Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD)
What is it?
Includes all the diseases of the heart and circulation including coronary heart disease, angina (chestpain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle), heart attack, inherited heart disease and stroke. It is usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots.
What is atherosclerosis?
It is when the arteries supplying the heart with oxygen rich blood, become narrowed by the gradual build-up of fatty materials in their walls. This is called atherosclerosis and the fatty material is called atheroma.
What is Angina?
When arteries become so narrow that they cannot provide oxygen rich blood to the heart. The pain and discomfort are caused as a result is called and angina attack.
If a piece of atheroma breaks off, it may cause a blood clot or blockage blocking off the coronary artery and cutting the supply of oxygen rich blood to the heart, resulting in permanent damage, which is known as a heart attack.
This is a great video done by the British heart foundation explaining in a simple way what CVD is.
Symptoms
- Chest pain (Angina)
- breathlessness
- very fast or slow heartbeat, or palpitations
- Fatigue
- Swollen limbs
Common risk factors
Are modifiable or non modifiable.
1.Modifiable
-Cigarette smoking - (more likely to have a heart attack)
-Obesity- (central obesity-raised BP, cholesterol, diabetes risk)
-Diabetes - (damage to arterial walls)
-Physical Inactivity
-High plasma LDL-cholesterol(Low-density lipoproteins)and triglyceride levels
-High plasma homocysteine
-Adverse Diet quality: SF and trans-fat, refined sugars, high salt
-High blood pressure (Inactivity, salt, obesity, alcohol – cause the heart to work harder, may enlarge and fail)
2.Non modifiable
-Gender
-Ethnical background - South Asians are at higher risk from acute MI (Myocardial Infarction)at younger age.
-Genetic disorder of lipid metabolism
Management of CVD
Dietary management is very much determined by how much the disease has progressed and the way it is being treated. More advance cases will be managed by medical teams, however as part of disease prevention, it is possible to take steps to ensure that the diet is cardio protective (speak with your nutritionist).
Helpful tips you can start doing
More physical activity
Regular exercise will make the heart and circulatory system more efficient.
Giving up smoking
There are many smoking programs that could be helpful:
Keep diabetes under control
If you are diabetic, you are at greatest risk. Being physically active and controlling your weight and blood pressure will help you manage your blood sugar level.
Dietary management from a nutritionist will normally involve
- A diet that will help reduce blood lipids – low in LDL(low-density lipoprotein)
cholesterol.
- A low dietary fat diet – as they play a role in the development of atherosclerosis.
- A reduction of trans- fats, limiting the intake of processed foods like cake and biscuits.
- A diet that will incorporate oily fish and omega 3 fatty acids as it has been demonstrated to protect from CVD.
- A diet high in fruits and vegetables
The following changes should be monitored by a nutritionist or doctor, the examples above are only a couple of examples for you to know what to expect.