Showing posts with label Heart Disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart Disease. Show all posts
When Vitamin C levels were restored, the fatty-cholesterol deposits regressed. There have been reports of reversal of fatty-cholesterol deposits in leg arteries after taking Vitamin C in men who were deficient in Vitamin C.
Do vitamins protect against heart disease? Surprisingly, to this date few well-designed studies have been done that will permit any correlation between the intake of vitamins and heart disease. Many claims have been made, especially for Vitamin E, but the data did not withstand scientific scrutiny and was mostly anecdotal. Some observations over 30 years ago have suggested that Vitamin C may be important in preventing fatty-cholesterol deposits in arteries.
Guinea pigs, one of the few laboratory animals that cannot make their own Vitamin C from carbohydrates, developed fatty-cholesterol changes when they were deficient in Vitamin C. They had scurvy.
When Vitamin C levels were restored, the fatty-cholesterol deposits regressed. There have been reports of reversal of fatty-cholesterol deposits in leg arteries after taking Vitamin C in men who were deficient in Vitamin C.
A study from the University of Edinburg, Scotland, (1991) suggests there is, in fact, a linkage between certain vitamins and coronary artery disease. The study was of the blood level of Vitamins A, C and E as well as carotene. It showed that the blood levels of vitamins C and E and carotene were significantly lower in men with angina than in those who did not have angina heart pain. There was no correlation with Vitamin A.
The study was of 100 men who had angina pectoris, and were selected from a special study group of 6,000 men for coronary artery disease. None of these men had seen a doctor for their chest discomfort and were not thought to have influenced their blood levels of vitamins because of changes in their diets. They were compared to 394 men who had no chest pain and served as controls.
One important difference in the two groups was that 29% of the controls and 46% of the men with angina smoked. There were no significant differences in the other usual risk factors for coronary artery disease: total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and blood pressure.
Cigarette smoking did confuse the results. When the influence of cigarette smoking was taken into account, there was no significant difference in carotene levels between the two groups. The difference in Vitamin C levels was significantly decreased. But the difference in Vitamin E levels, as an independent factor, persisted.
That does not mean the differences in levels of carotene and Vitamin C are not important. It may simply mean that one way smoking increases the risk of heart disease is through its effects in lowering the level of carotene and Vitamin C in the body.
On Beta Carotene:
What can you do to use vitamins to help prevent heart disease? Keep in mind that it has not been proven that vitamins prevent coronary artery disease. It is quite important not to think that these studies mean large doses of any of these vitamins or carotene will prevent or treat coronary artery disease. Taking large doses can even be harmful. But the evidence may mean that if you have a low level or deficiency of these vitamins, then you need to improve your nutrition. The same nutritional advice that has been given to prevent heart disease is what you should follow. The antioxidants are found in fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals. A great emphasis on these in the diet can help to increase antioxidant vitamins to a normal level.
Are You Old Enough to Do The Exercises for Later Life?
Young muscles that are not used come to resemble the muscles of the aged.
To a very considerable extent, the reverse of that statement is also true: symptoms of aging may in fact be symptoms of disuse. Many senior citizens who exercise can hold off these symptoms and cussed in preserving a youthful appearance, psyche, and level of fitness.
The mention of “psyche” is important. Upon entering his 60’s, or the retirement period, or any significant stage of later life, a person may feel that he is dying a small death. He may find it difficult to face the changes that later life brings: reduced involvement, more time to think about himself, a sense of decaying and decreased importance, and so on.
He may find it less difficult if he has remained physically active, or if he can become physically active. By retaining some vigor, he may also retain a positive feeling about himself. He may have greater courage, and thus be able to try out new and stimulating experiences. He may move with greater ease and grace, presenting a trim and attractive figure. And the fit older person has a degree of independence that his less fit neighbor does not have. He need not call on friends, relatives, or others for help. He retains a large measure of personal freedom.
The principles behind a golden-age fitness program are essentially the same as those already specified for younger and mature adults. But the older person, perhaps even more than the younger one, has to move in easy stages. Even after testing and medical clearance, he should not undertake too much too fast. He will probably want to increase repetitions as his program progresses, and gradually add more difficult exercises. The main alternative, to overload by increasing intensity, might cause undue strain.
Physiologically, the older person faces a slight different problem from the younger. He cannot reach the same high heart rates that the younger one achieves. Thus the older person has a correspondingly lower target heart rate.
The older person may be exercising just as hard as his younger counterpart. But the older person’s pulse rate response will be lower. He will have reached the same percentage of his maximum as the younger person, only sooner. Those realities apply to women as well as to men. Women can achieve approximately the same maximum heart rates as men of comparable ages.
Warm-up and cool-down are as important or more so for older people as for younger. Running in place warms up the body effectively; so do easy stretching, pulling, and rotating exercises. In the main part of the workout, vigorous exercise should be alternated with periods of less strenuous activity.
A Warm-up Routine. The older person planning his or her own fitness program may want to invent a warm-up series of exercises. Alternatively, he may want to try the plan: the routine is performed over a five-or-six-minute period.
1) Take a deep breath while rising on your toes with arms extended over your head. Exhale slowly. Repeat three times, then lift your left and right knees in succession. Repeat the knee lifts ten times.
2) Start walking. You will want to increase the amount of walking you do by small increments. Walk erect, keeping your head up and remaining comfortable.
Concentrate on walking heel to toe. That means that as you put your foot down, rock forward to your toes, thus strengthening your leg muscles. Gradually pick up the pace of your stride.
Whatever the older person exerciser does to extend or supplement the daily schedule, he should keep in mind that he can retain the high level of fitness by his own energy input. Always consult your doctor with regards to your daily exercise routine.
Photo Source: "Vitamins! by bradley j, on Flickr">
Vitamins Versus Heart Disease
Do vitamins protect against heart disease? Surprisingly, to this date few well-designed studies have been done that will permit any correlation between the intake of vitamins and heart disease. Many claims have been made, especially for Vitamin E, but the data did not withstand scientific scrutiny and was mostly anecdotal. Some observations over 30 years ago have suggested that Vitamin C may be important in preventing fatty-cholesterol deposits in arteries.
Guinea pigs, one of the few laboratory animals that cannot make their own Vitamin C from carbohydrates, developed fatty-cholesterol changes when they were deficient in Vitamin C. They had scurvy.
When Vitamin C levels were restored, the fatty-cholesterol deposits regressed. There have been reports of reversal of fatty-cholesterol deposits in leg arteries after taking Vitamin C in men who were deficient in Vitamin C.
A study from the University of Edinburg, Scotland, (1991) suggests there is, in fact, a linkage between certain vitamins and coronary artery disease. The study was of the blood level of Vitamins A, C and E as well as carotene. It showed that the blood levels of vitamins C and E and carotene were significantly lower in men with angina than in those who did not have angina heart pain. There was no correlation with Vitamin A.
The study was of 100 men who had angina pectoris, and were selected from a special study group of 6,000 men for coronary artery disease. None of these men had seen a doctor for their chest discomfort and were not thought to have influenced their blood levels of vitamins because of changes in their diets. They were compared to 394 men who had no chest pain and served as controls.
One important difference in the two groups was that 29% of the controls and 46% of the men with angina smoked. There were no significant differences in the other usual risk factors for coronary artery disease: total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and blood pressure.
Cigarette smoking did confuse the results. When the influence of cigarette smoking was taken into account, there was no significant difference in carotene levels between the two groups. The difference in Vitamin C levels was significantly decreased. But the difference in Vitamin E levels, as an independent factor, persisted.
That does not mean the differences in levels of carotene and Vitamin C are not important. It may simply mean that one way smoking increases the risk of heart disease is through its effects in lowering the level of carotene and Vitamin C in the body.
On Beta Carotene:
What can you do to use vitamins to help prevent heart disease? Keep in mind that it has not been proven that vitamins prevent coronary artery disease. It is quite important not to think that these studies mean large doses of any of these vitamins or carotene will prevent or treat coronary artery disease. Taking large doses can even be harmful. But the evidence may mean that if you have a low level or deficiency of these vitamins, then you need to improve your nutrition. The same nutritional advice that has been given to revent heart disease is what you should follow. The antioxidants are found in fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals. A great emphasis on these in the diet can help to increase antioxidant vitamins to a normal level.
