The study concerning the control of cholesterol by dietary
changes has now reached its final phase and after a couple of months on oat
bran, Benecol drinks AND Atorvastatin,
I can report that the subject's total cholesterol in the blood is now 5.1 mmol/l - which is, as I recall where it started and it
leaves one wondering what it was all about. Then a lot of scientific studies
are like that........
Following on from the exhaustive study of cholesterol reduction
by diet alone reported above, we can now reveal that a further exhaustive study
has been running for some weeks. This
involves one male between the ages of 60 and 70 who has given up his statin in favour of "Ateronon". I hasten to add that this is a different male
from the one used in the previous study.
This is a preparation which is rich in lycopene
and in a form which can be readily absorbed by the body and is a good
anti-oxidant. It has been recognised for
some time that populations eating a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in
tomatoes, do not suffer so badly from heart and circulatory related
disease. Scientific studies of the diet
have revealed that the tomato-derived lycopene is one
of the key ingredients contributing to the observed improvements in
health. Lycopene
inhibits the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol, an important component in
maintaining a healthy circulatory system by preventing the build up of atheroma in arteries.
There are no claims that Ateronon actually
reduces cholesterol levels although our study male reports that his cholesterol
has reduced from 7.6 mmol/l to 5.9 after 8 weeks and
to 5.5 after 13 weeks and
5.1 after 20 weeks. The lack of any claims concerning the
efficacy of the preparation is probably due to the lack of clinical trials and
the nod of approval from those bodies authorised to nod. Ateronon comes in
capsules containing 7mg of bio-available lycopene,
each capsule being equuivalent to 1kg (2.2lbs) of
tomatoes - and they don't come cheap - a month's supply of 30 capsules will set
you back £35.......... .........but then tomatoes are quite expensive!
David Read
ATERONON AGAIN
No sooner had we written the piece on lycopene
and its derivative drug Ateronon than it was discovered that
it was the subject of a presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress held in
The company who developed the compound are Cambridge Theranostics Ltd., a biotechnology spin-off from
David Read
ANGINA
Angina describes pain or
discomfort, usually in the form of heaviness and pressure,
that occurs centrally across the upper chest and may radiate to the
upper arms or into the neck and jaw. It
is most commonly experienced on exertion or in response to stress. The main thing to remember is that angina is
a symptom not a disease in itself. It is
a warning sign that something is amiss.
By far the most common cause of angina is coronary artery
disease. When this happens the arteries that overlay and supply the heart
muscle are furred up and narrowing - sometimes to critical proportions -
causing a lack of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. However angina can, very occasionally, be a
symptom of other cardiac problems such as atrial
fibrillation, valve problems, or heart failure, so it is important to have the
angina symptom investigated to discover the cause.
Decades ago people with angina had to learn to live with it and
adjust their lifestyle and activity level to control the angina episodes. Nowadays, thankfully, most of the causes of
angina are treatable either with medication or more commonly with surgery. If
the cause is found to be coronary artery disease then the usual first line of
treatment is now to have an angiogram to locate the problem on x-ray and then
to widen the artery narrowing by inserting a stent to
hold the artery open and allow blood flow through. If there are too many areas of artery
narrowing or if the position of the narrowing is inaccessible then a coronary
artery bypass operation is usually recommended.
Techniques in cardiac surgery have developed in leaps and bounds and the
results can now be expected to last 10-15 years for someone who is prepared to
take care of themselves in respect to a healthy lifestyle and a good level of
physical activity.
Occasionally a person may have to learn to live with their
angina if surgery is not deemed possible or if the patient does not wish to
proceed to surgery. Medication can be
quite effective in controlling the symptoms but care needs to be taken to
ensure that patients are aware of warning signs that may indicate their angina
is worsening. Often patients are very
familiar with their pattern of angina. For instance, it may commonly start when
the person has to tackle an incline while walking although they may be alright
on the flat. Angina that follows a set
and predictable pattern is termed "stable angina" and will resolve if
given a few minutes rest or a puff with a GTN spray. However, if the pattern starts to change with
the angina becoming more frequent and troublesome, or starts while at rest,
this is known as "unstable angina" and requires a rapid medical
opinion. If a painful episode does not
respond to a GTN spray within 15 minutes then help needs to be sought urgently
in the form of a 999 call as this can be the sign of an imminent heart
attack.
Patients who live with angina symptoms are now rare due to the
plethora of interventions available but for those that do suffer with it there is much that
they can do to help minimise their symptoms. They can pace their activities so
as to have a regular pattern of exertion - its not a
great idea to wait for "good days" and do a lot, then rest on
"bad days" - its far better to do a moderate amount every day. Being a non-smoker, eating a healthy diet
with lots of vegetables, fruit and oily fish and keeping a low cholesterol
level are all still as important as they ever were - even for those whose
angina has been fixed with a bypass.
Remember this is a partnership and the medical professionals will do
their part - the rest is up to you.
Lesley Richards
CORONARY DEATHS IN
A report by the European Heart Network and the European Society
of Cardiology based on data from 2006 shows that
For women, the situation is better in terms of death rate,
which is only 11 deaths per 100,000, but the
A Department of Health spokesman said, "We do not
recognise these figures. In
The study concerning the control of cholesterol by dietary
changes has now reached its final phase and after a couple of months on oat
bran, Benecol drinks AND Atorvastatin,
I can report that the subject's total cholesterol in the blood is now 5.1 mmol/l - which is, as I recall where it started and it
leaves one wondering what it was all about. Then a lot of scientific studies
are like that........
Following on from the exhaustive study of cholesterol reduction
by diet alone reported above, we can now reveal that a further exhaustive study
has been running for some weeks. This
involves one male between the ages of 60 and 70 who has given up his statin in favour of "Ateronon". I hasten to add that this is a different male
from the one used in the previous study.
This is a preparation which is rich in lycopene
and in a form which can be readily absorbed by the body and is a good
anti-oxidant. It has been recognised for
some time that populations eating a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in
tomatoes, do not suffer so badly from heart and circulatory related
disease. Scientific studies of the diet
have revealed that the tomato-derived lycopene is one
of the key ingredients contributing to the observed improvements in
health. Lycopene
inhibits the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol, an important component in
maintaining a healthy circulatory system by preventing the build up of atheroma in arteries.
There are no claims that Ateronon actually
reduces cholesterol levels although our study male reports that his cholesterol
has reduced from 7.6 mmol/l to 5.9 after 8 weeks and
to 5.5 after 13 weeks and
5.1 after 20 weeks. The lack of any claims concerning the
efficacy of the preparation is probably due to the lack of clinical trials and
the nod of approval from those bodies authorised to nod. Ateronon comes in
capsules containing 7mg of bio-available lycopene,
each capsule being equuivalent to 1kg (2.2lbs) of
tomatoes - and they don't come cheap - a month's supply of 30 capsules will set
you back £35.......... .........but then tomatoes are quite expensive!
David Read
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
It's that time again to talk about the benefits of adopting a
Mediterranean diet for heart health. As you may remember from previous
articles, the Mediterranean diet spreads across sixteen different countries.
This style of diet is characterised by large amounts of olive oil, nuts, seeds,
whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and oily fish with a reduction in saturated
fats and processed foods. One of the countries that adopts
the Mediterranean diet is
Olive oil forms a large part of the Mediterranean diet and its
consumption is associated with a reduction in the risk of coronary heart
disease (CHD). This has been demonstrated in large studies, which have looked
at the amount of olive oil that is consumed in different countries and the
prevalence of CHD. Countries such as
Olive oil is rich in
mono-unsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid. The mechanisms associated with
consuming mono-unsaturated fat and the reduction in the risk of CHD is not
fully understood. However, research has shown that the benefits of
mono-unsaturated fat in lowering the risk of CHD are meditated through
cholesterol regulation (lowering the bad part of cholesterol),
anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic (reduces blood
clots).
How much olive oil should we eat? To achieve the cardio-protective benefits of
olive oil it is recommended to consume between 3-4 large table spoons of olive
oil a day. This can be achieved by adding olive oil to salads as dressing or
using it in cooking. However, it should be noted that olive oil has a low
cooking temperature and if heated up too much can have adverse effects to your
health. Therefore rapeseed oil might be a better choice for cooking as it is
high in mono-unsaturated fat and has a higher cooking temperature than olive
oil.
Olive oil can also be used
to make a tomato sauce which is very popular in
Ingredients:
3-4 table spoons of olive
oil
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
1 can of chopped tomatoes
Ground black pepper and
fresh basil
To make this sauce simply
add the olive oil and onion (finely chopped) to a saucepan on a low cooking
heat. Gentle cook for a couple minutes and then add the garlic (crushed).
Continue to cook for a couple more minutes and then add one tin of chopped
tomatoes, ground pepper and two to three leaves of basil. Let the sauce simmer
for five to ten minutes.
Tim Grove
SMOKING CAN DAMAGE YOUR
HEALTH
You may remember that at the
end of 2007 THROBNews ran a short article about the
14% reduction in the number of heart attacks following the ban on smoking in
public places throughout
DR
KEEP TAKING THE TABLETSKEEP
TAKING THE TABLETS
Following Kevin Johnson's
article in our last issue on the importance of taking medication as prescribed, I came across this interesting item in the Daily
Telegraph.
"Most people taking drugs to reduce blood pressure and
cholesterol are still at risk, with "inadequate" control of their
condition, a study has found. British
researchers from
The conclusions of the study were that blood pressure, lipid
and glucose control are completely inadequate with most patients not achieving
the targets defined in the prevention guidelines. Experts said it may be that
the ambitious guidelines are difficult to achieve in people outside clinical
trials who have other illnesses and varied lifestyles.
You have been
warned............again!