Cardiology
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Cardiology
A person with Type 2 Diabetes is FOUR TIMES more likely to suffer a cardiac event than someone with high LDL.
Matters for the Heart
If you haven’t heard about pericardial fat, let’s talk shall we?
After following more than 6,000 adults, ages 45-84, for about 15 years, researchers found that extra fat around the heart, called pericardial fat, was associated with an increased risk for heart failure. Underlying conditions, like obesity and high blood pressure, are known to increase the risk for heart failure.
– The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Trees and Roots
To grasp the concept of fat, let’s first talk about a tree. Think of a mighty oak tree. If it’s near the coast of Florida (as many are), and they’re standing after decades or centuries, the longevity is thanks to a strong root system. Just as mighty as the oak is above the ground are the roots under the soil which you cannot see. Did you know there is more wood underground in the roots of most trees than there is above the earth? This may help you understand why so many decades or century+ old trees are still fully intact after intense hurricanes over so many years.
Much like you cannot see the results of a tree under the soil, you also can’t easily see the results of fat on the inside of one’s body. If you see it on the outside, it’s most definitely on the inside. That fat crushes and suffocates organs, literally. Just like tree roots can wrap around pipes and break them, just like they can push up soil and move sidewalks, driveways, and more, what’s underneath or not seen can potentially wreak havoc.
If you’re overweight and you suffer from shortness of breath and increased blood pressure, this is because the fat around your lungs and heart are preventing proper expansion/contraction of the organ muscles. It also squeezes around your joints making the simple act of walking and climbing stairs a major issue. Your arteries are being squeezed from the outside, the heart muscle is being wrapped like a tight blanket preventing it from opening and closing efficiently, and thus your blood pressure rises because the heart is working overtime. Eventually, the heart takes a rest, in the form of cardiac arrest. It simply gives up working because it’s tired.
What Causes Cardiac Problems?
The next discussion comes from the Journal of American Medicine Association, known as JAMA. This was a 21yr study of 28,000 women as it relates to heart/cardiac health. The following is a summary of the factors which determine heart disease, ranked in order from the worst (means the likeliest cause) to the least worst (a cause, but not as much). The researchers associated a “Hazard Ratio” to each factor, and without getting technical, the important thing to understand is the higher the ratio, the worse for you it is. a 10 is very bad for you, a 1 is not as bad. So, therefore, a 10 is 10x as bad for you as compared to something that is a 1. Are we on the same page now? Great, here goes, from worst offenders to least:
- Coming in at a HR of 10.7, Type 2 diabetes. This is the leading cause of heart disease among women.
- Metabolic syndrome carries an HR of 6.0. This is insulin resistance, and defines something that affects at least 1 out of 3 Americans. 1/3!
- High Blood Pressure has an HR of 4.5
- Obesity carries an HR of 4.3, and interestingly is most commonly associated with both #2 and #3.
- Smoking is a 3.9. How do you prevent heart disease with smoking? Quit.
- High Triglycerides is a 2.1.
- High LDL cholesterol is a 1.6.
Let’s review the facts pointed out here. A person with Type 2 Diabetes is 4 TIMES more likely to suffer a cardiac event than someone with high LDL. A smoker is less likely to suffer a heart attack than someone with metabolic syndrome. Can you stand in a crowd and spot a smoker? Likely only if they have a cigarette in their hand and mouth. Can you stand in a crowd and spot an obese person? Can you spot someone with metabolic dysfunction? Someone with high blood pressure? Someone with diabetes? Well, I can assure you that you can’t always judge a book by the cover, but you’re probably more right than wrong when you spot an obese person and consider they likely have metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high LDL, and could very well be brushing up against Type 2 Diabetes, if they haven’t already been diagnosed. And if they’re smoking, you’re looking at someone with the highest likelihood of cardiac disease.
What can You do?
What can you do to reverse all of this? How can you prevent the leading cause of death in the USA? You begin with what you can control.
Let’s get this out of the way. Obvious to most, but doesn’t apply to most like it did 20yrs ago: Drop the smoking if you do that. The excuses are many, and I know them all because I smoked for 14 years. Quit smoking, and you’ve eliminated future damage.
The rest likely applies to you. You have GOT to change your food habits. The very first thing you do is drop the sugar before it drops you. Sugar is your drug, your addiction, your “friend” who comforts you. DROP IT.
Seed oils need to exit, stage left. You do not want seed oils in your system of any kind. Animal fats are your healthy choice. Butter, ghee, bacon grease, tallow, goat fat, duck fat.
Believe it or not, your greatest influence on 6 of the 7 items on this list of causes of heart disease are food related. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: What’s on the end of your fork determines your health. And what goes on the end of your fork is determined by YOU.
