Eating Right to Build a Healthy Heart

Heart disease is our number one killer. More Indians are dying each year of heart disease than any other illnesses. And sadly, many of these deaths are needless. They could have been prevented; not with sophisticated drugs but with some simple dietary modifications. Putting more fibre in your diet can guard your heart and circulatory system against the devastating effects of a “civilized” diet.

The relationship between cholesterol and heart disease has been debated by the medical fraternity for over 10 years. A basic understanding of the issues involved will help you to comprehend the role of fiber in protecting your heart.

There are many ways in which the heart may become diseased-the heart muscle it self can weaken, the built-in electrical stimulator that keeps it going may become erratic, the lining of the heart can become infected, or a heart valve may become faulty. But the great killer among heart diseases is coronary heart disease or “heart attack” as it is popularly known. Its precursor is atherosclerosis, a disease in which hardened fatty plaques (composed largely of cholesterol) build up on the inside of artery walls. A coronary artery (one feeding the heart) may become blocked, by plaque buildup. Or it may be come so narrow and its once smooth inner walls so rough and jagged that a clot forms (coronary thrombosis) and plugs up the passage, pre venting blood and oxygen from reaching the heart, causing a heart attack.

Heart attacks and high serum cholesterol levels have been linked together statistically It was determined that high levels of cholesterol in the blood serum do indeed mean an increased risk of death from heart attack.
The medical establishment has adopted the position that this is a case of cause and effect and that bringing down cholesterol levels will lower the incidence of heart deaths. Unfortunately, singling out dietary cholesterol and saturated fats as the prime villains of the heart disease story has deprived many patients of such fine, nutritious (but cholesterol-
rich) foods as eggs and liver. Patients are made to give up all fats derived from animals, such as butter, cheese, whole milk, and all but the leanest of meats.

But this kind of harsh dietary restriction isn’t always necessary. Doctors have found that introducing more fibre into the diet lowers serum cholesterol in individuals with a high content of cholesterol in their blood (i.e. potential heart attack victims). Conversely, when fiber consumption is reduced, cholesterol levels rise.

Where Does The Cholesterol Go?
The precise mechanism whereby dietary fiber might influence serum cholesterol is not yet fully understood. But possibly it is related to fiber’s effect on bile acids. The larger the stools a person forms, the more bile acids he excretes, and a high-fiber diet helps insure these large stools.

But what have bile acids to do with this whole cholesterol picture?
Cholesterol (which we synthesize in our own bodies as well as ingest with foods) is the precursor of bile acids. From cholesterol in the liver, bile acids are manufactured and sent via the bile duct into the top portion of the small intestine (duodenum). Here their job is to help in the digestive breakdown of dietary fats, after which function some bile acids travel down the intestinal tract and are excreted with the feces, while the greater portion is reabsorbed into the body and travels back to the liver via the bloodstream.

You can see why a dietary factor that increases fecal excretion of bile acids might also lower serum cholesterol levels. For as long as plenty of reabsorbed bile acids are returning to the liver, there is no need to manufacture great quantities more and cholesterol that would have been used for bile acid synthesis is not metabolized in this fashion but remains in the system. Thus, the major mechanism whereby cholesterol leaves the body-by catabolic metabolism into bile acids-is reduced in efficiency when our natural diet is deprived of its fiber content.

Moreover, there is evidence that fiber content in the intestines also reduces the absorption of cholesterol taken in with foods. So a high-residue diet, typical of primitive societies, would promote the excretion of both the catabolized cholesterol (present as bile acids) and ingested cholesterol.

Of course we know that other factors beside fiber deficiency help cause coronary heart disease. There are such well-known and undisputed steps for reducing heart risk as: don’t smoke, maintain ideal weight, exercise regularly And when it comes to diet, we know that fiber deficiency cannot be the only culprit.

Hand in hand with fiber deficiency goes overconsumption of sugar. Researchers have found that adding sugar to the diet raises the level of blood cholesterol.

Just stop and think, for a moment, about the average diet-maybe your own diet. Our systems are full of cholesterol because we’re eating lots of sugar, but our meals contain so little fiber that much of that cholesterol isn’t even being metabolized! Is it any wonder then that heart disease is a number one killer? Therefore seasonal fruits and raw salads should be eaten regularly.

Most of us are aware of the need to eat less sweets. Many heart patients are tuned in to the importance of a good diet, and many conscientiously try to cut out sweets, alcohol, and excess fat. But there is another dimension to diet which is of great importance to the heart patient, although few know much about it, and others prefer not to think about it.
We are talking about what happens to the food you eat regardless of whether it is high or low in cholesterol when it reaches your lower bowels and need to be eliminated.

Many of us have heard of someone we know who had a weak heart and was found dead in the bathroom. Depending on your Age, you may also be aware that there is a strange tendency for people to collapse in the bathroom when they are not known to have a bad heart.

The blunt truth is that the majority of these people have died before their time as an indirect result of one of the most common diseases in the modem world-constipation.

It is not constipation itself which poses the danger but straining at stool. The abnormal stress which straining puts on the heart is much greater than you might imagine. In fact, even people who have no signs of a heart problem can dangerously overburden their hearts when straining. Tests have shown in people with no previous history of heart disorder that straining produces significant changes in heart rate, blood pressure. Further, these changes closely resemble those which are observed in known heart patients.
Specifically, about twelve percent of straining episodes are found to be of sufficient intensity and duration to produce notable abnormalities. The frequency of such incidents is increased five times by the problem of constipation.

Another aspect of the problem involves the changes in size undergone by the veins in the rectum and legs during bathroom straining. These changes are much greater in constipation and sometimes may cause blood clots to break loose from veins and travel towards the heart.

So while constipation certainly isn’t fun for anybody, it can be downright dangerous and life threatening to older people and those of any age who are in a weakened condition. People who are confined to bed following surgery or hospitalization are particularly vulnerable-not only to constipation but to the damage which straining can cause.
Once again, the right kind of diet could be your salvation. If you have heart trouble (and to be on the safe side even if you don’t), cut down on the amount of sweet foods you consume. Cutting out sweets can also protect you from obesity and diabetes. So increase fiber intake and lower cholesterol foods to cure constipation