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INTRODUCTION EAT DRINK AND HAVE HAPPY ARTERIES (DISCUSSION) REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION
Arteriosclerosis, flow like rivers throughout our bodies that continually transport essential nutrients and oxygen from your heart to the rest of our bodies. A common expression you are what you eat, individuals today make a joke out of it but think about it logically, it makes complete sense what we consume reflects either positively or negatively on our health. We as individuals consume a lot of processed foods laden with saturated fats, chemicals and toxins and the combination of all those chemicals would eventually obstruct the blood flow within the arteries. Reports have been made that eating certain foods and drinking certain alcohols: well debates and experiments are still going on about it i.e. red wine can really prevent heart disease and other life threatening ailments plus cleanse our arteries of plaque.

EAT, DRINK and HAVE HAPPY ARTERIES

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Healthy arteries allow blood to flow freely through the body feeding vital organs such as the heart and brain with relevant oxygen and nutrients. This allows and individual to have better physical and mental functioning and also reduce the risk of getting a heart attack, stroke or heart disease such as arthrosclerosis. Arthrosclerosis is a condition in which the vessels that carries blood and oxygen throughout the body becomes lined with plaque, that is the build up of fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances on the inside wall of the arteries. This process begins at early childhood and progress as we age. Overtime the repercussion of plaque build up can result in the narrowing of the arteries, in turn limiting blood flow to the heart, brain and other parts of the body. Peoples awareness of this disease maybe little or none because the symptoms associated with it may not show up until the artery has significantly narrowed and blood flow is greatly limited or blocked. Depending on the location of the narrowed artery the symptoms of arthrosclerosis may vary for e.g. 1. Coronary arteries: the symptoms are chest pains and arrhythmias (shortness of breath); blockage in these arteries could lead to heart attacks. 2. The carotid artery: the symptoms are dizziness, confusion or sudden headaches. Blockage to those arteries can lead to stroke. As for arteries leading to the extremities the symptoms may include the following: leg pain, cramping and poor wound healing which can result in thrombosis. Arthrosclerosis can have risk factors that are controlled or uncontrollable such as the following:

Diet: following a low fat, low cholesterol diet will reduce the amount of fats circulating the amount of fats circulating within the blood thus curbing the amount of fatty deposits.

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Weight: being overweight tends to raise your blood pressure and also increase your risk of becoming a type 2 diabetic. Excess fat around the abdomen increases LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), which leads to plaque formation and build up.

Blood Glucose: this tends to present itself as undiagnosed and uncontrolled diabetes, that is, the increase in fatty deposits on the arterial walls. It is recommended that individuals who are diabetic should check their glucose levels at regular intervals as to make sure it is at a healthy level.

Smoking: the smoke from tobacco rapidly depletes the arteries. Individuals that smoke are advised to quit and those that do not should avoid second hand smoke.

Genetics and Age: some people have a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol or high blood pressure despite dietary changes. In these cases medication and lifestyle changes may be needed to manage these conditions or slow progression or arthrosclerosis. According to Greek studies, antioxidants in red wine appear to have a positive effect on

persons suffering with heart disease. A team from Harokopio University Athens found that both red wine and wine that has alcohol removed reduced artery stiffness in fifteen (15) subjects who suffers with coronary heart disease. This condition defined stiffed arteries raises blood pressure and puts patients at risk for heart attacks. Because the effects were observed with non alcoholic wine, the researchers attributed these effects to the antioxidants in wine Also another study showed that after consuming 250ml of dealcoholized wine patients showed significant decrease in the central systolic blood pressure ( the top reading) and subjects blood
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pressure fell to 7.4 mmHg with alcoholic and 5.4mmHg in non alcoholic wine respectively. ( American Journal of Hypertension volume 18 issue 9 pages 1161 1170). A lot of articles and research findings suggest that drinking red wine is good for you for e.g. resveratrol, a red wine ingredient, reduces the risks of Alzheimer disease. With that in notion a person who does not consume alcohol would feel obliged to start consuming alcohol or face the consequences of saving themselves from acquiring Alzheimers disease The support for the hypothesis that wine maybe more beneficial than liquor or beer is two major types. Studies have shown that countries such as France, the coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality rate is lower as compared to countries where beer and distilled spirits are the predominant alcoholic beverages. These ecological studies would not be controlled well because of the fact that the traits of the individuals are not taken into consideration. The question is can we find the same antioxidants and antithrombotic compounds in non alcoholic wine as in red wine? answer is yes we can but the compounds would not be as greatly significant as in alcoholic wine. Since oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDLs) cholesterol is an integral part of development of atherosclerotic plaque, it follows that antioxidant compounds in the diet represent an appealing hypothesis for benefit. Diets rich in natural antioxidants seem to be associated with better health outcomes despite the futile results of trials with antioxidant supplements. Even though consuming red wine moderately raises high density lipoproteins (HDL the good cholesterol), it reduces the formation of blood clots and help prevent damage caused by LDLs. Drinking excessively can cause an increase in the risk of high blood pressure, liver damage, high triglycerides and also cardiomyopathy, which the weakening of the heart muscle. If you already consume red wine, do so moderately which is about two (2) drinks a day for men and one (1) drink a day for women.

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Adopting a healthy nutrition strategy can also reduce LDLs, lowers blood pressure, blood sugars and even reduce body weight. The most powerful nutrition strategy helps you focus on what you eat, in fact heart disease research has shown that adding heart saving foods are just as important as consuming red wine. These strategies include the following:

Eat more fish. Fish is a good source of protein and other nutrients. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It is recommended that two servings a week of omega-3 fatty acid-eat fish like salmon.

Choose fat calories wisely Limit total fat grams Eat a bare minimum of saturated fats and trans fats for example, fats found in butter, hard margarine, salad dressing, fried foods, snack foods, sweets, and desserts).

When using added fats use products such as canola, olive and peanut oil. These fats are high monosaturated or polysaturated fats.

Eat a variety but in the right amounts of protein foods by eating a balance of animal, fish, vegetables, which are sources of proteins, reduces the risk of heart disease.

Limit cholesterol consumption Reduce salt intake. This would help control blood pressure Exercise, this helps alleviate HDL cholesterol and also helps control blood sugar and body weight.

Hydrate; drink the recommended 6 8 glasses of water a day.

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After reading all these facts I have to ask myself this question do we eat to live? Or do we live to eat? with the high rise buildings and fast food outlets at every corner and also to take into the fact our lifestyles people adopt, we dont inconvenience ourselves to cook our own food. No one takes the time to read nutrition labels anymore as long as the price is right they buy it. With the hint of longevity what non red wine drinker would not feel the pressure to start a red wine habit or what person over the age of sixty (60) would not consider a lifestyle change that promised a lower chance of Alzheimers. Although it is likely that few heavy imbibers drink to improve their health, concerns are based on the fear that some persons might not be able to handle the knowledge of benefit responsibility, and deliberately or inadvertently indulge in heavier drinking. Whether you choose to have a glass of red wine, incorporate more fish into your diet, your health is your responsibility. Take your time, if you have not already begun to do so to eat from the six food groups so you can have happy arteries and enjoy your senescence stage of life.

References
Bailey, . (n.d.). Artery. Biology. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from

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http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/ss/artery.htm Coronary artery disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronary_artery_disease Heart-Healthy Diet for Atherosclerosis (Clogged Arteries). (n.d.). Women's Health Center: Information on Women's Wellness, Nutrition, Fitness, Intimate Questions, and Weight Loss. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from http://women.webmd.com/guide/heart-healthy-diet Red wine improves artery health in heart patients. (n.d.). Dietary supplements, Nutraceuticals, Functional foods, Health ingredients, Herbals. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Red-wine-improves-artery-health-in-heartpatients Red wine, antioxidants and resveratrol: Good for your heart? - MayoClinic.com. (n.d.). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/redwine/HB00089/NSECTIONGROUP=2 What Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis Are Not Controllable? - Atherosclerosis Guide - Healia Health Guides. (n.d.). Health search engine, health communities and information - Healia. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from

http://www.healia.com/healthguide/guides/atherosclerosis/what-risk-factors-foratherosclerosis-are-not-controllable drumweaver. (n.d.). The Best Natural Foods that Unclog Your Arteries Naturally. drumweaver on HubPages. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from http://drumweaver.hubpages.com/hub/foodsthat-unclog-arteries www.SixWise.com. (n.d.).
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10 Foods that Keep Your Arteries Clean.

Healthy

Family

Health and Wealth, Home Safety, Health, Relationship, Growing Family. Retrieved March 12, 2012, from http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2008/August/27/10-Foods-that-KeepYour-Arteries-Clean.htm

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