Risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and some ways to help

As a quick summary for what to look for when assessing your risks to CVD what follows is a naturopathic approach to maintaining healthy lipid profiles.

•Smoking - increases arterial oxidation.
•Dyslipidaemia – high cholesterol levels with high LDL and low HDL, high triglycerides – lipid profile may respond to increased intake of plant sterols, probiotics, vitamin B3, fibre and fish oils
•Plant Sterols are being utilised in many countries for their cholesterol lowering properties - these natural plant fats, which are structurally very similar to cholesterol, an animal steroid, reduce absorption by competing with cholesterol for space in the mixed micelles of fats that are absorbed in the gut mucosal cells.
•Guggulipid lowers VLDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while simultaneously raising HDL cholesterol.
•Policosanol is isolated and refined from sugarcane. The active ingredient is octacosanol. Clinical studies have demonstrated policosanol has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and neural-protective properties. Policosanol has been shown in studies to normalise cholesterol as well or better than statin drugs.
•Hypertension – reduced by increased fruit and vegetable consumption, garlic, CoQ10 and fish oil supplementation + stress management.
•Obesity – those with high waist circumference i.e. ‘apple shaped’ more at risk of CVD.
•Leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, increases with obesity and appears to play a role in the vascular complications associated with overweight conditions. Discovered in the last decade assessing leptin levels has emerged as a means of screening for heart disease. Since leptin levels correlate well with adiposity, strategies aimed at weight reduction should remain the first line of defence.
•High homocysteine levels – modulated by B6, B12, folate, magnesium and trimethylglycine (TMG).
•High ferritin – iron should not be supplemented unless deficient.
•High fibrinogen – can encourage blood clot formation – can be moderated by B6, bromelain (a digestive enzyme from pineapple that assists in the breakdown of food proteins into amino acids and polypeptides), and garlic.
•High C-Reactive Protein – indicative of inflammation and possible arterial damage. Has been associated with low B6 levels. Explore Serrapeptase which has been used by doctors in Europe and Asia for over 30 years to help digest atherosclerotic plaque without harming the healthy cells lining the arterial wall.
•Oxidative stress – vitamin E complex with tocotrienols, CoQ10, lycopene, and Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPCs) give antioxidant protection.
•Diabetes/Insulin Resistance – dysglycaemia can lead to dyslipidaemia with elevated Triglycerides