Heart and cardiovascular disease is a general term used to describe arteriosclerosis or hardening of the blood vessels due to a build up of calcium plaque or calcium deposits, caused by the fatty substances in cholesterol and other residues. Cancer and heart and cardiovascular disease are the main killers in today’s Western civilisation. The causes of heart and cardiovascular disease can usually be found in an unhealthy lifestyle; not enough exercise, an unhealthy diet and negative stress. People with a healthy and varied diet, and no negative stress, run much less risk of a heart attack than people who do not watch what they eat, take little exercise and are subject to excessive amounts of negative stress.

THESE ARE THE SIX FACTORS THAT DETERMINE AN INCREASED RISK OF A HEART ATTACK:

- genetic predisposition
- high lipoprotein level (a)
- high blood pressure
- high serum homocysteine level
- smoking
- excessive serum cholesterol level

I would urgently advise anyone belonging to one (or more) of these highrisk groups to get themselves tested for:

- calcium plaque in the coronary artery
- oxycholesterol
- homocysteine level in blood serum
- lipoprotein-a or Lp-(a)
- low HDL content (beneficial cholesterol)
- triglyceride level too high.

IT IS NOT CHOLEStEROL BUT OXYCHOLESTEROL THAT IS DANGEROUS

It is not the total amount of cholesterol that is important, but the amount of bad (LDL) cholesterol, the ratio between LDL and HDL and the extent to which the cholesterol is oxidised. This is referred to as the oxycholesterol level. Oxycholesterol is harmful to the arterial walls. Cholesterol can be compared to oil: when oil sets it can no longer be poured from the bottle, and when cholesterol is oxidised it can no longer flow through the arteries.

Traditional physicians who carry out a cholesterol test are unlikely to measure the amount of oxycholesterol. Always ask your GP for clear information and don’t let yourself be fobbed off with a reassuring smile. If a cholesterol test is carried out, ask for the ratio between bad LDL and good HDL cholesterol. An individual with LDL 150 and HDL 90 is less at risk from heart disease than someone withLDL 150 and HDL 30. Too many physicians still only take the total cholesterol content into account and routinely prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs from a cholesterol level of 220. Also ask about the homocysteine level (see below for further details).

A HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE TO CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING DRUGS
Following a healthy diet, taking regular exercise and losing weight (if over weight) is the best way of lowering blood cholesterol and avoiding heart and cardiovascular disease. If your diet is healthy (lots of fruit and vegetables, low saturated fat intake) but your cholesterol is still unbalanced,

I would recommend the following:
- Reduce the intake of all saturated fats. A reduction in the saturated fat intake is the most effective way of lowering blood cholesterol.
- Limit your daily intake of cholesterol.
- Introduce olive oil into your diet, similar to the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid or Omega-9), antioxidants and squalene and helps lover the LDL cholesterol level.
- Limit the use of coffee, black tea and coke.
- Eat food rich in vitamin B (grains, fruit, beans, leafy vegetables).
- Vitamin B12 and folic acid help to lower the homocysteine level.
- Eat more complex carbohydrates rich in plant fibre.
- Drink green tea regularly.
- Eat plenty of garlic, onion, chillies and shitake mushrooms.
- Take 1 g EPA-DHA or 1.8 g pure EPA.