Healthy eating for Heart health

The heart is a muscular pump which we rely upon to beat on average 72 times a minute for
60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and multiply that by a lifetime of perhaps
80 plus years and you can see how important it is to keep this pump healthy. Heart disease is
the second most common cause of death in the UK but the leading cause of death in men. >
The heart muscle itself is nourished through the blood supplied by the coronary arteries.
Nutrition is key to keeping these and all the arteries throughout our bodies supple and free
from blockages. These blockages are called atheroma, a fatty deposit which narrows the
lumen of the vessels. Cholesterol is one component of these fatty plaques and your GP will
advise on nutrition to reduce an elevated level of cholesterol. Sometimes if diet has failed,
you may be recommended to take a drug called a statin, to bring down the cholesterol levels
and reduce the risk of a heart attack.

There are several components to cholesterol and you’ve probably heard of good and bad
cholesterol. HDL is the good (happy!) one and LDL the bad. In the UK, the recommendation
is for a healthy level of total cholesterol of 5 mmol/L or less. For HDL a level of above 1.0
mmol/L in men and above 1.2 mmol/L in women and a non -HDL (bad) cholesterol of below
4 mmol/L are recommended.

Just considering the food we consume, the advice is to limit intake of saturated fats. These
are fats which are solid when cold. They are in all animal products: meat, fish and dairy and
eggs. Healthy fats are the polyunsaturated fats including olive oil and those found in
avocados. Studies of populations around the world known as the Blue Zones, where there are
higher than average number of centenarians, have shown that a diet including plenty of
vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds are the norm. Meat and fish are eaten but generally
less in quantity and frequency.

Did you know that Dr Dean Ornish, back in 1990, showed that a plant- based diet together
with healthy life style change reversed heart disease? This was a randomised controlled trial
known as the Lifestyle Heart Trial. After one year, patients in the experimental group showed
a reduction in coronary artery stenosis (narrowing) while the control group saw their
condition worsen. There was a reduction in LDL cholesterol by roughly 40% which
contributed to the shrinking of the plaque. Dr Ornish now runs a Lifestyle Program in
America which qualifies for insurance reimbursement: in other words it works! In essence,
the components of his programme are a low fat whole foods vegetarian/vegan diet with less
than 10% calories from fat and no added oil. Moderate aerobic exercise, stress management
and group support are part of the regime.

If you know you have high cholesterol you should aim to move towards the diet followed by
the people who live in the Blue Zones.
Eating this way, combined with regular daily exercise (walking being the easiest, cheapest
and very effective) will assist weight loss, help to reverse type two diabetes and keep those
essential coronary arteries clean and open. In other words, keeping your heart healthy!