Now to focus on eating more green leafy vegs, less oils and fructose.
02.27.13: Coronary Artery Heart Disease (CAD) is plaque build-up in the arteries.
Heart attacks are caused by blood clots resulting from the inside walls of inflamed arteries rupturing due to plaque buildup.
The fix is all about "cap over the plaque" ... strengthening the interior artery walls.
A summary of interesting facts in Dr Esselstyn's video (2 hours in length, or a one hour version):
1. LDL cholesterol gets sticky (plaque) and adheres to the artery wall beneath the protective layer (inflammation of the interior artery wall) which starts the plaque buildup
2. Blocked arteries (plaque buildup) cause less than 10% of heart attacks
3. Inflammation (caused by plaque buildup) finally ruptures the protective layer on the interior artery wall which causes clotting to occur which blocks the artery and downstream heart muscles die from starvation causing the heart attack4. Dr Esselstyn is convinced changing what you eat can strengthen the interior wall so that the interior wall does not rupture
5. Nitric Oxide enables elasticity and strengthening of the inner artery wall to dramatically reduce plaque inflammation and rupturing
6. The american diet will ensure CAD occurs in, EVERY person, before they are 20 years old
7. 45% of USA medicare is related to cardiologists
8. Cardiologists treat symptoms not cause ... so don't look to a cardiologist to reduce your CAD ... they are not paid to do that
9. HDL doesn't have to be high to do its job (return cholesterol to the liver) ... begins to illustrate the complexity of HDL/LDL balance
10. Plant based diet will reduce CAD ... easy to say but hard to do
11. Don't eat anything with a face, fructose, any oil
12. It has more to do with your diet than your genes
13. You can make yourself heart attack proof in three weeks
14. Leafy green vegetables such as kale, Swiss chard, arugula, spinach, chicory, wild radish and bok choy are all high sources of bioactive NO
15. Dark chocolate and wine also increase NO
My conclusions:
Is it possible, most north americans prefer to eat what tastes good rather than what is good for them?
I would like to agree with Dr Esselstyn's approach that strengthening the interior arterial wall (endothelium) will dramatically reduce heart attacks.
If eating a specific diet, that is not intolerable, will significantly help, why not try it?
For those who refuse to dramatically change their diet, there is a lozenge called Neo30 approves by Canada health that will increase your NO ... but it is quite expensive and I am not convinced (yet) it will help much.
Taking the test might help convince you to go the easy route and see if the lozenges help ... or go the more effort route and change your diet.
I am taking the test tomorrow.
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