Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are seen to be one of the top causes of death in the world. There are about 60 types of cardiovascular diseases and it mostly affects one out of three adults, as well as teens, most especially in North America, the United States and some other European countries. Although the term technically refers to conditions involving the heart, it is usually referred to as atherosclerosis or arterial disease.

Atherosclerosis is a condition where fatty plaques build up in the linings, or in the walls, of the arteries which may cause heart attacks, blood clots, and stroke.

Of the 300 million population in the United States, 27% of them die from cardiovascular disease each year, which makes it the leading cause of death in the US. The cause of the condition depends upon a variety of factors, such as family’s medical history, age, race, gender and genetics.  But the most common cause of heart diseases is often modifiable – lifestyle factors like smoking, too much alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.

One major cause of CVD is smoking. According to studies, smoking 16 cigarettes per day take up a person’s six and a half years of life. Cigarette contains a substance called nicotine that causes addiction. It hastens the heart beat and causes high blood pressure. Narrowing of the arteries, blockage of the blood vessels and high cholesterol are just some conditions that lead to cardiovascular diseases.

There are different kinds and types of cardiovascular diseases, and signs and symptoms are also numerous. Some of these symptoms include:

• Heart palpitations, which people often refer to as “skips” in the heart where they feel a sudden strong beat.
• Dizziness may also be present. However, it is also experienced in other cases not related to the heart. It is recommended therefore that a physician must be consulted.
• Angina is a term used to describe the chest pains felt when experiencing serious heart problems. It can be felt as an aching, burning, heavy feeling in the chest.
• Syncope or loss of consciousness is a common symptom. However, if a cardiac symptom happens, it may suddenly lead to death.
• Shortness of breath is frequently produced by coronary heart disease and heart failure.
• Lethargy, fatigue and daytime sleepiness are also some symptoms.

When these conditions are being experienced, it is best to immediately consult a physician in order to pin down the real cause.

Natural Means to prevent Cardiovascular Diseases

The best way to prevent any type of cardiovascular disease is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, incorporated with natural herbs and remedies that can greatly support and promote the heart’s health. Many people have begun to turn to herbs and natural means to reduce the chances of developing heart problems. Some of these herbs include Passiflora incarnate, Vibornum opulus, Crataegus oxyacantha (Hawthorn) and Ginkgo biloba. They also help in the management of the triggers that may lead to a sudden heart event like a heart attack which can be predisposed by high blood pressure and stress. Treating a condition before it even develops is the best way to avoid it. Some tips to avoid development of CVD are as follows:

• Stay physically active. This will help exercise the function and contractility of the heart.
• Eat a diet that is good for the heart. Limit your intake of fatty foods and those that are rich in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol which is known as the “bad” cholesterol. Make room for as much fruits and vegetables in your diet since these contain dietary fibers which helps sweep off cholesterols and eliminates them from your system. Also, choose whole grain foods because of its abundant amount of fibers.
• Regularly check blood and cholesterol levels.
• Don’t smoke. Nicotine can cause your blood pressure to increase
• Manage to control stress levels.

While cases of CVD are increasing and it maintains the top spot in being the leading cause of death in the world, it is important to remember that heart diseases CAN be avoided. With proper care, diet, consciousness and exercise, heart disease occurrence can be drastically reduced.

Maintaining Heart Health through Olive Oil

A study by Madrid-based researchers, from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, has shown that sunflower oil enriched with hydroxytyrosol heightened the activity level of an enzyme called arylesterase which results to reduced oxidized LDL cholesterol levels – cholesterol that potentially starts serious conditions like atherosclerosis, and generally all types of cardiovascular diseases. This study was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

The researchers employed 22 volunteers without any health problems within 20 to 45 years of age and an 18 and 33 kg/m2 BMI. Some of the volunteers took in 10 to 15 grams of sunflower oil enriched with hydroxytyrosol, while the other group consumed a non-enriched sunflower oil, for three weeks. The results showed no significant changes in the LDL and HDL cholesterol among the two groups. However, the consumption of hydroxytyrosol-enriched sunflower oil reduced the oxidized LDL from 79.8 units per liter to 64.1 U/l in three weeks compared to the increased levels of LDL from 72.7 U/l to 86.4 U/l in the control variable.

They said that although the sunflower oil enriched with hydroxytyrosol was not able to reduce LDL-cholesterol, nor enhance HDL cholesterol levels, it still hastened the activity of arylesterase and reduced oxidized LDL.  The researchers said that the oil, therefore, is still useful as a part of a person’s diet to reduce the risk of CVD. In order to further understand the mechanism as to how arylesterase activity is affected by hydroxytyrosol, more studies are still needed.

Other uses of Olive Oil

Hydroxytyrosol is said to be mostly found as a compound that acts as  antioxidant in olives, especially in olive oil, where it has shown to produce and play a role in providing a multitude of health benefits. Studies show a wide range of benefits that olive oil can give.

• It reduces blood pressure.
• Replacing other fats in the diet with olive oil can reduce the risk of heart attack and high blood pressure.
• It restrains growth of cancer.
• It benefits people with or at risk of diabetes.
• It helps maintain healthy weight.
• It lessens the severity of arthritis and asthma.

Sources
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