Hidden Causes of Heart Disease—Six Little-Known Risk Factors
March 15, 2013
There are well-known risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight and a family history of early heart attacks. But some little-known risk factors are as threatening to your heart as those you’re familiar with—in some cases, doubling your risk for disease.
Here are six of these “secret” risk factors, revealed by recent scientific studies—and how to reduce your risk…
BPA is a chemical frequently found in food and beverage containers, such as plastic bottles and the lining of metal cans. It can harm your arteries.
New research: In a study of 591 people published in PLoS One, those with the highest urinary levels of BPA were the most likely to have advanced coronary artery disease—severely narrowed arteries ripe for the blockage that triggers a heart attack.
What happens: BPA sparks the chronic inflammation that drives arterial damage and heart disease.
My recommendation: Reduce your exposure to BPA. Avoid canned foods as much as possible because cans may have an epoxy liner that leaches BPA into food. Or look for cans labeled BPA-free. Drink water out of glass or stainless steel bottles that don’t have a plastic liner. Don’t microwave food in plastic or use plastic containers for hot foods or liquids—the heat can cause BPA to leach out. Exception: Soft or cloudy-colored plastics typically do not contain BPA—they usually are marked on the bottom with the recycling labels #1, #2 or #4.
Dozens of studies have linked shift work—an ongoing pattern of work that is not roughly 9 am to 5 pm—to higher heart disease risk, but the link has always been speculative. The latest study—a so-called “meta-analysis” of previous research—changes the shift work/heart disease hypothesis into scientific fact.
New research: The study, published in BMJ, analyzed data from 34 studies involving more than two million people and found that shift work was linked to a 23% increased risk for heart attack. The researchers concluded that 7% of all heart attacks—about one out of every 14—are directly attributable to shift work.
What happens: Shift work disrupts the normal sleep-wake cycle, throwing every system in your body out of balance, including the autonomic nervous system, which regulates heartbeat. An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) can cause a type of heart attack.
My recommendation: A key way to balance your autonomic nervous system is to increase your intake of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as wild-caught fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna), grass-fed red meats, free-range poultry, walnuts and flaxseed oil. Also, take a daily fish oil supplement that delivers one to two grams of the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA.
If your work schedule includes shift work, pay attention to other heart disease risk factors and go for regular screenings.
A generic, low-cost class of antidiabetes drugs called sulfonylureas (glipizide, glyburide and glimepiride) help control type 2 diabetes by stimulating the pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, but these drugs can be dangerous to your heart.
New research: Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic analyzed data from nearly 24,000 patients who had taken either a sulfonylurea drug or metformin, another generic, low-cost drug used to control diabetes. Compared with metformin, the sulfonylureas were linked to a 50% greater risk for death.
What happens: It’s likely that sulfonylurea drugs are toxic to the body’s mitochondria, the energy-generating structures in every cell that are crucial to health and longevity.
My recommendation: If you’re taking a sulfonylurea drug, ask your doctor to switch you to metformin. Even better: In a major, multiyear study, losing weight and exercising outperformed metformin in regulating blood sugar.
New research: In a 35-year study involving nearly 11,000 people, researchers found that those with three out of four signs of visible aging had a 39% increased risk for heart disease and a 57% increased risk for heart attack.
The four signs (in both men and women) are receding hairline at the temples…crown top baldness…earlobe creases…and fatty deposits around the eyes.
Important: Of these four signs, fatty deposits around the eyes were the strongest predictor of heart attack and heart disease.
My recommendation: If your doctor finds at least three of these risk factors—or just fatty deposits around your eyes—he/she should schedule you for regular screenings for heart disease.
Menopause, and its accompanying drop in heart-protecting estrogen, increases the risk for heart disease. So it’s no surprise that early menopause (starting at age 46 or younger) is a risk factor.
New research: In an eight-year study published in Menopause, researchers found that women who enter menopause early are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke.
My recommendation: There are several ways menopausal women can lower their risk for heart disease…
The chronic inflammatory disease of psoriasis causes patches of dry, itchy skin. A new study shows that it also damages arteries.
New research: In a study in Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers found that chronic inflammation of the skin is accompanied by chronic inflammation in blood vessels. And in a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, researchers found that treating psoriasis patients with the anti-inflammatory drug adalimumab decreased inflammation in the arteries (carotid and ascending aorta) often involved in heart attack and stroke.
My recommendation: All psoriasis patients should go on a gluten-free diet, eliminating inflammation-sparking grains such as wheat, rye and barley. They also should take inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids (three to four grams daily). In addition, people with psoriasis should be screened regularly for heart disease.
Source: Stephen Sinatra, MD, board-certified cardiologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington and a fellow in the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Nutrition. He also is founder of HeartMDInstitute.com, an informational Web site dedicated to promoting public awareness of integrative medicine. Dr. Sinatra is author or coauthor of 12 books, including The Healing Kitchen (Bottom Line Books). www.BottomLinePublications.com/HealingKitchen
BISPHENOL-A (BPA)
BPA is a chemical frequently found in food and beverage containers, such as plastic bottles and the lining of metal cans. It can harm your arteries.
New research: In a study of 591 people published in PLoS One, those with the highest urinary levels of BPA were the most likely to have advanced coronary artery disease—severely narrowed arteries ripe for the blockage that triggers a heart attack.
What happens: BPA sparks the chronic inflammation that drives arterial damage and heart disease.
My recommendation: Reduce your exposure to BPA. Avoid canned foods as much as possible because cans may have an epoxy liner that leaches BPA into food. Or look for cans labeled BPA-free. Drink water out of glass or stainless steel bottles that don’t have a plastic liner. Don’t microwave food in plastic or use plastic containers for hot foods or liquids—the heat can cause BPA to leach out. Exception: Soft or cloudy-colored plastics typically do not contain BPA—they usually are marked on the bottom with the recycling labels #1, #2 or #4.
SHIFT WORK
Dozens of studies have linked shift work—an ongoing pattern of work that is not roughly 9 am to 5 pm—to higher heart disease risk, but the link has always been speculative. The latest study—a so-called “meta-analysis” of previous research—changes the shift work/heart disease hypothesis into scientific fact.
New research: The study, published in BMJ, analyzed data from 34 studies involving more than two million people and found that shift work was linked to a 23% increased risk for heart attack. The researchers concluded that 7% of all heart attacks—about one out of every 14—are directly attributable to shift work.
What happens: Shift work disrupts the normal sleep-wake cycle, throwing every system in your body out of balance, including the autonomic nervous system, which regulates heartbeat. An irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) can cause a type of heart attack.
My recommendation: A key way to balance your autonomic nervous system is to increase your intake of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as wild-caught fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna), grass-fed red meats, free-range poultry, walnuts and flaxseed oil. Also, take a daily fish oil supplement that delivers one to two grams of the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA.
If your work schedule includes shift work, pay attention to other heart disease risk factors and go for regular screenings.
DIABETES DRUGS
A generic, low-cost class of antidiabetes drugs called sulfonylureas (glipizide, glyburide and glimepiride) help control type 2 diabetes by stimulating the pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, but these drugs can be dangerous to your heart.
New research: Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic analyzed data from nearly 24,000 patients who had taken either a sulfonylurea drug or metformin, another generic, low-cost drug used to control diabetes. Compared with metformin, the sulfonylureas were linked to a 50% greater risk for death.
What happens: It’s likely that sulfonylurea drugs are toxic to the body’s mitochondria, the energy-generating structures in every cell that are crucial to health and longevity.
My recommendation: If you’re taking a sulfonylurea drug, ask your doctor to switch you to metformin. Even better: In a major, multiyear study, losing weight and exercising outperformed metformin in regulating blood sugar.
FATTY DEPOSITS AROUND THE EYES
New research: In a 35-year study involving nearly 11,000 people, researchers found that those with three out of four signs of visible aging had a 39% increased risk for heart disease and a 57% increased risk for heart attack.
The four signs (in both men and women) are receding hairline at the temples…crown top baldness…earlobe creases…and fatty deposits around the eyes.
Important: Of these four signs, fatty deposits around the eyes were the strongest predictor of heart attack and heart disease.
My recommendation: If your doctor finds at least three of these risk factors—or just fatty deposits around your eyes—he/she should schedule you for regular screenings for heart disease.
EARLY MENOPAUSE
Menopause, and its accompanying drop in heart-protecting estrogen, increases the risk for heart disease. So it’s no surprise that early menopause (starting at age 46 or younger) is a risk factor.
New research: In an eight-year study published in Menopause, researchers found that women who enter menopause early are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke.
My recommendation: There are several ways menopausal women can lower their risk for heart disease…
- Eat more noninflammatory foods, such as fresh, organic vegetables and fruits and wild-caught fatty fish.
- Minimize your intake of inflammatory simple sugars (white bread, pastries, cookies, pastas, candies, etc.).
- Exercise regularly, such as a daily 30-to-60-minute walk.
- In addition to a multivitamin, take daily supplements that strengthen the heart and circulatory system, including CoQ10 (60 mg to 100 mg)…fish oil (one to two grams)…vitamin C (1,000 mg)…and magnesium (400 mg to 800 mg).
- Reduce stress with meditation, yoga and/or tai chi. Other ways to reduce stress include socializing with friends and doing hobbies you enjoy.
PSORIASIS
The chronic inflammatory disease of psoriasis causes patches of dry, itchy skin. A new study shows that it also damages arteries.
New research: In a study in Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers found that chronic inflammation of the skin is accompanied by chronic inflammation in blood vessels. And in a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, researchers found that treating psoriasis patients with the anti-inflammatory drug adalimumab decreased inflammation in the arteries (carotid and ascending aorta) often involved in heart attack and stroke.
My recommendation: All psoriasis patients should go on a gluten-free diet, eliminating inflammation-sparking grains such as wheat, rye and barley. They also should take inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids (three to four grams daily). In addition, people with psoriasis should be screened regularly for heart disease.
Source: Stephen Sinatra, MD, board-certified cardiologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington and a fellow in the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Nutrition. He also is founder of HeartMDInstitute.com, an informational Web site dedicated to promoting public awareness of integrative medicine. Dr. Sinatra is author or coauthor of 12 books, including The Healing Kitchen (Bottom Line Books). www.BottomLinePublications.com/HealingKitchen
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