It is true that you might be fearful of developing heart disease if your parents have had it before you. Heredity is certainly a contributing factor that has been established over many scientific studies. But, you can take some comfort in the knowledge that it is only a contributing factor and is not the predominant one in determining the likelihood of suffering a similar fate yourself. In fact, you have only a one in ten chance of developing heart disease in these circumstances.

What are the Real Predictors of Heart Disease?

There is no real agreement on the list of determinants. Most medical practitioners do agree that some things like being overweight, smoking, and having a high cholesterol count are key factors in predicting heart disease.

Let’s look at them in turn:

1. Smoking. Cigarettes cause the production of clot causing platelets that clog arteries and also provide the ‘platform’ on which cholesterol deposits can accumulate. This in turn restricts blood flow and the resultant clotting of blood is a major cause of heart disease. There are dangerous chemicals used in the production of cigarettes that facilitate the build up of arterial deposits and actually hasten the process of heart disease developing.

2. Cholesterol. Although the human body needs cholesterol, it is a known fact that we can produce all we need by natural bodily processes. When we eat food high in fat the production of cholesterol accelerates and the body ends up with an excess which is not eliminated. It is stored in the arteries and as outlined above causing blockages in the arteries, thereby resulting in a dangerous predilection to heart disease.

3. High Blood Pressure. It is obvious when you consider what has been covered in this short report that if you have blocked arteries or restricted flow in the arteries then there will be a build up in blood pressure. This simply means that there will be pressure on the walls of the arteries and will in fact weaken them leaving them more likely to rupture. If the rupture occurs in an organ such as the brain or heart, then the result can be fatal or at best result in major damage.

4. Obesity is also another major cause of heart disease. Let’s face it, obesity is a natural result of overeating, or eating fatty foods, which are in themselves major contributing factors in heart disease. Being overweight is one thing but more recent studies indicate that it is equally important to consider where the fat is stored in the body. Abdominal fat is now acknowledged as a major concern and is being targeted as a prime indicator of heart disease. In simple terms, your chance of developing heart disease increases with the size of your gut.

5. Stress. Stress is one of the things doctors talk about increasingly when developing strategies to prevent heart disease. But again don’t blame your parents for this either. It is usually the result of lifestyle issues, which you can address yourself. 

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Drinking five or more cups of coffee a day increases the risk of having heart problems 2.8 times, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore. After correcting for other factors — such as age, smoking habits and hypertenstion — they found heavy coffee drinkers still have 2.5 times the incidence of coronary heart disease compared with nondrinkers. Those who drank a moderate amount (from two to four cups a day) had a twofold risk of heart disease.

Scientists suspected that any adverse effect must trace to caffeine. However, a study by H. Robert Superko of the University of California’s Center for Progressive Atherosclerosis Management in Berkeley reported that decaffeinated coffee — but no regular — may nudge cholesterol levels in the direction of increased heart risk. The 16-week study involved 181 healthy, nonsmoking men who routinely drank three to six cups of coffee per day. The researchers provided all volunteers with regular, drip-grind coffee and instructed them on how to brew it. Eight weeks later, they randomly assigned each man to one of three regimens: the same coffee, a switch to decaf, or abstinence from coffee. Participants were asked to avoid other caffeine sources throughout the study.

Those who drank regular coffee and those who abstained showed no changes in blood cholesterol levels during the study, the team reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The decaf group, however, experienced a roughly 6 percent increase in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol linked to heart attacks.

A meta-analysis by Martin G. Myers, M.D., University of Toronto and colleagues from other institutions, involving 11 published studies, was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. These studies lasted from two to 35 years and followed people who initially had no evidence of heart disease. Only three of the studies found that increased rates of coffee drinking are associated with the development of heart disease. Most (eight) found no evidence of an association at all. The authors concluded that people who consumed up to one cup of coffee daily had the same incidence of heart disease as those who consumed more than six cups a day.

Adam Khan Buy Quality Exercise Bikes, Treadmills and Table Tennis Tables at Argos Sports & Fitness Equipment

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The inks between fish oil and cholesterol are just one of many that also extends to heart health in general, and quite a few other medical conditions. These are known as essential fatty acids or omega 3, the so called good fats we need for so many different bodily functions. We get them from our diet, but only if it includes things like sardines, tuna and salmon. Sadly few of us eat enough of these and supplements are the next best thing.

In the case of something like cholesterol it gets a bit tricky because we’re entering a bit of a mine field of information from studies, research, clinical trials and so on. The fact is that so many other factors come into play, and it’s often difficult to know what to believe when faced with a lot of contradictory data on fish oil and cholesterol.

Add to that the degree of contention amongst the medical fraternity and you begin to realize how difficult it is to find a definitive yes or no to the basic question. 

We have all probably heard of the two types of cholesterol, good being hdl and the bad variety called ldl. There’s some recent evidence that points to a small rise in hdl if you take omega 3 supplements. It’s only a few percentage points, but that’s enough for them to say that the chances of getting a heart attack are reduced, again only within a range of between 3-9 %.

Undoubtedly there’s much more to look at and perhaps the overall level of research is still in its infancy. Life is a lot about personal choices, and if good health is high on your agenda and something like fish oil and cholesterol might be a concern, take a moment to read more on my main site.

Peter Foremski is an avid researcher into the benefits of taking fish oils. On his fish oils site he shares that information freely on how to find the most effective brands to keep you healthy, fitter and living a fuller life.

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Can we all get over our fixation on cholesterol? I mean, now that it’s clear that cholesterol isn’t what’s causing heart disease?

But, but, but, if cholesterol is building up in my arteries, doesn’t that mean cholesterol’s the problem?

Actually, no. Your cholesterol is simply trying to patch up raw spots in your arteries that were caused by inflammation–which is the problem. Cholesterol is the overworked, underappreciated good guy in the scenario.

Get rid of inflammation, and you get rid of a lot of problems–including cardiovascular “events.” But that’s another article for another day.

While the medical community makes its slow transition from cholesterol to inflammation as the villain of the piece, here are some facts you should know.

The brain needs plenty of cholesterol to function. A brain is a terrible thing to waste, especially for a mistake.

The endocrine system–the thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, gonads, etc–needs cholesterol to keep us awake, alert and ready to make life happen.

Consider the thyroid: Most doctors prescribe Synthroid, or an equivalent T4 medication, to patients with an underactive thyroid. The fact is, however, that T4 doesn’t do much; our bodies have to convert the T4 to T3 to get thyroid function off the mat. The conversion can’t be done without cholesterol, so hypothyroid patients can faithfully take their meds and still feel like death struck by a brick. The conversion isn’t guaranteed in any case (and don’t get me started about why that makes T4 medications inadequate and basically not worth spit), but it absolutely can’t happen without enough cholesterol.

The adrenals, which provide general energy and the ability to cope with stress, also need cholesterol to avoid dragging bottom. And it’s not a case of a little dab’ll do ya, either.

And low cholesterol means low libido, too.

I could go on, but why? Millions upon millions of people have thyroid problems. Most of them also have adrenal problems. These people need cholesterol. A good healthy level of 200, maybe more.

People with any sort of endocrine problem shouldn’t take drugs to lower cholesterol. Or eat low-fat diets. Or take a pass on the salt shaker. Wrong, wrong and wrong.

People who think a working brain is a good idea also should look askance at cholesterol-lowering drugs. A functioning liver and muscle strength are good reasons to avoid these drugs, too.

We need to get over this cholesterol obsession before it kills any more of us.

Bette Dowdell is not a doctor, nor does she purport to be one. She’s a patient who’s been studying the endocrine system and successfully handling her own endocrine problems for more than 30 years. Through her e-zine, teleseminars and an in-depth subscription program, Bette explains how the endocrine system works–or doesn’t, discusses things that damage the endocrine system, and talks about what we can do to make things better. Subscribe to Bette’s free e-zine at http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com and get a list of the kind of symptoms she’s talking about.

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