Heart Disease Prevention - Why Is Triglyceride Important In Heart Disease Prevention?

Focus is mainly placed on cholesterol levels when talking about heart disease and stroke prevention. The relationship between triglyceride blood levels and the risk of heart disease has been less obvious. However, studies have now indicated… Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/why-is-triglyceride-important-in-heart-disease-prevention.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Fish Oil Prevent Heart Disease?

Numerous studies on fish oil indicated that its omega-3 fatty acids may help manage blood pressure, reduce triglycerides and the chance of abnormal heart rhythm, lower the likelihood of heart attack and stroke, and lessen the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart disease.

Find out more at:

https://www.howtopreventheartdisease.com/can-fish-oil-prevent-heart-disease.html

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Drinking Tea Prevent Heart Disease?

It is believed that tea has beneficial health effects, including cancer prevention, weight loss, skin improvement, protection the brain from Alzheimer's and dementia, and helps lower blood sugar because it is a good source of the compounds known as catechins and epicatechins. Find our more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Drinking Tea Prevent Heart Disease?

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Controlling Diabetes Is Important For Heart Disease Prevention?

Coronary artery disease is the major cause of death in patients with diabetes. It can lead to heart attack, heart failure or angina. The risk of developing coronary artery disease in diabetic patients is known to be several times higher at every level of cholesterol. That is why controlling diabetes is important. Read more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Controlling Diabetes Is Important For Heart Disease Prevention?

How To Manage Cholesterol Level?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. While human body requires some cholesterol to make hormones, Vitamin-D and substances that help digest foods, high cholesterol levels can increase the chance of getting heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

Fasting lipid blood test is one way to find out information on one’s total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or bad cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol or good cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Of all the readings, LDL is the most important figure one should pay attention to. For a person without diabetes or a history of heart disease or stroke, an LDL level of above 4.0mmol/L or 160mg/dL is considered high. But if one has diabetes, heart disease, or has previously suffered a stroke, the threshold is lower, at 2.6mmol/L or 100mg/dL. LDL causes fat deposits to accumulate on blood vessel walls. This will eventually create a blockage that might lead to heart attack and stroke.

The human body can make all the cholesterol it needs but cholesterol can be added to the body in some of the foods consumed. Cholesterol is found in foods that come from animal sources, for example, egg yolks, meat, and cheese. Some foods have saturated fats and Trans fats that can also raise the cholesterol level.

Besides diet, level of physical activity, body weight, heredity (genes) and age can determine the cholesterol levels, too. People who do not have adequate physical activity tend to gain weight. Overweight would raise the LDL levels and lower the HDL levels. LDL levels appear to rise with increasing age, and sometimes, high cholesterol can run in families and this is of course uncontrollable. 

Patients with high cholesterol levels are usually advised to perform moderate aerobic exercise to improve their cholesterol levels. Regular exercise could help one lose weight, increase HDL levels and lower LDL levels.

Meanwhile, they should adopt a diet low in saturated fats and high in vegetables and fruits. Vegetables like cabbage, carrot, onion and tomato, and fruits such as blueberries, avocado, grapefruit, grape, and soybeans are rich in cholesterol-lowering antioxidants. In addition, one should try to have a diet contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower one’s triglyceride levels.

However, if one’s cholesterol levels do not reduce after 3 to 6 months, he or she should see the doctor who might prescribe cholesterol-lowering medications like statins.

People are mostly not aware of the high blood cholesterol levels in their body because there is no signs or symptoms. It is advised that adults aged 20 and above should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years. 

Can Fish Oil Really Prevent Heart Disease?

Omega-3 fatty acid is healthy for all from growing children to heart disease patients. This is the message conveyed to people for years by many health professionals and doctors. In recent years, omega-3 has even been added to some foods such as margarine and eggs.

However, Dutch researchers found in their study of about 5,000 heart attack survivors that eating about 400 milligrams of fish fatty acids per day did not significantly decrease the risk of getting heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular events for those patients who were already getting good care. 400 milligrams of fish fatty acids is the equivalent of 2 fatty fish meals.

At the end of 3 and half years, there was no change in death, heart attack and other heart problems between those who consumed margarine with added omega-3 fatty acids and those who did not.

The findings were presented by researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands during the month of August 2010 at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, and published online by the New England Journal Of Medicine.

Does the results mean that getting more of the fatty acid does not has any benefit? Of course NO!

As confirmed by several studies, omega-3 fish fatty acid (mostly from fish oil) help reduce heart disease. It would reduce the risk of abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) that can lead to sudden death, decrease triglyceride (harmful fats) levels, slow the growth of atherosclerotic plaque that could clog arteries, and lower blood pressure (slightly).

The reason that adding a low-dose of omega-3 fatty acid did not offer extra protection, as explained by the researchers, is that the participants were taken good care by their doctors: they were taking the best medicines to prevent future heart problem. Among the participants, about 98 percent were on anti-platelet treatments, 90 percent were taking blood pressure lowering agents and 85 percent were taking lipid-lowering agents.

As compared to those heart patients in earlier research who did benefit by taking fish oil pills, the participants in this study were also older (aged between 60 and 80) and took part in the study years after their heart attack.