‘Atherosclerosis, Cause Of Heart Diseases’

The underlying cause
of most heart disease, the number one killer in civilised nations has been said to be Atherosclerosis.
This is brought on by high blood cholesterol levels which are themselves caused by a diet low in antioxidants and high in animal fat, butter and hydrogenated vegetable fats.
According to the Natural Remedies Encyclopedia, sixth edition, Atherosclerosis which means clogged arteries, affect most parts of the human body including the brain resulting to cardiovascular disease (disease of), the heart and blood vessels stating that these diseases remain the biggest challenge in recent times.
It said “heart disease is the biggest killer in the entire world. In developed nations, the proportion of total deaths rises to more than 50 percent. Worldwide, heart attacks and strokes account for 25 percent of all deaths”.
Explaining the clogged arteries, the Encyclopedia said “in cerebral (brain) arteries, blockage of blood flow produces strokes; in carotid (neck) arteries, heart attack; in coronary (heart muscle) arteries, angina pectoris; in the aorta, aneurysm; renal (kidney) arteries, intermittent claudication in femoral (upper leg) arteries, gangrene”.
It stated that the cardiovascular system starts with the heart which is the blood pump with the blood being sent through arteries and veins throughout the body, adding that should the system be affected, the entire body is also affected and could lead to death.
The Natural Remedies Encyclopedia reveal that although many of the underlying causes and means of preventing cardiovascular diseases have been identified in scientific research articles, researchers have isolated three special substances in the body (which they call ‘markers’) and which point to the likelihood of serious health challenge.
The first it revealed is the fibrinogen which is a protein that is normally used to coagulate-clump together various substances, an action that is primarily needed to stop bleeding when the body is injured.
However, high fibrinogen levels can bring on a high attack in one or another of three ways: hypercoagulation, blood platelet aggregation and excessive blood thickening, all involving clumping of particles of blood or substances within the blood vessels, adding that medical researchers have found that persons with high levels of fibrinogen are more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack.
The second marker is called reactive protein which with a high level, subjects a person to an increased risk of having floating pieces of plaque in his blood vessels, leading to arterial blood clotting.
While explaining that plaque is an accumulation of cholesterol (a blood protein) and other substances on the inner sides of blood vessels, it said that it can be extremely dangerous when pieces of arterial plaque break loose revealing that it can block the flow of blood through a coronary artery resulting in a heart attack and with such people being three times as likely to die of heart attack.
The third marker, the encyclopedia revealed, is a high level of homocysteine. Excessive homocysteine blocks the natural breakdown of fibrinogen by inhibiting the production of EPA and serving as a major cause of heart attack.
The encyclopedia however noted that homocysterine can be avoided in the system by simply avoiding the consumption of various meat products.
It further advised that there should be a reduction in the general consumption of fat-soluble diets and an increase of litamins and natural food intake to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and obtaining a longer life span.