Health Information Series

Posts Tagged ‘Cardiovascular’

why do we need antioxidants?

We are exposed daily to hazardous substances and these create an oxidative stress in the body. Nature has developed a variety of bioactive compounds with antioxidant effects. The substances found in foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables and their antioxidant content are believed to help reduce the risk of several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, to prevent oxidative stress and inflammation.

Exposed to Harmful Substances

the reactive compounds are created both inside than outside the body. We are exposed to air pollution, smoke, snuff, radiation, inflammation and other substances that cause superoxides radicals in the body’s cells. Not go into too technical explanations about reactions, but simply note that there are and there is this process in our body to fight them.

What role does antioxidants?

Antioxidants are chemical molecules that prevent the oxidation of our cells, “rustproofing” in the body!
Antioxidants fight free radicals and are considered essential for long-term health.

Vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E are considered antioxidants, and vitamins C and E are considered the most important antioxidants. The minerals selenium, zinc, copper and magnesium are included in some enzymes with antioxidant properties. There, selenium and zinc are considered particularly.

The body tries to create balance and antioxidants that the body’s own need to protect against free radicals. In case of physical imbalance, free radicals can create illness in the body, such as cancer.

Where are Antioxidants?

Chlorophyll and sulforaphane are phytochemicals that contain green vegetable dyes. Examples of good green leafy vegetables are spinach, broccoli and cabbage many as kale and Brussels sprouts.

The carotenoids (beta carotene) are a phytochemical that contains yellow and red vegetable dyes, such as carrots, red peppers, oranges and pomegranates.

The phytochemical lycopene is a carotenoid type of red dye is present in plants and tomato (see: Tomatoes oxidizers) and watermelon.

Sulfides (sulfur) and flavonoids are phytochemicals that contain white coloring. The sulfur content in the onion and garlic. Flavonoids are actually a general term for various agents and colorants in fruits and vegetables and are found in soy, red wine, black tea and green tea.

Anthocyanins are phytochemicals, a type of flavonoid dyes including blue, purple, red and black and come in blueberry plants, berries, grapes, raspberries, strawberries and cherries.

Tomatoes and their properties against cardiovascular diseases
Research in Kyoto University in Japan has discovered that the tomato contains compounds that could prevent cardiovascular disease. These results are very useful because by eating tomatoes usually act by controlling the properties and consequently dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease.

A study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, reports the cholesterol-lowering effect that has a nutrient found in tomatoes. In this nutrient is known as acid 9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid.

The tomatoes were known for their lycopene content, fiber and antioxidants that are able to reduce both cholesterol and triglycerides. But this study adds one more property of tomato against dyslipidemia and thus in preventing cardiovascular disease.

This new compound would act by increasing fatty acid oxidation and regulating lipid metabolism in the liver. For this preventive mechanism would be twofold, both on cholesterol and triglyceride levels and on cardiovascular disease.

Incorporate healthy foods to the diet, such as tomatoes, helps prevent degenerative diseases and improve quality of life.

Types of cardiovascular disease and how to avoid
cardiovascular conditions inevitably change the life of any person. Through communication and education can be avoided, knowing more about these types of diseases and mindful of what and how to prevent them. In this way reduce risk factors and quality of life improves. Every day more people are victims of cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to a current report of the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. It is estimated that by 2015, 20 million people die due to cardiovascular disease.

The best way to prevent these diseases occur, is through prevention. Knowing what and how to avoid them can help get a better quality of life.

Types of cardiovascular disease

* Coronary heart disease: This is a disease of blood vessels that nourish the heart muscle.
* Cerebrovascular disease: A disease that affects the blood vessels supplying the brain.
* Peripheral arterial disease: are diseases affecting the blood vessels that feed the upper and lower limbs.
* Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: are diseases caused by blood clots that block the passage of blood in the veins of the legs, and that the shed can stay in the heart and lungs.
* Rheumatic heart disease: A disease that affects the heart muscle and heart valves due to bacteria called streptococcus.
* Heart Disease Congenital heart defects are present from birth.

How to prevent cardiovascular diseases?

* The best way to prevent these diseases occur, especially those considered acute (first three on the list) is to reduce risk factors. For example: smoking, excess alcohol, foods high in fat and low in fiber, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, excessive stress.

All these factors negatively affect cardiovascular health, why it is so important to keep in mind to enjoy a better quality of life.

Atherosclerosis and novel risk factors
They are widely known cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity, etc, but there is a minority of people who have other risk factors that are new to medicine. These new cardiovascular risk factors sometimes be the cause of the disease of atherosclerosis.

About 80 to 90% of people suffering from cardiovascular problems such as atherosclerosis, is due to known risk factors such as cholesterol and triglycerides, diabetes, hypertension, alcohol, smoking, etc.. But what about the remaining 10 to 20%, what are these new factors that cause atherosclerosis?

As is known atherosclerosis is no longer considered only as a result of aging. You may suffer from cardiovascular disease at any age, so it is necessary to know all the factors that influence the onset of the disease.

New cardiovascular risk factors

* High levels of homocysteine (an amino acid in high concentrations can damage internal tissues of the arteries).
* Alteration of fibrinolysis (it favors the formation of thrombus).
* Increased fibrinogen (a protein that is altered and favors the formation of thrombi)
* Modification or alteration of platelet reactivity.
* Hypercoagulability.

These new factors sometimes are triggered by stress, inactivity and poor nutrition. Therefore it is necessary to control all risk factors, improving the quality of life.

When an artery becomes blocked, cardiovascular health is at risk is very important. To prevent this from happening, we must take preventive measures and reduce risk factors (cholesterol and triglycerides, hypertension, etc). If it does not need to treat the blocked artery by angioplasty. In this note brindaré information about what is and how it performs.

When an artery becomes clogged at high risk for complications such as ischemia, infarction and death, which sometimes can be sudden.

Unfortunately when diagnosing the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the inner layers of an artery, it is because there has been any symptoms indicative of heart failure or brain circulation problems.

To resolve this situation is necessary to perform an angioplasty and restore normal blood flow to adequately oxygenate the area affected by that artery.

What is angioplasty?

* It is a myocardial revascularization.
* This is to dilate the lumen of the artery affected by introducing a balloon through a catheter.

How is it done?

* A catheter, a hollow tube that has a balloon at the tip.
* This is introduced in a peripheral artery (usually femoral artery) and comes to the birth of the coronary arteries.
* There is freed correctly contrast to visualize the affected area.
* In this place the balloon is inflated and off the blocked area after the balloon is deflated and the catheter is removed.
* Generally in the place where the obstruction was placed a stent that prevents the tape again.

This procedure along with other medical measures allow restore blood flow and prevent complications like heart attacks and strokes.

To prevent this from happening, it also must change certain habits such as:

* Reduce consumption of saturated fats and increase intake of foods rich in fiber.
* Reduce sodium intake.
* Reduce consumption of alcohol.
* Eliminating cigarette.
* Physical activity.
* Rest 8 hours daily.
* Reduce stress.

Prevention is the best way to avoid this type of procedure, so watch your habits and your doctor regularly attends.

The Human Nutrition Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Rovira i Virgili (URV), Reus (Tarragona) conducted a study shows that eating nuts improves cardiovascular health and reduces the metabolic risk of diabetes.

The investigation, known under the name Efinut consisted of 12 weeks to recommend a diet low in fat and healthy from the point of view of cardiovascular prevention. Half of the volunteers also received 30 grams a day of mixed nuts.

The results were published in the journal “Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease”