Weapons in the Battle Against Heart Disease

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Article Title:

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Weapons in the Battle Against Heart Disease

Article Description:

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Heart disease and stroke are our nation's number one killers. As

we become more sedentary and more obese, heart disease is

occurring in more severe forms and at younger ages. But, there

are ways to avoid heart disease, if you understand the associated

health issues and how to control them. Here's an overview of the

contributors to heart disease and how to minimize your risk by

managing your life.

Additional Article Information:

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915 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-12-13 18:36:00

Written By: Marcus Stout

Copyright: 2006

Contact Email: mailto:Marcus.Stout@...

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Weapons in the Battle Against Heart Disease

Copyright © 2006 Marcus Stout

Golden Moon Tea

http://www.GoldenMoonTea.com

Heart disease and stroke are our nation's number one killers. As

we become more sedentary and more obese, heart disease is

occurring in more severe forms and at younger ages. But, there

are ways to avoid heart disease, if you understand the associated

health issues and how to control them. Here's an overview of the

contributors to heart disease and how to minimize your risk by

managing your life.

High Cholesterol

Cholesterol comes in two forms. LDL cholesterol (low density

lipoproteins) is what is known as " bad cholesterol " . When too

much LDL circulates in the blood, it can build up in the inner

walls of your arteries, where it forms plaque that hardens and

narrows the arteries. This condition is called atherosclerosis.

Narrow arteries make it easy for a clot to form and cause a

block, and they also restrict blood flow. Peroxidation is the

process that turns the cholesterol into the hard plaque that

sticks to arterial walls.

HDL cholesterol or (high density lipoproteins) is what we refer

to as " good cholesterol " . HDL cholesterol carries bad cholesterol

away from the heart and deposits it to the liver so that it can

pass from the body. We need this cholesterol to be high, because

it protects us. When your HDL levels are too low, the LDL

cholesterol is in control.

It's important to understand your cholesterol levels and do your

best to improve them if they're not where they should be.

Dietary cholesterol comes from animals and animal products.

Eating a diet that's low in saturated fat and cholesterol;

avoiding things like butter, egg yolks and red meat, can help

lower your LDL levels considerably. When you eat fat, make it

the sort that raises your HDL levels, by including olive oil,

canola oil and nuts in your diet.

Your cholesterol level is also affected by your heredity. Some

families just have higher cholesterol than others, regardless of

how much they watch their diet. If you fall into this category,

you may need medication in addition to a healthy diet to get your

cholesterol numbers in line.

High Blood Pressure

The second important component in heart disease is blood

pressure. High blood pressure has no symptoms, but it can lead to

heart disease, stroke and kidney failure if unmanaged.

The pressure of your blood puts beats against the walls of your

veins and arteries. This weakens the arterial walls and causes

stress on the heart. The pressure can also cause little nicks in

the arterial walls. Your body tries to repair these nicks by

creating little blood clots. However, if these clots become too

big, or break off and get stuck in an artery (particularly one

already narrowed by plaque), it can result in a heart attack or

stroke. That's why keeping your blood pressure under control

lowers your risk of heart disease. Have your blood pressure

checked regularly to determine if you're at risk. A healthy

blood pressure is one that is right around 120/80.

The Big Five

To get your lifestyle under control and manage your blood

pressure and cholesterol levels so that you can minimize your

risk of heart disease and stroke, there are four things you need

to do.

Exercise

Exercise is critical for preventing heart disease. Get at least

30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 times a week. Regular

exercise lowers cholesterol and blood pressure naturally, and can

help keep your weight in check.

Eat Right

Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Instead, focus

on eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein like

fish and chicken. If you're overweight, get down to a healthy

weight for your height. A heart healthy diet will help you lose

the extra pounds, too. Avoid processed foods with ingredients

like enriched flour and high fructose corn syrup.

Don't Smoke

Smoking significantly increases your risk of high blood pressure,

heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Get Those Anti-Oxidants

In the last few years, we've come to understand how powerful

anti-oxidants are in the fight against disease. Anti-oxidants

fight the free radicals that our body creates each day as we

process our food. Without anti-oxidants to fight them, these free

radicals damage our bodies' cells and DNA. This leads to disease

and premature aging.

If you're eating a heart healthy diet, you're probably already

getting a fair amount of anti-oxidants already, since fruits and

vegetables are very good sources. However, there are a few

anti-oxidant powerhouses that you really should add to your diet.

Be sure you're getting:

The Best Fruits and Veggies – Artichokes, blueberries, red beans,

pomegranates and tomatoes are potent anti-oxidant sources. If

you're not eating these regularly, add them to your diet.

Green Tea – Research has shown that the flavonoids in green tea,

particularly EGCG, are some of the most potent anti-oxidants

around. There have been many studies that have associated green

tea with a lower risk of heart disease. In particular, one study

reported on UK Tea Council showed green tea to have a positive

effect on many aspects of heart disease.

This study reported that green tea helped lower cholesterol, had

anti-inflammatory properties, protected arteries and blood

vessels and protects against blood clots. This information is

powerful when you consider how simple it is to add green tea to

your diet.

So, arm yourself with the weapons to beat heart disease before

it's too late. Heart disease can be prevented with a healthy

lifestyle – so make sure you're prepared to avoid this serious

killer.

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Marcus Stout is the President of the Golden Moon Tea

Company. Golden Moon Tea carefully selects the finest

rare and orthodox teas, which are processed slowly

and handcrafted with extreme care. At their website,

you can learn more about their current tea offerings,

including their exceptional green tea

(http://www.goldenmoontea.com/greentea), white tea,

black tea (http://www.goldenmoontea.com/blacktea),

oolong tea (also known as wu-long and wu long tea)

and chai. Visit http://www.goldenmoontea.com for

all details concerning the Golden Moon Tea Company's

fine line of teas.