Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women over the age of 50. Heart attacks are twice as deadly for women as they are for men.

Statistics (which need not apply to you) show that one in two women will eventually die of some kind of heart disease—either coronary artery disease causing a heart attack or a stroke and 1 in 4 men!

Disorders that are characterized by arteriosclerosis which increased risk for heart disease include:

• diabetes
• insulin resistance
• high cholesterol
• obesity
• smoking
• physical inactivity
• hypertension
• decreased thyroid hormone
• poor diet
• inflammation
• a genetic tendency toward producing too much homocysteine

No matter where cardiovascular disease first shows up, it is present throughout the entire body and steps should be taken to prevent or treat it before it shows up in mid-life!
Most of the time, arteriosclerosis is not diagnosed until an individual has a heart attack or stroke.
If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, are significantly overweight, never exercise, follow a poor diet, or are a smoker, one can virtually guarantee that you already have arteriosclerosis!

Listen to Your Body

Men who are having a heart attack typically present with chest pain that begins under the breastbone and spreads to the jaw and the left arm. Heart attack may also just feel like indigestion. 50% of men typically have no symptoms.
Women with heart attacks may not have chest pain at all either. Instead, they may experience primarily jaw pain and indigestion.
More women than men with so-called normal coronary arteries also have heart attacks, angina, and myocardial ischemia. As a result, a normal angiogram (blood vessel study) in a woman with symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that she doesn’t have heart disease.
What Causes This
Cardiovascular disease results, in part, from arteriosclerosis—an accumulation of oxidized fat in blood vessels that calcifies and eventually causes blood vessel and heart damage, especially if there is inflammation present in the body.
Arteriosclerosis underlies all coronary artery disease and is responsible for the majority of deaths in the Western world.
Hardening of the arteries is caused by damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels from free radicals.
This, in turn, is caused by Glycaemic stress, Tran’s fats, Emotional stress, and Micronutrient deficiencies which cause inflammation.
The part emotional stress plays in this equation cannot be overemphasized.
Emotions such as depression, anxiety, panic, and grief have been shown to cause constriction in blood vessels, thereby impeding the free flow of blood.
And anything that causes constriction in your blood vessels makes your heart and your vessels work harder to do their job.

Treatment and prevention

Hormone replacement therapy
There is a large body of research that shows oestrogen has a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels. In using HRT however, women should be aware of the fact that it can increase the risk of blood clots and hence stroke as well as breast cancer.
Bio-identical hormone replacement is safer than synthetic hormones.
There are many nutraceutical and herbal combinations available that also help to balance and increase oestrogen more safely.

Testosterone therapy
Recent studies indicate that Testosterone replacement in men reduce their risks of major adverse cardiovascular events — including strokes, heart attacks, and death.
Insulin resistance:
An enormous amount of data exists on the link between nutrition and heart disease, particularly with regard to the ill effects of excess insulin and the benefits of antioxidants.
Lifestyle:
Diets high in the consumption of trans-fatty acids (including hydrogenated oils) and refined carbohydrates, combined with inadequate exercise and protein, all set the stage for cellular inflammation, which creates a predisposition to hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
Eating five to six servings of fruits and vegetables per day has been shown to lower the risk of stroke by 31 percent.
The strongest effect comes from the cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage, followed by green leafy vegetables and citrus fruit and juice.
One study showed that people who ate just five large carrots per week lowered their risk of stroke by 68 percent compared to those who ate only one carrot per week.

Depression:
New data now concludes that depression is an important independent risk factor for heart disease. Depressed men and women were shown to be twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease as were normal, non-depressed women.

Homocysteine:
Having elevated blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine (found in high amounts in animal protein) constitutes a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
At least 10 percent of the population has a genetic tendency for elevated levels.
When high homocysteine levels are reduced, the incidence of heart attack is cut by 20 percent, the risk of blood-clot-related strokes decreases by 40 percent and the risk of venous blood clots elsewhere in the body plunges by an impressive 60 percent.
Studies have shown that dietary intake of vitamins B12, B6, and folate can help combat an elevated homocysteine level, as can cutting back on the amount of animal based protein in your diet.
Ask your health care provider to determine your homocysteine level. It should be between 7 – 9.
Fish oil
A diet containing fish oil has been found to reduce the incidence of heart disease in a number of studies. Research shows that 3 g per day of fish oil containing both EPA and DHA protects the heart because it makes platelets more slippery and decreases cellular inflammation.
Alternatively, you can eat three servings of cold-water fish per week, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines
If you are a vegetarian or do not care for these fish, take high-quality flax seed or EPA and DHA supplements derived from algae.
Magnesium
Using diuretics results in the loss of magnesium through the urine. Excessive use of the stomach acid inhibitors e.g. Nexium, also result in magnesium deficiency.

Calcium
Adequate calcium intake also helps keep blood pressure normal. This mineral works in tandem with magnesium, and therefore it’s important to make sure you get enough of both

Coenzyme Q10
CoQ10 acts to increase the supply of energy for cellular processes in general and thereby contributes to the improvement of overall health.
Some of the documented benefits include improved ability of the heart to pump effectively. It has also been shown to help reduce high blood pressure and congestive heart failure in those who already have heart disease.
Statin drugs lower Coenzyme Q10 levels.

Carotenoids
Dozens of studies show that individuals who consume high amounts of pigment-rich foods have less risk for heart disease.
Beta-carotene
Prevents the lipoprotein LDL (“bad” cholesterol) from becoming oxidized
Lycopene
Is another good antioxidant; eating tomatoes a couple of times a week will give you all the lycopene you need.
Vitamin E
Tocotrienols: These are part of the vitamin E family, but they are 40 to 60 times more powerful antioxidants than regular vitamin E.
Tocotrienols improve total cholesterol levels, oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad” cholesterol), and the clumping of red blood cells.
Free-radical damage (oxidative stress from poor diet, psychological stress, smoking, etc.) that accompanies LDL oxidation is particularly dangerous because it can cause serious injury to artery and vein walls.
Diet
Fresh fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, almonds, peanuts, and wheat germ also contain tocotrienols and the other types of vitamin E. Most multivitamins don’t have significant amounts, so if you want to supplement your diet, you have to take these supplements separately.
Selenium:
This antioxidant has been shown to decrease the risk of free-radical damage to blood vessel walls
Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPCs)
Derived from grape seeds or pine bark, OPCs are in the class of foods known as the flavonoids. Cardiovascular disease risk is inversely proportional to flavonoid intake.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid
Vitamin C:
This powerful antioxidant helps protect the endothelial lining of your blood vessels and has also been found to aid the absorption of calcium and magnesium, two key minerals for heart health

Hawthorn
Herbalists have used Hawthorn berry extract for years as a tonic for heart related conditions.
Garlic
Tea
Both black and green tea consumption have been shown to have beneficial effects on the endothelial lining of blood vessels, which helps decrease the risk of stroke
Weight-bearing exercise
Can be very helpful for heart health because it lowers insulin resistance dramatically.
Stop smoking!
Gum disease
Is a risk factor for coronary artery disease and stroke. This association may be due, in part, to the fact that inflammation plays a central role both in gum disease and in hardening of the arteries.
It has also been shown that the inflammation seen in periodontal disease is associated with narrowing of the carotid arteries, a risk factor for stroke.
Periodontal disease is easily preventable (and often treatable) through proper brushing, flossing, and regular visits to the dentist for professional evaluation and cleaning.
Pets
If you don’t already have a pet, consider getting one. It’s well documented that the presence of a pet lowers blood pressure and is relaxing.
Genetic testing
This is done via a simple buccal swab and can show your risk for developing heart and blood vessel disease.
Inflammation
Your levels of inflammation can be checked by asking your physician to do a CRP test for you. This should be < 1