T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II
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 In this same paper, high blood pressure was also demonstrated to be an important risk factor for heart disease.
The importance given to risk factors signaled a conceptual revolution. When this study was started, most doctors believed that heart disease was an inevitable "wearing down" of the body, and we could do little about it. Our hearts were like car engines; as we got older, the parts didn't work as well and sometimes gave out. By demonstrating that we could see the disease in advance by measuring risk factors, the idea of preventing heart disease suddenly had validity. |
Dr. Sharon Moalem
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 One recent study showed that about 60 percent of obese five- to ten-year-olds already exhibited at least one major risk factor for heart disease—high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, or high sugar levels. Of those kids, 25 percent had more than one risk factor. A 2005 report in The New England Journal of Medicine said that the epidemic of childhood obesity is the critical element in a gathering storm that could produce the first modern decline in American life expectancy—dropping life expectancy as much as five years. |
Ray D. Strand
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 Whenever the medical community discovers a new entity or risk factor, testing standards lag far behind. This happened with cholesterol and will happen with homocysteine. Therefore, do not be pacified by your physician, who might tell you that having a homocysteine level of ten or eleven falls well within the normal range and not to worry. You want to get your homocysteine level down to at least nine if you have no sign of cardiovascular disease; and below seven if you already have evidence of cardiovascular disease or have other risk factors of heart disease. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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 High LDL levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Triglycerides: These are a type of fat made by the liver largely from sugar that can be deposited in the fatty tissues of the body. High triglyceride levels are a risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Liver, Kidney, and Muscle Function
Alanine transaminase (ALT): Reflects liver function in conjunction with other tests.
Albumin: It's a protein made by the liver and monitors the synthetic function of the liver. |
Michael T. Murray and Michael R. Lyon
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 While being overweight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, it is not the critical risk factor. Correctly stated, it is increased body fat that is associated with type 2 dia-
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) CHART
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Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C. with Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D.
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 Ludwig's team also confirmed other research by finding that the low-glycemic-load group had significantly greater improvements in insulin resistance (a risk factor for diabetes), as well as levels of serum triglyceride and C-reactive protein (both heart disease risk factors).
Curbing Quickie Carbs Can Ward Off the Chronic
Big Killers
Given space constraints, I've mentioned only a few of the many cutting-edge studies that illustrate just how debilitating and potentially deadly overeating processed carbs could be. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 Recently, researchers in Israel found that a diet supplemented with red grapefruits was effective in lowering triglycerides, a blood fat that is a risk factor for heart disease. In this study, fifty-seven postoperative bypass patients with high triglycerides were divided into three groups. One group
70 C
3 was given the standard "heart-healthy" diet, and the other two groups were given the identical diet but with the addition of either Israeli Jaffa red grapefruit or standard "white" grapefruit. |
Marshall Editions
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 Vitamin A deficiency is considered a risk factor for kidney stone formation. Take 5,000 IU daily. Vitamin C supplementation should be kept below 2,000 mg a day. Vitamin C can potentially form oxalates, which make up kidney stones, in high amounts.
Herbs: Take 400 mg of a standardized cranberry extract twice a day; it has been shown to reduce urinary calcium in those with a history of kidney stones. Drinking aloe vera juice may also reduce urinary crystals. Uva ursi is traditionally used for urinary tract infections, and relieves pain and cleanses the urinary tract. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Suddenly researchers accepted as fact that homocysteine was indeed an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Even the old-line supporters of the cholesterol camp, such as Claude Lenfant, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, said, "Even if the risk of elevated homocysteine is not entirely proven, it is an extremely important area of research."9 Today the medical evidence is beyond dispute: homocysteine can help cause coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
Show Me the Money! |
| This was the first large study that showed the possibility of homocysteine as an independent risk factor for heart disease.
In February 1995 Dr. Jacob Selhub also reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that high plasma levels of homocysteine were directly related to an increased risk of carotid artery stenosis (the narrowing of the two main arteries supplying blood to the brain). In addition Selhub noted that most patients with high homocysteine levels also had low levels of folic acid and vitamins B12 and B6 in their bodies. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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| High triglyceride levels are a risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Liver, Kidney, and Muscle Function
Alanine transaminase (ALT): Reflects liver function in conjunction with other tests.
Albumin: It's a protein made by the liver and monitors the synthetic function of the liver. Decreased levels can be seen in kidney disease, which allows albumin to escape into the urine, or be caused by malnutrition, a low-protein diet, or liver disease.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP): It's released into blood from many tissues, including liver, bile duct, placenta, and bone. |
Steven V. Joyal
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 High cholesterol is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome and heart disease. congestive heart failure: Heart failure caused by an inability of the hearr to pump, which results in fluid accumulating in the body. It typically develops gradually over several years, but it can also occur suddenly. coronary disease: Condition caused by insufficient blood flow, which is the result of blocked and/or hardening blood vessels. People with diabetes are at high risk of developing coronary disease. |
Michael Pollan
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 It turns out that "a higher intake of trans fat can contribute to increased risk of CHD through multiple mechanisms"; to wit, it raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol (something not even the evil saturated fats can do); it increases triglycerides, a risk factor for CHD; it promotes inflammation and possibly thrombogenesis (clotting) , and it may promote insulin resistance. Trans fat is really bad stuff, apparently, fully twice as bad as saturated fat in its impact on cholesterol ratios. |
| Adding omega-3 fatty acids to the diet (that is, eating more of a certain kind of fat) "substantially reduces coronary and total mortality" in heart patients, and replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats lowers blood cholesterol, which they deem an important risk factor for CHD. (Some researchers no longer do, pointing out that half the people who get heart attacks don't have elevated cholesterol levels, and about half the people with elevated cholesterol do not suffer from CHD. |
| Since leaving the bush some years before, all ten had developed type 2 diabetes; they also showed signs of insulin resistance (when the body's cells lose their sensitivity to insulin) and elevated levels of triglycerides in the blood—a risk factor for heart disease. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Since high insulin is a risk factor for a lot of things, that's a good effect. The researchers think that the active ingredient responsible for the effect is capsaicin. And by the way, the results were even more dramatic in the subjects with the highest body weights. m
00 J— m to
Peppers (sweet)
On Saturdays in the summertime you can walk around the city—at least in Los Angeles and New York, which are the only two cities I've lived in—and see gorgeous mountainous displays of fresh vegetables at the local farmers' market. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Especially when you consider the fact that homocysteine is an important, if not a greater, risk factor for heart disease than cholesterol.
The New Tests for Heart Disease Ultrasensitive GRP
As the medical community begins to realize that coronary artery disease is decidedly an inflammatory and not a cholesterol disease, more clinical studies are appearing in the medical literature advising physicians of effective ways to evaluate patients. Several studies have looked at various products in the body that give us evidence of the amount of inflammation that is present in the arteries. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| The standardized extract has also been used to treat high cholesterol and triglycerides, and in test tube studies, the flavonoids from the artichoke (especially luteolin) have prevented the oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, a definite risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
While artichoke extract has a distinguished history as an herbal supplement, the vegetable itself is a really healthy food. |
Ray D. Strand
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| Did you know that elevated cholesterol in the blood was not always considered a risk factor for coronary artery disease and stroke? When I first began practicing medicine in 1972, we considered any cholesterol level less than 320 normal. I distinctly remember telling patients who had a cholesterol level of 280 or 310 not to worry because their cholesterol levels were normal.
FIVE
It really wasn't until the late seventies that we began to realize the higher the cholesterol levels, the greater the risk of developing a heart attack or stroke. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| Sunflower Seeds May Lower Risk of Heart Disease
These little kernels are also a source of betaine (also known as trimethylglycine [TMG]), which in in m m O in
> a
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H
—I m
70 in may help lower homocysteine, a risk factor for heart disease. And they have a higher arginine content than almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans. Arginine is an amino acid that is touted for its role in protecting the inner lining of the arterial walls, making them more pliable and less susceptible to atheroge-nesis. |
| As an added benefit, subjects on the high-shrimp diet saw a significant lowering of their triglycerides (a significant risk factor for heart disease). Bottom line: For the overwhelming majority of people, the cholesterol in shrimp and related species isn't a problem.
Note: As with mollusks, there is a potential for allergic reaction that you need to be aware of. But it's also worth noting that seafood poisoning frequently masquerades as an allergic reaction. The take-home point: Get all your seafood from reputable sources, eat fresh, and prepare correctly. |
| Homocysteine is a nasty inflammatory molecule that is believed to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Oust for the record, in the same study, the equivalent of two liters a day of black tea also increased homocysteine by virtually the same amount.) But both coffee and black tea are loaded with antioxidants, and virtually every scientific reference on the subject suggests that chlorogenic acid might actually contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease. At this time, it appears to me that moderate coffee consumption has more in its favor than against it.
Cranberry Juice
Dr. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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 The presence of this second group leads me to wonder whether, for some people, chemical sensitivity, even if mild, is a risk factor for developing fatigue or pain later in life. While I don't have an answer to that question, it's clear that there is some overlap among CFS, FM, IBS, and MCS.
The Question of Syndromic Overlap
When people complain of severe fatigue, they usually have other symptoms as well. How does that affect the diagnoses of different medically unexplained syndromes? |
Dr. Sharon Moalem
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| Researchers are taking note—that may mean that cold weather is an important, but underappreciated, risk factor for stroke.)
A study of285,705 American veterans with diabetes measured seasonal differences in their blood sugar levels. Sure enough, the veterans' blood sugar levels climbed dramatically in the colder months and bottomed out during the summer. More telling, the contrast between summer and winter was even more pronounced in those who lived in colder climates, with greater differences in seasonal temperature. Diabetes, it seems, has some deep connection to the cold. |
| Of those kids, 25 percent had more than one risk factor. A 2005 report in The New England Journal of Medicine said that the epidemic of childhood obesity is the critical element in a gathering storm that could produce the first modern decline in American life expectancy—dropping life expectancy as much as five years.
There's no question that gallons of sugary soda, baskets of fatty fries, and too many hours watching television and playing video games instead of after-school sports is a fattening combo. But new research suggests that may not be the whole story. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 A lack of calcium is a well-known risk factor for osteoporosis. Low calcium is also associated with hypertension—that is, people with low levels of calcium are more likely to have high blood pressure. Colon cancer risk is also increased when calcium is low, and the use of calcium supplements has been found to lower that risk.
Organic dairy products, broccoli, leafy greens, beans, and nuts can help you to meet your daily calcium requirements. Using a supplement is advisable, though. If you take more than your body needs, the excess will be flushed out in your urine. |
| Obesity, where body weight is 30 percent or more beyond ideal, is a major risk factor for diabetes.
Formerly a disease of middle age, it's now affecting our children and adolescents in increasing numbers. Almost one out of three children and teens is considered overweight, and according to the American Obesity Association, 15 percent are frankly obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the number of diabetics worldwide will balloon to 300 million by 2025. |
| The catch is that the drugs probably don't help these people because they lower cholesterol, but because they address another, more important risk factor: inflammation.
However, even this action is open to question. The statins may be changing the results of commonly used tests for measuring inflammation (C-reactive protein tests, for example; more on this below), rather than actually altering the inflammation itself. In other words, we've lowered the marker, but the underlying inflammatory condition remains.
THE INFLAMMATION CONNECTION
Inflammation is the immune system's response to injury. |
| Fibrinogen, another risk factor, was reduced by niacin, but was increased 6 to 9 percent by gemfibrozil. The authors concluded that 2,000 mg of Niaspan, a time-released form of niacin, had a better effect on fibrinogen levels than the statin.
Niacin comes in both immediate-release and timed-release forms. There are some side effects you should know about:
1. A common and troublesome side effect of niacin is flushing, which can be decreased by taking it during or after meals or by taking an aspirin thirty minutes prior. |
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