From the Doctor:
Lifelong eating habits can affect heart
Dear Dr. Copperman:
My father died of a heart attack
several years ago and now my
mother has heart pains. What can
f do to prevent this from happen
ing to me?
Worried
Dear Worried:
Eighty years ago heart attacks
and heart pain were uncommon
occurrences Tuberculosis and
other infectious diseases were the
leading causes of death People
were more active and less seden
tary and diets were simpler From
then to now we have seen the de
velopment of an epidemic of heart
disease due to coronary athero
sclerosis. or the blockage of the
arteries that feed the heart, to the
point that it is now far away the
leading cause of death in this
country.
Studies done in various popula
tion groups in various countries
have shown large differences in
the number of people developing
coronary heart disease. These
studies have shown a clear-cut re
lationship between diets high in
total calories, saturated fats and
cholesterol and the development
of heart disease Furthermore,
experimental animals fed diets
high in calones, fat and choles
terol have been made to develop
heart disease, so that the relation
ship between life-long eating
habits and the heart seems fairly
well established.
Related to diet but also affected
by other factors are blood lipids or
the fats in solution in your blood
stream The best known of these
fats is cholesterol; a person with a
blood cholesterol of over 300 mg
per cent has a four times greater
risk of developing heart disease
than does someone with a blood
cholesterol less than 200 mq per
cent.
There are five basic types of
people with elevated blood fats
and of these three are associated
with an increased nsk of coronary
heart disease. The cornerstone of
correction of elevated blood lipids
is again dietary combined with
weight reduction Drugs may be
used if diet alone is not adequate
Diabetes, thyroid problems and
certain kidney diseases are some
of the contributing factors in some
people with high blood fats
Others have a familial or genetic
problem. I would strongly advise
you to have your blood lipids
measured on a periodic basis and
keep them as low as possible
There is some data showing
that prolonged vigorous exercise
on a daily basis may help lower
your blood fats This involves jog
ging or other strenuous exercise
for a minimum of 45 minutes to
one hour daily This kind of exer
cise program must be started very
gradually, however; you can strain
more muscles than you know you
have, including your heart, it you
are not careful
Imagine your heart as a red
rhythmically contracting hollow
ball made of thick, living muscle
instead ol rubber Sixty to a 100
times a minute, 24 hours a day,
that muscle powerfully contracts,
the ball gets smaller, and the
blood which (lows into the heart
when it relaxes is squeezed out
under pressure into a large hose
which branches and carries blood
throughout the body Three small
branches come out ot the large
hose immediately, run down the
surface of the heart, branching
and getting smaller and finally
disappearing into the muscle
On the surface the arteries twist
and buckle each time the heart
contracts Those places where
the buckling occurs are under a
tremendous amount of strain over
a lifetime, and it is remarkable that
the living conduits are able to re
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pair the daily strains and stresses
and remain opon and strong lor a
lifetime
However, when excess tats are
deposited in the walls ol those
conduits their elasticity is re
duced Their ability to obtain oxy
gen and repair themselves is re
duced Those spots which are
under the most stress are m|ured
and more tat accumulates in
them The smooth inner-lining
breaks down and an ulcer is
formed Calcium is deposited and
more tat and the opening be
comes smaller and smaller Fi
nally the heart muscle that is led
by the blood carried in that artery
cannot get enough oxygen to live
and a heart attack occurs
Even though it has not yet been
shown that you can decrease your
risk by changing your diet, it
seems like a very reasonable
thing to do It you eat less, oat
simpler toods. oat less relined and
less tatty foods, and oat toods low
in cholesterol, you will probably be
doing your heart a lavor
So next time you have a choice
botwoen potato skins and soy
beans, or steak and strawberry
shortcake with whipped cream
think twice Lean hamburger and
fewer eggs aro the order ol the
day As a nation wo are grossly I
overted. richly ted. and tat and our
hearts sutler at the excesses ol
our stomachs
The other ma|or preventable
factors that cause coronary hoart
disease are high blood pressure
smoking and diabetes These will
be discussed in greater detail next
wook In conclusion, then, to your
question, thero are many tactois
which enter into the development
ot the kind ol hoart disease that
you describe your parents as hav
mg and while not all ol them are
correctible. many ot them are
It will take an educated and de
termined ottort on your part to de
crease your risk ot a heart attack
However. to do so would involve a
lol ot changes in your lilo that will i
lead to an increase in your health "
and happiness
Terry Copperman, M D
Copyright 1977
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