The first thing to do in this piece is to make certain that we all understand the same thing by the word ‘atherosclerosis’. atherosclerosis means ‘in the Greek’ athero=’gruel’ and sclerosis=’hardening’; individuals call it ‘furring’ or hardening’ of the arteries, which gives it its other appellation: arteriosclerosis.
What this all comes to mean is that the arteries become clogged up, impeding the flow of blood around your body. These blockages put pressure on the heart and can, or almost always will, lead to strokes or / and heart attacks.
So, what brings about arteriosclerosis? The main reason given by most, but not all, medical professionals is the build up on the arterial walls of fat and other substances. This gunge makes a plaque, comparable to the way the food on your teeth forms plaque, if you do not brush them frequently enough. The plaque builds up over time, layer on layer until it has a significant effect on blood flow.
However, your body is still saying to your brain that, say, your legs require more energy, because you are running for a bus. Your brain tells your heart to get some more blood to your legs quickly, so your heart pumps more quickly, but the blood is not getting through in adequate quantities because of the atherosclerosis, so the heart has to pump even harder.
This means that the heart of a sufferer from arteriosclerosis has to pump a lot harder than that of those who do not have atherosclerosis. This additional stress on the heart can lead to a heart attack. Not only that, but bits of plaque break off under this higher pressure and they zoom around the blood stream. If they get lodged in the brain and cause a blockage to a crucial process, you might suffer a stroke.
The three factors that exacerbate the condition the most are smoking, diabetes and a family history of arteriosclerosis. Men are more at risk than women and those with a sedentary lifestyle and career are more at danger than dynamic individuals or those who have a physically demanding job.
Diet and exercise are the main agents in combatting arteriosclerosis without the use of drugs. However, it is not that simple. Everybody agrees that exercise is useful, and everybody agrees that diet is important, but the diet argument is contended by two groups.
Standard wisdom says that the problem is LDL cholesterol resulting from saturated fat, hydrogenated and trans fats. However another faction says that the over consumption of omega 6 is to blame; or rather that the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in our bodies is to blame. They say that we acquire too much omega 6 (which is responsible for inflammation) in polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several subjects, and is now concerned with omega 3 arthritis. If you want to know more, please go to our site at Omega 6 9