Nutrition Prevents Heart Attacks & Strokes

Written by Sarah Mliyahe on July 10, 2020

Last updated on March 26, 2021 at 03:01 am

What nutrition prevents heart attacks & strokes?

Suddenly experiencing an acute event like a heart attack or a stroke is everyone’s nightmare.

In medical terms, the cause for these events is called Atheroscleroris.

What is Atherosclerosis ?

Atherosclerosis is a condition that affects the arteries of the body.

An artery is a blood vessel that carries oxygenated and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to the organs.

Atherosclerosis is characterized by the deposit of cholesterol and other substances inside of the arteries, causing them to harden and narrowing their lumen diameter.

Atherosclerosis is the cause behind cardiovascular illnesses like chronic heart disease, and is also responsible for some acute and fatal conditions like heart attacks and strokes.

How Do You Get Atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis develops as a consequence of an injury to the inner wall of the artery. While the exact cause of this injury remains unknown, it is accepted that the inside of the artery is damaged as a result of the association of many factors.

These factors are known as cardiovascular risk factors and they include: obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and increased inflammation in the body, to name a few.

The 4 steps that lead to a heart attack

1. In the presence of these cardiovascular risk factors, it is more likely for the inner lining of an artery to be damaged. When an injury occurs, a clot will be formed to help heal the damaged portion of the inner wall of the artery, just like a crust forms on top of the skin when it’s cut.
2. When there is too much cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream, it will get attached to this clot formed on the inner wall of the artery, forming what is called the atheromatous plaque or an atheroma [1].
3. The bigger the plaque, the more blood flow is compromised in the artery and therefore the less oxygen and nutrients organs receive.
4. At first, the organ is able to compensate by limiting its oxygen needs. But with time, compensation is no longer possible and the organ begins to slowly asphyxiate and die. That’s what is known as chronic cardiovascular disease.

Did you know?

Symptoms of atherosclerosis can take years and even decades to show since the beginning of the plaque formation.

Cardiovascular disease is usually thought of as an old person’s illness, but science has shown that atherogenesis, the formation of the fat plaque is a process that can begin as early as childhood [2].

The 3 Main Symptoms of Atherosclerosis

The symptoms are many and vary depending on the location of the atheroma or cholesterol plaque.

The artery is the vessel that brings oxygen and nutrients to a certain organ. So when an organ’s artery is obstructed by this fat deposit, it will begin to suffer and die since it’s not receiving enough oxygen and energy to supply its needs.

1. In coronary arteries (the arteries that carry nutrients and oxygen to the heart), atherosclerosis will manifest as heart pain and discomfort that appears mainly with physical exercise or stress, which are situations that increase the heart rate and thus the heart’s needs in oxygen.
2. Atherosclerosis can also manifest as erectile dysfunction if it’s located in the pelvic arteries, as chronic kidney disease if the fatty deposit is located in the arteries of the kidneys and even as peripheral artery disease if the fat plaque is located in the arteries of the arms and legs, causing the distal lower and upper extremities to become blue, cold and to start to lose sensation. In some extreme cases, peripheral artery disease can even cause gangrene and limb amputation.
3. Atherosclerosis can also cause aneurisms, which is a condition where the artery becomes so weak that it loses its elasticity and starts to distend, threatening to rupture at any moment.

It’s important to note that when a patient has atherosclerosis, fat plaques are usually disseminated in many arteries of his or her body and therefore it’s extremely common to find all the previous symptoms associated in the same person.

Atherosclerosis can be cured through lifestyle changes and by taking some prescription drugs. These treatments aim at lowering cholesterol and plaque formation, but the most important goal is to prevent the onset of acute events like strokes and heart attacks.

What happens when you get a Stroke or Heart Attack 

Aside from the chronic symptoms of atherosclerosis mentioned above, the real danger lies in acute events such as strokes and heart attacks.

The acute events happen when blood flow is compromised to a degree beyond the organ’s ability to compensate, and that’s usually the cause of stress or a thrombosis.

Stress stimulates the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline, and causes vessels to constrict.

In an artery where blood flow is already compromised because of the fat plaque, the added constriction caused by stress further reduces blood flow and oxygen delivery. In most cases, the artery becomes unable to deliver enough oxygen to the organ in question; this causes organ death or organ failure. In the case of the heart, this is called a myocardial infarction or a heart attack.

Another cause of acute events is thrombosis, which happens when a fat plaque suddenly bursts inside of the artery. After the plaque is damaged, a clot (or a thrombus) will be formed on top of the fat plaque to help it heal, only narrowing the artery lumen further and thus making matters worse.

While stress and stress-related acute events can be prevented, the exact reasons that cause a plaque to burst are not known and therefore cannot be prevented.

Nutritional and Lifestyle Guidelines for Atherosclerosis

What nutrition prevents heart attacks & strokes? The most important nutritional guideline is to limit cholesterol consumption.

When we say cholesterol, we usually refer to LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol which can deposit inside of the arteries and cause atherosclerosis. The other kind of cholesterol, HDL (high density lipoprotein) is actually the good kind, because it helps to lower LDL cholesterol.

Cholesterol isn’t all bad; in fact the liver synthesizes all the cholesterol that the body needs for cell repair and growth.

The problem arises when we consume too much exogenous cholesterol, which is found in animal products like meat, eggs and dairy. Suddenly the body finds itself with more LDL cholesterol than it can handle, and that’s when cholesterol begins to deposit inside of the arteries. [3]

Therefore the best nutritional strategy is to limit cholesterol consumption by adopting a plant-based diet which is naturally free of cholesterol, and to consume as many LDL-cholesterol lowering foods as possible.

Physical exercise also lowers LDL cholesterol in the body. However it’s important to consult your doctor first to make sure your heart can actually withstand the intensity of physical exercise.

Managing or preventing other cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, stress, high blood pressure, and diabetes is also necessary for overall cardiovascular health.

Summary of Nutritional Guidelines

Nutrition Prevents Heart Attacks & Strokes – Try This Simple Recipe

Oats, Almond & Applesauce Cookies

To help improve your cholesterol numbers and keep cardiovascular complications away, we suggest this delicious and healthy cookie recipe made of oats, almonds, cinnamon and applesauce.

Apples are high in pectin which is a soluble fiber proven to improve cholesterol numbers [4]. Applesauce is a great way to incorporate fiber into dishes, especially cookies.

Cinnamon lowers LDL cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol. Cinnamon can also decrease the risk of cardiovascular complications in people with risk factors [5].

Oats are high in soluble fiber which has been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol numbers [6].

Almonds are a great anti-cholesterol food. Studies have found that consuming almonds lowers LDL cholesterol numbers [7]. Additionally, almonds contain phytosterols which are similar in structure to cholesterol and can subsequently block intestinal cholesterol absorption. [8].

Ingredients: (makes 10 to 15 cookies depending on their size)

• 2 cups of rolled oats.
• ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce.
• ½ cup of softened almond butter.
• ¼ cup of sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave, stevia…)
• ¼ cup of ground almonds.
• 2 tsp of cinnamon powder.
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
• A pinch of salt.

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 350° F.
• In a large bowl, add the oats, the ground almonds, the cinnamon, the pinch of salt and the baking soda.
• Mix your dry ingredients together.
• In a separate bowl, add the softened almond butter, the unsweetened applesauce and your sweetener of choice. Make sure the almond butter is soft enough to be easily mixed with the other wet ingredients.
• Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and mix until the oats and the almonds are well coated.
• Put a piece of parchment paper on the baking tray.
• You can use your hand to form balls and press them into a cookie shape, or you can use a tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet.
• You can sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the cookies.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your desired consistency.
• Allow the cookies to cool before peeling off the parchment paper.
• These cookies can be stored for up to a week, best kept in the refrigerator for maximum freshness.
• You can enjoy these cook

The Bottom Line:

• • Atherosclerosis refers to a condition where cholesterol deposits on the inside of the arteries making them stiffer and decreasing their lumen diameter.
  • Plaque formation can start as early as childhood, decades before symptoms of atherosclerosis begin to appear.
  • Atherosclerosis is caused by an association of cardiovascular risk factors such as: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and increased inflammation in the body.
  • Atherosclerosis can affect any artery in the body, and cause many conditions such as chronic heart disease, kidney disease, aneurisms, and peripheral artery disease.
  • Complications of atherosclerosis are strokes and heart attacks.
  • The most important nutritional guideline to manage atherosclerosis is to limit the consumption of animal products that are high in cholesterol and to focus on consuming cholesterol lowering foods.
  • Physical activity lowers LDL cholesterol numbers, while stress management techniques lower the risk of stress-related acute cardiovascular events.