by Natalie Louise Fox

Created on: September 22, 2008

In 2002, cardiovascular disease caused 39% of all deaths in the UK. Most of these could have been prevented.

It is amazing to think that this 1.7 billion load on our healthcare service would be highly avoidable if we could just make a few educated lifestyle choices.

Preventing heart disease is reasonably easy, and involves protecting the heart - which is a muscle responsible for pumping 23, 000 litres of blood around the body per day. According to the British Heart Foundation, death rates in the UK are among the highest in Western Europe.

Put simply, we need to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, prevent blood clots and furring' of the arteries and uphold a healthy weight.

So why aren't we doing more to help ourselves?

Current dietary recommendations include:
Eat 5 portions of fruit and veg per day to allow the body to take in sufficient vitamins and nutrients
To reduce blood pressure, salt intake should be limited
Two portions of fish should be eaten per week, one of which should be oily to help with Omega 3 consumption
Alcohol consumption should be minimal
And finally...
Fat should be reduced to help cut down on dangerous cholesterol levels. Saturated fats should be replaced with mono-unsaturates and poly-unsaturates. Foods containing trans-fats should also be limited.

However, current research is showing that there is much, much more that we can do to keep our hearts healthy.

Vitamin E has been shown to have a protective effect on the heart, maintaining healthy muscle tissue. Nutritionist Patrick Holford states that it could be four times more effective at preventing heart attacks than the currently prescribed aspirin (aspirin is thought to reduce the risk of heart attack by 20%).

Vitamin C may play a part in keeping our veins and arteries healthy. It has a role in the production of collagen, which is an elastic-type substance produced by the body to prevent tissues from becoming hard and inflexible. Vitamin C can help convert excess cholesterol into bile, ultimately leading to less harmful substances being left to build up in the artery walls. A deficiency in Vitamin C could lead to raised levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, apoprotein and lipoprotein A, whilst lowering levels of beneficial substances. Not good news.

Omega 3 contains EPA and DHA, which are known to reduce the risk of heart disease. It is an anti-inflammatory agent, which means that it could reduce any arterial damage caused by inflammation.

Antioxidant levels should be increased as they have protective qualities.

Co-enzyme Q10 is essential for our hearts to function. It is made by the same enzyme that makes cholesterol, and commonly prescribed statin drugs, although effective at lowering the risk for heart attack and strokes, block this enzyme.

Cholesterol is damaged by oxidation (smoking, over-cooking etc) and free radicals, making it tricky for the body to get rid of. The best advice here is to avoid overcooking any food and give up smoking.

Heart conditions are among the most widely researched in the world but these simple lifestyle changes often seem the hardest to make. Maybe it's time that changed.

References: British Heart Foundation
Optimum Nu8trition Bible, Patrick Holford, 2004

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