Heart disease mysteries

Heart and Stroke Foundation researchers work tirelessly to improve the health of Canadians every day. Their discoveries prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. There are many exciting studies in the works. The following are just a few examples:

• A ground-breaking new study is aimed at revealing the root causes of chronic disease. The answers could save lives for generations to come.
• Dr. Karin Humphries is studying why women lag behind men in recovering from a heart attack, and how we can close that gender gap.
• Dr. Gordon Francis changed our understanding of cholesterol’s role in heart disease. Now he’s building on that work to prevent heart attacks.
• Dr. Andrew Krah is working to save lives by uncovering the DNA sequences behind LQTS, a rare condition that puts healthy people at risk of sudden death.
• Dr. Edward Pryzdial is studying a new clot-busting drug with the potential to give stroke patients safer, faster, and more effective treatment.

Yet despite our best efforts to live a healthy lifestyle and follow a proper diet, for many, heart problems persist. Puzzles remain unsolved. I know of several people in the cycling community who in the past year have discovered heart problems. One is a former professional triathlete and current coach. His story was profiled in the Ottawa Sun last week leading up to the Ottawa Race Weekend.

A couple hours before Rick Hellard found out he had a potentially life-threatening heart condition, he had been out running. When his doctor called to tell him he needed to rush himself to the emergency room, he was preparing to head out for a bike ride.

According to the article:

There was no collapse. No ambulance ride. Hellard walked into the hospital himself. A few years earlier, he had been diagnosed with first-degree atrioventricular block, a condition where the signals from the atria to the ventricles, which sets the pace at which the heart beats, are interrupted. A year later, Hellard’s condition was downgraded to a second-degree blockage.

A year ago, when he arrived at the hospital, things had gotten much worse. He had to have a pacemaker implanted in his chest to correct his heart rhythm. Hellard is now back to training as he did before.

I have a friend who is dealing with the frustrations of an improperly functioning heart. It won’t allow her to do everyday activities, let alone exercise the way she would like. She feels fatigue from the slightest effort. Taking the stairs is not an option. Despite many tests, the results have yet to resolve the problem.

My chiropractor was struck down with a stroke as a young man in his thirties. More than ten years later he still does not have the use of his left arm and his left leg is not fully functioning.

I highlight these stories not to be pessimistic but simply to underline the fact that more research is needed. These are not cases of personal neglect or lack of self-care. These people got a raw deal. Their heart issues are likely genetically predetermined. Nevertheless it is possible, even likely, that one day there will be answers for why these heart conditions occur and measures can be taken to prevent them. It is amazing how far we have come but we still have a ways to go. Let’s help the Heart and Stroke Foundation keep working toward a world free of heart disease and stroke by supporting their cause with our fundraising dollars and events like Kettlebells for Heart. See you on Sunday!

Creative kettlebells

For the uninitiated, kettlebells might seem intimidating. Indeed training with kettlebells requires some instruction, preferably by a certified instructor. Kettlebell certification teaches you not only proper form and technique, but it ensures you are training safely because training safely means you can continue to train over the long-term without layoffs due to injury. And training safely means enhanced enjoyment of the activity. As Shawn Mozen, Canada’s premier kettlebell instructor of instructors says, “without a well-designed training system, a tool is just an expensive paper weight.”

That being said, once you understand the basic movements and you develop body awareness and a strong foundation, the possibilities are limitless. Kettlebells are such a versatile tool, they can be adapted to almost any sport, or any training goal. You can train strength, conditioning, endurance, coordination, build muscle and work specific skills using kettlebells.

Case in point: this winter, as a personal trainer I trained a triathlete looking to build strength specific to her sport, during the off-season. And currently I am working with a junior hockey player training the many attributes specific to hockey. Kettlebells also complement the strength, coordination and movement patterns used in the martial arts.

There is no other tool that is as effective as kettlebells at developing strength and power along the posterior chain, that chain of interconnected muscles that runs down the backside of the body. Kettlebells are also well suited to working transverse rotation in the body. If you’re not sure what that is, think spiral or corkscrew-like movement. These two areas are sadly lacking in today’s fitness industry, and yet they are the basis for building full body strength and power in a functional setting. Just think of all the movements we are required to do in our daily lives (assuming we are living as the highly functional, mobile beings we were meant to be). They are not all frontal (left/ right) or sagittal (forwards/backwards).

Using kettlebells rarely do you isolate just one muscle or muscle group. Rather, most kettlebell exercises work a combination of muscle groups all at one time. This makes for a more efficient workout. It also adds intensity by demanding more of the cardiovascular system. As an example how demanding are standing biceps curls, a common dumbbell exercise, compared to a kettlebell snatch. Not very. Plus, you get the added benefit of working a more complex skill which means you are making new neurological connections benefiting the brain as well as the body.

This is not to say that you couldn’t work on isolating muscle groups if you wanted to. But the nature of the kettlebell lends itself to working the whole body as a unit, so why not take advantage of that?

From competitive sport to fitness tool, kettlebells are designed to deliver strength, endurance and, let’s not forget, an incredible calorie burn. In fact, a study done by ACE tested kettlebell training against other popular fitness modalities and found kettlebells burned more calories per minute than any other method: An incredible 20 calories per minute! This fact alone may account for the growing popularity of kettlebells with trainers and fitness enthusiasts.

On Sunday, May 31^st, you will get the opportunity to test your endurance at the Kettlebells for Heart marathon being held in Clarke Fields in Barrhaven behind the building where Stronger You Martial Arts is located. There will be something for everybody. Some will swing for the whole two hours with short breaks every quarter hour. Others will rotate out and let team members take a turn. The option is yours. Work to your ability. Challenge yourself. Have fun. And best of all, you will be helping earn important research dollars for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. I hope you will join us! 

Heart healthy diet

We know that there is a certain percentage of the population at higher risk for heart disease than the general population due to genetics, diet, lifestyle, age and stress. But this does not mean that the risk cannot be reduced. If you have suffered a heart attack, or if you are considered at risk for a heart attack, modifications to your diet can make a significant difference to your health and longevity. Important dietary measures include:

• Ensuring you are getting enough fiber. The most beneficial type of fiber to help decrease the risk of heart attack comes from whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
  
• Eating lots of foods that are rich in vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid, which help to keep homocysteine levels under control. These two vitamins are found in leafy green vegetables and fruits. Folic acid can be found in some breakfast cereals, asparagus, spinach, chickpeas, and beans.

• Including almonds, brewer’s yeast, grains, and sesame seeds in your diet. (Be sure you are not allergic to brewer’s yeast. If you are not sure, start with a small amount and discontinue if it does not agree with you.)

• Eating onions frequently, especially red ones. They contain valuable antioxidants.

• Including kelp and sea vegetables in the diet for necessary minerals.

• Drinking fresh vegetable juices.
  
• Avoiding eat red meat. Too much red meat can elevate homocysteine levels. Eat soy-based protein instead to help lower high LDL cholesterol.

• Avoiding salt, sugar and white flour. Refined sugars produce adverse reactions in all cells causing wide fluctuations in blood sugar.

• Eliminating fried foods, coffee, black tea, colas, and other stimulants from the diet.

• Limiting alcohol. In moderation, alcohol may be heart healthy, but excessive alcohol use has an adverse effect on the heart.

• Sipping barley water (not beer!) throughout the day for its healing and fortifying properties. These include improving regularity, lowering cholesterol and providing intestinal protection. Barley water is easy to make yourself with barley, water, lemon, honey, cinnamon and ginger.

• Eating a daily serving of whole grains such as barley is recommended especially for postmenopausal women with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  
• Eating an ounce of walnuts a day may reduce the risk of heart attack by 8-10 per cent.
  
• Taking sufficient amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids (DHA) and (EPA).
  
• Carnitine, coenzyme Q10, fish oil, magnesium, and antioxidants for the prevention of cardiac arrhythmia, heart attack, and angina.

If you think you may be having a heart attack, do not waste any time seeking medical assistance. Any delay in obtaining help can result in greater damage to the heart. Dietary and nutritional recommendations are for the purpose of prevention, or to support recovery from, a heart attack. Dietary and lifestyle recommendations can mean the difference between a life threatening incident and living a long and healthy life.

Fat, stress and heart disease

While obesity is a major risk factor for disease, where we store fat is the number one predictor of overall and long-term health. Fat storage is partly genetic, partly hormonal. The main areas where we tend to store the most fat are chest, hips, upper back, waist and/or belly.  Excessive fat tissue around the abdomen surrounds and congests your vital organs. This specific fat buildup puts you at high risk for heart attack, increased LDL cholesterol (the unhealthy type), stroke, insulin resistance, and other metabolic disturbances. In fact, abdominal fat is now recognized as an even greater risk for cardiovascular disease and Type II diabetes than overall body fat.

Visceral fat is different from other fat on the body for several reasons:

• It is stored deep in the abdominal cavity, surrounding the organs; other types of fat are stored below the skin;
• It responds to and produces hormones, including leptin (a neurotransmitter produced by fat cells that decreases appetite) and grehlin (the hormone that makes the stomach growl and increases appetite);
• It grows in response to insulin and cortisol. Abdominal fat cells have more cortisol receptors than other areas, causing them to respond more strongly to high levels of cortisol.

Cortisol is a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is released in higher quantities when the body is under stress, increasing the flow of glucose out of tissues and into the bloodstream as part of the fight or flight response. This is in turn raises insulin levels. When circulating insulin is consistently high – much like the boy who cried wolf so many times nobody paid attention to him - many cells stop responding to it leading to insulin resistance and inflammation in the arteries. Persistent stress causes cortisol to signal fat to be deposited in the abdominal area. High cortisol levels also affect blood sugar levels, affect sleep and memory, reduce bone density, and suppress immunity.

Signs of elevated cortisol include cravings for coffee, sugar, chocolate, and pasta or other high carbohydrate foods, cravings for alcohol, mindless eating or mindless snacking after dinner.

Cortisol can be measured by a saliva test. Levels are highest in the early morning and lowest around midnight. Take four samples throughout for the most accurate measure of adrenal function.

Measuring waist circumference is an easy way to identify visceral fat, the most powerful predictor of obesity-associated cardiovascular disease risk. Calculate your waist-to-hip ratio. Optimal for males is <1.0; females is <0.8

To reduce belly fat follow these guidelines:

• Manage stress – any type of stress will raise cortisol levels
• Reduce intake of high-glycemic foods, especially at night because cortisol raises insulin, but insulin also raises cortisol. Choose foods with a low glycemic index and include some protein and fibre at each meal.
• Support the adrenals with adaptogenic herbs and foods rich in B vitamins
• Avoid caffeine – caffeine raises cortisol levels. Just cutting back on caffeine can reduce belly fat.
• Exercise – exercise blocks the effects of cortisol by using the glucose circulating in the bloodstream and releasing endorphins.
• Sleep – even losing a couple of hours of sleep will raise cortisol levels
• Omega-3 – 1,000 to 4,000 mg of omega-3 daily mitigates insulin resistance, inflammation, symptoms of physiological stress and can reduce cortisol levels

Changing your body composition may save your life. Visceral fat also puts women at increased risk of breast cancer and increases inflammation throughout the body. If  you have excess fat around your abdomen, you may want to consider changing your eating and lifestyle habits to reduce your risk of cardiovascular and other diseases and enjoy a longer and healthier lifespan.

Heart disease prevention

The Kettlebells for Heart-athon is only 4 weeks away! Once a week leading up to the event, I will be blogging about heart health. Heart disease, or cardiac disease, refers to a group of conditions affecting the structure and functioning of the heart alone. Cardiovascular disease refers to disorders of the blood vessels and the heart.

One such condition, atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries due to plaque, is the main cause of poor circulation. Many health problems originate from this condition including coronary arterial disease, ischemia (restriction of blood supply to the heart), angina, heart attack, stroke and thrombosis.

Angina pectoris is caused by narrowing of the arteries, which restricts the flow of blood to the heart muscle. The symptoms are chest pain or discomfort sometimes radiating to the arms, the back or the neck.

When the flow of blood to the brain is restricted, a stroke could result. Symptoms are sudden weakness or numbness, tingling in the face, arms and legs, slurred speech, blurred vision, severe headache or loss of consciousness. If the flow of blood to the heart is restricted for a period of time, irreversible damage may be done to the heart muscle leading to a heart attack.

Symptoms may appear as severe pain in the chest lasting two or more minutes spreading to the arms, shoulders and neck, dizziness, nausea (indigestion symptoms), shortness of breath and fainting.

Factors contributing to cardiovascular disease are heredity, age, lifestyle, diet, obesity and diabetes. It was once believed that a build-up of a high level of blood cholesterol and fats on the walls of the arteries led to cardiovascular disease. Today there is strong evidence that consumption of hydrogenated and rancid fats leads to heart disease and even cancer.

Problems relating to circulation and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) respond well to proper nutrition, and deterioration can be stopped or even reversed in many cases. Deficiencies in choline, a fat splitting enzyme, and chromium should be investigated.

Preventing heart disease through nutritional means is a call for a simplified diet high in fiber and natural, whole foods, and avoiding consumption of chlorinated water, food preservatives, toxic chemicals, caffeine, alcohol, refined and concentrated sugars.

Lifestyle changes are equally important. Exercise, quitting smoking, relaxation, and stress management techniques contribute to a healthy heart. Stress, along with malnutrition, is the major cause of heart disease. It is critical to identify the major cause of stress and to take steps to address the cause. Eliminating stress is unrealistic and even undesirable. But reducing stress and learning to manage stress is possible and necessary for good health.

A holistic approach to cardiovascular health also takes psychological factors into consideration. Heart disease may point to many different psycho-spiritual problems, all connected to joy and love. Since blood is linked to joy, a decrease in circulation of the blood often indicates a lack of joy in relation to love. To support the heart, and return the heart to its natural smooth rhythm, one must be open to love, less critical of oneself and others, and practice forgiveness.

If heart problems are suspected, contact your physician immediately. If you experience any symptoms, have them checked by your physician. And begin to change your lifestyle and eating habits in order to feel better and extend your life and healthspan.