Top Risks for Developing Cardiovascular Disease
According to the American Heart Association (AHA) nearly half of the population of American adults have cardiovascular disease. Say what? Wow! You might ask, how do they classify CAD? The AHA includes diagnoses such as high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary artery disease, heart failure, and/or stroke. The rise in cardiovascular disease comes primarily from the rise in hypertension and type 2 diabetes among American adults. Why is this happening?
Let’s take an alternative look at this. We all know that many people are unfortunately caught up in the standard American lifestyle which includes consuming the standard American diet (SAD) in combination with a sedentary lifestyle. The SAD is described as a “Western pattern diet” that is characterized, in general, …” by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, processed meats, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, conventionally-raised animal products, eggs, potatoes, corn, and low intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasture-raised animal products, fish, nuts, and seeds.” If you couple a sedentary lifestyle with the standard American diet, you are in for some serious health troubles. A sedentary lifestyle is defined as “a lifestyle in which little to or no physical activity and exercise is done, as opposed to an active lifestyle. A person living a sedentary lifestyle is often sitting or lying down while engaged in an activity like socializing, watching TV, playing video games, reading, or using a mobile device. “
So how do we halt the development of CAD? The prevention of cardiovascular disease is not all about cholesterol and salt. The risk factors with great influence on developing CAD are insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and chronic inflammation. Recent studies have shown that cholesterol is not the primary reason for development of CAD, yet many traditional medicine providers immediately jump to putting people on statins and blood pressure lowering medications without discussing the lifestyle changes needed to eliminate the need for any medications. Statins should be used with extreme caution. They deplete CoQ10, vitamin K2, dolichol, and selenium stores, thereby threatening overall health even further. Side effects of statin drugs include muscle pain and damage, depression, breathing difficulties, liver damage, increased blood sugar or type 2 diabetes (what?!), and neurological issues such as memory loss and confusion.
Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome mean that your body has difficulty processing carbohydrates, and this typically relates to excessive intake of SAD-type foods such as sugary beverages and foods in combination with refined carbs, such as white flour products. Insulin resistance promotes fatty liver and high blood sugars which can both lead to atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, in addition to causing inflammation because visceral fat releases inflammatory molecules.
Systemic inflammation (throughout the body) is the body’s response to stress by the immune system. Common causes include illness, autoimmune conditions, allergies, stress, vaccinations, and trauma/injury. Those with systemic inflammation often complain of pain, stiffness, swelling, fatigue, poor sleep, depression, anxiety, weight gain, recurrent infections, constipation, diarrhea, and/or reflux. Through our years of treating patients at Caring Medical, we have seen these symptoms completely resolve when patients change their lifestyles, primarily the way they eat – from SAD to fresh, organic, real food diets.
We know that our message for longevity and a happy, healthy life is redundant in these articles. We have a choice! We recommend a fresh real food diet coupled with an active lifestyle, 7-8 hours of sleep per night, prayer and meditation, and showing love and kindness to others.
