Having high cholesterol means living with a greater risk of heart attack. For every 1 percent increase in the amount of cholesterol in the average American’s blood, there is about a 2 percent increase in the risk of a heart attack; conversely, every 1 percent reduction from the average cholesterol level reduces the risk by about 2 percent.
Elevated cholesterol (anything above 150) promotes atherosclerosis—the buildup of cholesterol, fat, and cells in the arteries that feed the heart muscle. Incidentally, while the average cholesterol level in the U.S. is 210, the average vegetarian’s cholesterol level is 161 and the average vegan’s cholesterol level is 133. People with cholesterol levels below 150 virtually never have heart attacks, while nearly one-third of meat-eaters will die from one.
Heart researchers have found that a low-fat vegan diet is the best diet for lowering cholesterol levels. Plant foods contain no cholesterol, whereas meat, eggs, and dairy products contain large amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, which can cause arteries to become hard and clogged. Plus, the high fiber content of a vegetarian diet helps eliminate excess cholesterol from the digestive tract. (Meat, dairy products, and eggs have no fiber at all.)
Dr. William Castelli, director of the famous Framingham Heart Study (the longest-running clinical study in medical history), says about heart disease, “If Americans adopted a vegetarian diet, the whole thing would disappear.” He states that Americans have been “brainwashed to eat meat.”
Even if you’ve been diagnosed with atherosclerosis, there’s still hope. Dr. Dean Ornish has demonstrated that the disease can be reversed without exposure to drugs and their often dangerous side effects.
In a landmark study, he put a group of patients on a low-fat vegetarian diet and prescribed moderate exercise. Within a year, the plaques that had been growing in their hearts for decades actually started to dissolve. Patients’ chest pains disappeared, and their cholesterol levels dropped.
Nearly 80 percent of people with severely clogged arteries who follow the Ornish program for at least a year are able to avoid bypass surgery and angioplasty. Says Dr. Ornish, “I don’t understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it’s medically conservative to cut people open or put them on powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs for the rest of their lives.”
Although eating fish has been promoted because it contains omega-3 fatty acids, fish flesh is often contaminated with dangerous levels of toxins such as mercury and PCBs. (To get the benefits of omega-3s without being exposed to the toxins in fish, eat ground flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts, and vegetarian DHA capsules.)
When you choose vegetarian foods, you naturally and safely lower your risk of heart disease and other serious illnesses. Order a free copy of PETA’s“Vegetarian/Vegan Starter Kit”and start on your way to a healthier heart!
Heart researchers have found that a low-fat vegan diet is the best diet for lowering cholesterol levels. Plant foods contain no cholesterol, whereas meat, eggs, and dairy products contain large amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats, which can cause arteries to become hard and clogged.
Pioneering studies by Dean Ornish, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., MD, and others have shown that a low-fat, plant-based diet, combined with regular exercise and a healthy overall lifestyle, can prevent, delay, and even reverse heart disease and other cardiovascular events.
It is possible to stabilize and partially reverse plaque in your arteries. Taking cholesterol lowering medications and following a healthy lifestyle with heart healthy diet and physical exercise is the best way to start regressing plaques.
Foods that are high in soluble fiber and low in saturated and trans fats are excellent choices. Oats, nuts, beans, fatty fish, and olive and canola oils are all foods that are good for your heart.
In a landmark study, he put a group of patients on a low-fat vegetarian diet and prescribed moderate exercise. Within a year, the plaques that had been growing in their hearts for decades actually started to dissolve. Patients' chest pains disappeared, and their cholesterol levels dropped.
Although you can't reverse atherosclerosis once it starts, you can prevent it with some easy lifestyle changes. Eat a balanced diet that's high in heart-healthy fruits, vegetables, and fish.Exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes a day. Stop smoking, cause that's really bad news for your arteries.
1. Fish. Fatty or oily fish such as salmon and tuna are a great source of omega-3 fats, compounds which have been shown in studies to reduce the amount of plaque which sticks in your arteries. These healthy fats also have anti-inflammatory properties which can help with many aspects of your overall health.
There is no easy way to unclog an artery once plaque has built up. However, dietary choices, exercise, and avoiding smoking can improve cardiovascular health and stop blockages from worsening. In some cases, medication or surgery may be necessary.
Tea is packed with phytonutrients (plant chemicals) called flavonoids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and buildup in your arteries. Black and green tea also contain more moderate amounts of caffeine than coffee (about half the amount per cup), so it's a great option for people who are sensitive to that.
Making plaque disappear is not possible, but with lifestyle changes and medication they can shrink and stabilize. Doctors especially want to target the softer plaques before they rupture.
Optimal Vitamin K2 intake is crucial to avoid the calcium plaque buildup of atherosclerosis, thus keeping the risk and rate of calcification as low as possible. Matrix GLA protein (MGP)—found in the tissues of the heart, kidneys, and lungs—plays a dominant role in vascular calcium metabolism.
A drug previously found to block artery fat in mice is also feasible in humans, according to University of Aberdeen scientists. The drug Trodusquemine was given to mice on a high fat diet in 2017 and was shown to "melt away" the fat inside arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
The most important molecule in this study is hom*ocysteine (Hcy), which has been identified as a risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease and hypercoagulability. Given that, there is evidence of a link between hyperhom*ocysteinemia arising from a vegan diet and CVD, such as heart attacks and strokes [75].
Vitamin D3 (a cholecalciferol) is a vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium. This vitamin works alongside Vitamin K2 to help pull calcium deposits from your arteries.
Eating oats can help significantly reduce atherosclerosis risk factors, including high total and LDL (bad) cholesterol ( 24 , 25 ). Oats also contain antioxidants called avenanthramides, which may help inhibit inflammatory proteins called cytokines and adhesion molecules. This may help prevent atherosclerosis ( 24 ).
In fact, a plant-based diet is one of the dietary patterns recommended by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association to improve cardiovascular health.
People who avoid meat experience the opposite effect, since plant-based meals allow blood to remain fluid and flow quickly to its destination (14). Adding insult to injury, animal-based meals can cripple our arteries, preventing them from fully opening to allow for increased blood flow.
After 4 weeks, the participants eating the plant-based diet, rich in nutrients and phytochemicals, reduced their total and LDL cholesterol significantly more than the participants consuming a standard low-fat diet.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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