteries, making it easier for plaque buildup to occur. In addition, the heart has to work harder to pump blood through the narrowed arteries.

Recommendations for lowering blood pressure include:

• If you smoke, STOP
• Lose excess weight
• Exercise regularly
• Reduce sodium (salt) intake
• Take blood pressure medicine as prescribed

Smoking

Smoking constructs blood vessels, increases the workload of the heart, and hastens the development of arterial disease. In addition, the carbon monoxide from the tobacco smoke decreases the amount of oxygen in the blood.

Persons who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day have more than twice the risk of having a heart attack as those who have never smoked. By continuing to smoke after a heart attack, a person’s likelihood of having a second attack increases.

We strongly encourage you to stop smoking and will provide you with information to help you quit.

Inactivity

Studies show that inactive people are more likely to develop coronary artery disease than those who exercise regularly.

The benefits of exercise are numerous and include:

• Improved circulation throughout the body
• Lowered blood pressure
• Increase in HDL (good cholesterol) and a decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol)
• Reduced stress and tension
• Strengthened bones and muscles
• Decreased percentage of body fat

Walking is an excellent form of exercise, plus, it is inexpensive and convenient. We will be happy to provide you with a low to moderate intensity walking program. If you wish to participate in more vigorous exercise, you will need to have a treadmill stress test performed prior to starting your program.

Diabetes

Having diabetes doubles the risk of developing coronary artery disease and contributes to the plaque buildup in other arteries as well. Complications of diabetes include stroke, kidney disease, loss of vision, and damage to the nervous system. Most people with diabetes that starts in adulthood are overweight. Weight loss may reduce blood sugar levels. If you are diabetic, it is important that you follow your prescribed diet, maintain an ideal weight, exercise regularly, and take your medications as prescribed.

Stress

Stress is a normal part of everyone’s life. If handled constructively, stress is not necessarily bad for you. Although there is no evidence that stress alone cause’s heart disease, the two are related.

The body responds to stress by increasing heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the blood’s clotting ability and pumping more blood to the large muscles of the arms and legs. Because of these responses, stress can bring on angina or even a heart attack in someone with other cardiac risk factors.

The first step in stress management is learning to recognize what causes your stress and how you fell when you are under stress. Once you accomplish this, you can begin to get rid of the behaviors and thinking patterns that cause you stress over unimportant things.

Obesity

Obese people are more at risk for arterial disease, especially coronary artery disease, for a number of reasons. Besides causing increased workload on the heart, obesity may contribute to higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels, lower HDL levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Adult onset diabetes is primarily due to obesity; consequently, obese diabetics can often control their diabetes with substantial weight loss.

The major causes of obesity in Americans are lack of exercise and taking in more calories than the body needs. Therefore, the best strategy for successful weight loss involves increasing activity while decreasing caloric intake.

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