Heart Disease and Protein Needs
Cardiovascular disease kills over sixteen million people worldwide every year and is the direct cause of over 30% of all deaths in that same time period. In the United States, both heart disease and strokes account for over 40% of all adult deaths (Source: Natural News 2006). In 2006, there were over 450,000 coronary bypass surgeries performed in the United States and there were over 2,000 heart transplant surgeries the following year (Source: The Texas Heart Institute Heart Information Center). The risk for developing heart disease of any kind can depend on a number of factors, including:
- Family history
- Weight
- Diet and exercise habits
- Smoking
- Gender
- Other health risk factors
Family history of any type of heart disease may increase your risk of developing certain conditions and may also increase your risk for heart attack or stroke, even without other risk factors being present.
Weight is one of the major risk factors for heart disease, especially with disease that is caused by clogged arteries and plaque buildup. Weight can be most dangerous when it includes having a BMI of 27 or more and a waist to hip ratio of .9 or more. A woman’s waist measurement should be 33 inches or less. A quick look at your shape is also very telling as well: if you resemble an apple, with most of the weight above the hipline, you are at greater risk of heart disease than those who are pear shaped, or carrying their weight below the hips. It is thought that the deep abdominal fat affects the internal organs in a negative way and raises blood pressure, as well as causing other problems.
Diet and exercise habits are also an important risk factor to consider. It is recommended that you should get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day (Source: Ammer 2005). The choice that you make for exercise is entirely up to you, but your doctor may have some suggestions as well. Good choices for exercise include walking, yoga, swimming or other water sports. A healthy diet is also important, including all of the important nutrients. The diet suggested by the American Heart Association is an important one. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is also a valid suggestion as well.
While smoking is known as a risk factor for a number of other diseases, its role in heart disease, including heart attack and stroke, is very important to keep in mind as well, especially for those who have the other risk factors. Smoking raises the risk of heart disease in women five times or more over non-smoking women of the same age.
It was long thought that most types of heart disease were ones that struck men more often than women; however, the dangers of heart disease and women have become more thoroughly researched in the recent years. Women do tend to get heart disease later in life, however, and it tends to be more severe for them. It is now the leading cause of death in women who are over 66 years old and claims six times the number of breast cancer deaths. Women also tend to misinterpret their symptoms and delay getting initial assistance when they are potentially having a heart attack (Source: Ammer 2005).
Diabetes, a serious disease on its own, can also raise the risks of heart disease by damaging the arteries, raising the blood pressure and possibly worsening the cholesterol levels. Having a poor overall lipid profile is also a dangerous risk to keep in mind. Women who have reached the age of menopause that are not taking estrogen may face the same risk of heart disease as a man who is ten years younger. Increasing the amount of soy protein can afford some protection for the heart, because soy contains phytoestrogens that are similar to estrogen but are milder and safer than artificial or replacement estrogen.
Diet Suggestions for Heart Disease (Before Heart Disease Starts)
Research by the Nurses’ Health Study showed that women (mostly nurses) who started eating a diet plan similar to that of Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) had lowered their risk of heart disease and stroke. DASH is based on healthy proteins (i.e. plant-based rather than animal based protein choices), fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The study stated that at the end of period, those eating from this plan were almost 25 percent less likely to have heart disease and almost twenty percent less likely to have a stroke (Source: Heart Insight 2008).
It is important to find the right type and right kind of protein for your diet; it should be as lean as possible. Vegetarian protein is much healthier than animal protein; however, it is not necessary to abstain from all meat or other animal foods – just make your choices lean and low fat. Red meats have too much saturated fat and too many calories, but almost anything that you would have made with them can be recreated using substitutes. Ground turkey breast can be used to make chili or burgers, for instance. Tofu can fill in the role of meat in many different recipes and will take the flavor of the spices that it is cooked with. Tofu can also be used as both a savory and a sweet – it depends only on what you add to it.
Darius and Elizabeth: Better Diets and Better Heart Health, a Case Study
Darius, a former professional athlete, has gained 25 pounds since his retirement. Both his father and mother died from heart related conditions at fairly young ages and, despite his best efforts, he has been unable to stop smoking. Elizabeth is ten years older than her husband and has always been thirty pounds overweight; she gains and loses, and gains and loses the same ten pounds every year. She has never smoked but her family history is filled with diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
They both have borderline problems, Darius with high blood pressure and Elizabeth with high cholesterol. They agree to change their diets, including eating far less red meat. Elizabeth is planning to follow a mostly vegetarian diet; however, Darius refuses to part with meat. They try some tofu recipes and find a few that they might like and have also learned to grill portabella mushrooms on their grill instead of burgers.
Both of them have also added Profect, a protein supplement from Protica, which allows them to have a between-meal snack that gives them high quality protein and additional vitamins. They have also found that they are not hungry between meals and are both well on the way to reaching their optimal weight. Each single serving of Profect is only 100 calories, but they have found that buying the 200 gram size is far easier and less expensive. There are a number of flavors that they both enjoy.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for renal care patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright