Nutrition & Prevention

Holistic Nutrition for Cardiovascular Diseases

Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of disorders related to the heart and the vascular system (or the blood vessels). Though some cardiovascular diseases like congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart valve diseases, rheumatic disease, etc., are not caused due to diet and lifestyle, a majority of the cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral artery disease, hypertension, heart attack and stroke are directly related to hardening and narrowing of arteries called atherosclerosis, which in turn is affected by diet and lifestyle.

Healthy arteries are elastic, passionate and flexible that helps them to survive the pressure exerted on the walls of the arteries by the blood. Hardening of the arteries is caused by the increased pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. Narrowing of the arteries is caused by the build-up of fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries resulting in plaque formation, which can now and again break off and cause clots that block the blood vessels. Hardening and narrowing of the arteries results in restricted flow and now and again block the flow of blood to heart and brain.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most run of the mill cause of death all around the planet. More people die from cardiovascular diseases than all the different types of cancers place together.

Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

Risk factors are classified into those that can be modified to control or reduce the risk of these diseases and those that cannot be modified.

Non-modifiable risk factors: Age (the older the age, the higher the risk), gender (men are at a higher risk than women), and heredity (family history and race also plays a role in CVDs) are the risk factors cannot be modified, and so it is very vital to treat and control other modifiable risk factors to reduce the risk of these diseases.

Modifiable risk factors: Smoking, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, obesity and overweight, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, stress, and too much consumption of alcohol are those that can be modified. These risk factors can be modified by making changes to the diet and lifestyle, and thus reduce the risk of CVDs.

Role of diet and nutrition

Most of the risk factors like obesity and overweight, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus are related to an unhealthy diet that lead to a buildup of stout in the inner walls of the arteries, and can be proscribed with a holistic diet and nutrition. So, a genteel diet and nutrition is very vital in controlling and sinking the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Let us have a look at some of the unhealthy eating habits and poor choices of food we generally make and what they can do to our heart and blood vessels.

Refined foods – Breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, muffins, pastas, and other products prepared using refined and colorless flours lack in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Unadorned sugars – Sweets, desserts, sweetie, chocolate, lollies, fruit juices, cordials, fruit concentrates, sweetened drinks, and other similar foods are high in unadorned sugars that cause a swift spike in blood sugar levels and also results in a lot of empty calories. Over a cycle of time, these foods will upshot in overweight and obesity.

Saturated fats – Butter, margarine, animal fats, and baked foods prepared with these are rich in saturated fats, which need more energy for their digestion. These saturated fats get accumulated as adipose bandanna and upshot in the buildup of stout in various parts of our body including arteries. Also more activity and energy is required to mobilize them and use them for energy purposes. These fats over a cycle of time lead to overweight and obesity.

Quick foods – Pastries, pies, burgers, and other quick foods generally have a high content of saturated stout, salt and refined flours, which can cause overweight, obesity, diabetes and hypertension.

Red meats – Red meats, fatty cuts of meats, and poultry with skin on are all very high in saturated stout and cholesterol, which again upshot in overweight and obesity.

Fried foods – Fried foods like French fries, fried chicken and other fried foods have a high content of saturated stout and cholesterol. Also the stout used to fry these foods generally is hydrogenated and so has trans fats.

Processed foods – Processed foods generally have high content of salt and other preservatives, which can cause hypertension.

Ready-to-eat meals and takeaway foods – These foods are again high in saturated fats, refined flours, salt, cholesterol and trans fats. All these can cause overweight, obesity, diabetes and hypertension, which are the major risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.

Role of different nutrients in sinking the risk of cardiovascular diseases

Learning about different nutrients and how they can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases will help us make informed healthy choices and lead to a healthy lifestyle. Given below are different nutrients, their fund and specific role in sinking the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

1. Complex carbohydrates: These are present in whole grains, cereals, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables. The complex carbohydrates are mainly present in dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber: Dietary fiber is neither digested nor absorbed in the human digestive tract and is of absolutely no nutritional value, but it plays a very vital role in regulating the blood sugar levels, blood cholesterol levels, and also promoting the shape of colon. Dietary fiber is of two types – soluble and unfathomable.

(1) Soluble dietary fiber promotes satiety. Because of the presence of complex carbohydrates, food takes longer time to digest and get absorbed, and so it stays in the GI tract for longer periods of time causing a feeling of fullness in the stomach (satiety) and also prevents a swift spike in blood sugar levels.

(2) Unfathomable dietary fiber (like bran) latches on to LDL cholesterol in the digestive tract and removes it from the intestines. Thus, it prevents a postpranadial increase of cholesterol in blood and regulates the blood LDL cholesterol levels.

(3) It absorbs water, adds bulk to the contents of the intestines, keeps the bowels regular and maintains the shape of the colon.

2. Unsaturated fats: Unsaturated fats are of two types – monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fats (PUFA). These are mostly present in foods of plant origin like fruits, nuts, seeds, and oils extracted from these, and also cold water fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, etc.

Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats are simple to digest, and are also necessary to maintain the fluidity of the cell membranes.

Omega fatty acids: Omega fatty acids are a type of PUFA. Nutritionally vital omega fats are – omega 3 and omega 6.

Omega 3 fatty acids are present in flaxseed, walnuts, and cold water fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. These have been extensively studied and are found to have the following beneficial effects -

Reduce tenderness in the body.

Maintain the fluidity of cell membranes

Decrease the aggregation of platelets, thus sinking the risk of clot formation

Inhibit the thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries

Relax the arteries by increasing the activity of nitric oxide in the endothelium of the arteries

Thus omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of CVDs. On the other hand, omega 6 fatty acids have an inflammatory effect. Consumption of high amounts of omega 6 fatty acids also tends to suppress the positive effects of omega 3 fatty acids. The not compulsory ratio of consumption of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids is 1:3.

3. Vitamins A and E: Vitamins A and E are stout soluble vitamins and act as natural antioxidants. Vitamin A and its precursors are present in brightly colored yellow, orange and dark green colored fruits, vegetables and leafy vegetables. Vitamin E is mostly present in nuts and oil seeds.

They neutralize the free radicals generated in the body as a upshot of normal metabolic processes and reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis. Vitamin E also reduces the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and its deposition in the inner walls of the blood vessels.

4. Vitamin D: Precursors of vitamin D are provided by milk and milk products, which are converted to active vitamin D when the skin is exposed to natural sunlight. Deficiency of vitamin D indirectly increases the risk of CVDs by increasing the risk of diabetes mellitus, secondary hyperparathyroidism, hypertension, and thickening of walls of heart and blood vessels. But supplementation with vitamin D to reduce the risk of CVDs is still being studied.

5. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that functions as a natural antioxidant. It is present in citrus fruits, berries, pineapples, and other fruits and vegetables. It prevents the formation of clots in the blood and also keeps the blood vessels elastic and flexible, thus reduces the risk of CVDs.

6. B vitamins: B vitamins have a variety of functions in the body like coenzymes, cofactors, catalysts, activators, etc. These are abundantly present in whole grains, cereals, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, eggs, meat and meat products.

In the metabolism of