Guest guest Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 HSIResearch Turn Up the Ratio Tue, 21 Sep 2004 08:27:42 -0400 Turn Up the Ratio Health Sciences Institute e-Alert September 21, 2004 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, Your relative risk of heart attack may be lowered by as much as 80 percent by doing just three things: eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting regular exercise, and avoiding smoking. That simple bit of information has to be one of the most valuable results of the new research I told you about in yesterday's e-Alert, " Waking Up is Hard to Do " (9/20/04). Over the course of a 10- year study, researchers matched about 15,000 heart attack patients with approximately the same number of heart-healthy subjects to examine heart attack risk factors. This was a worldwide study that included male and female subjects with a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds and dietary habits. The results showed that across the board, the number one heart attack risk factor is an unacceptable apo ratio. That information was hailed as ground-breaking by some media outlets. And while it is significant, it's not really news to us, because long-time HSI members and e-Alert readers have known about the value of the apo ratio for nearly three years. And more importantly, they've known how to address that ratio when it moves into the danger zone. --------------------------- Tipping the balance --------------------------- Apolipoprotein is cholesterol's protein component. ApolipoproteinB (apoB) is the protein found in LDL, and apolipoproteinA1 (apoA1) is found in HDL. The ideal apoB to apoA1 ratio is 1 to 2. In the e-Alert " Learn Your Real Risk of Heart Attack with One Simple Test " (12/27/01), I told you about a Swedish study in which researchers tracked more than 175,000 men and women for about five and a half years. The average age of the subjects was 48. Researchers measured each participant's total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and concentrations of apoB and apoA1. Over the course of the study, 864 men and 359 women died from heart attacks. When researchers compared the blood profiles of these heart attack victims to the remainder of the participants, they found that an unacceptable apo ratio was the strongest predictor of heart attack death among all of the markers studied, and they were the ONLY markers that remained consistent over all age groups. Men with the highest levels of apoB AND the lowest levels of apoA-1 were nearly FOUR TIMES as likely to have a fatal heart attack than those with opposite values. Women with similar ratios had three times the risk. Most importantly, the predictive power of the apo ratio was seen even when total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were within normal ranges. --------------------------- The best defense --------------------------- Shortly after I sent you that 2001 e-Alert, I asked HSI Panelist and medical advisor Martin Milner, M.D., for his advice on improving apo ratio. In the e-Alert " Three Simple Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Heart Attack " (1/28/02), Dr. Milner told us about the health factors he feels are most important for bringing apo ratio into line: diet, lifestyle and supplement intake. Dr. Milner recommends these dietary guidelines: * Add more vegetables to your diet – a minimum of three to five servings per day * Avoid all refined carbohydrates, as well as carbs with a high glycemic index * Add more fiber to your diet (such as organic ground flax seeds or psyllium) * Garlic, onions, shallots and ginger can help manage inflammation, as well as cholesterol * Overall, aim for a diet of 30 percent protein, 50 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent fat As for lifestyle changes, Dr. Milner recommends daily exercise that includes 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every other day. Exercise also relieves stress, which is another heart health risk factor. Dr. Milner notes that if you need more help managing stress, " try meditation, deep breathing, hiking in the woods, taking a bath by candlelight - anything that helps you relax and unwind. " And this is the list of supplements that Dr. Milner recommends to help achieve an ideal apo ratio: * 200 mcg of chromium daily * 1 to 5 mcg of vanadium, three times daily * 50 to 200 mg of alpha lipoic acid, three times daily * 2 to 6 grams of fish oil daily * 300 mg l-carnitine two to three times a day --------------------------- Revealing the ratio --------------------------- In the 2001 e-Alert, I told you about a comprehensive blood test that Dr. Milner uses in his practice to measure heart attack risk factors, including C-reactive protein, fibrinogen (a globulin that affects blood coagulation), homocysteine, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and, of course, apo ratio. The test is called the Comprehensive Cardiovascular Report (CCR), and it's available from Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratories (GSDL). Talk to your doctor about requesting the CCR test from Great Smokies. Physicians can find out more by calling GSDL at 1-800- 522-4762, or by visiting the web site at gsdl.com. You can also contact the lab directly and ask for a referral to a registered provider in your area. After the test is completed and returned to GSDL, you'll receive a full report that provides your score on each important marker and a clear explanation of what your scores reveal about your risk of heart disease. From there, you and your health care provider will be able to plan a realistic course of action to keep your heart as healthy as possible. ************************************************************** ....and another thing I've got a brain-teaser for you. Bayer Aspirin is running an advertisement that claims no other aspirin brand has prevented more heart attacks than Bayer. Now here's the brain-teaser: Just how do you measure heart attacks that have been prevented? That's like estimating the number of earthquakes California HASN'T had. This riddle is really a trick question. I'm guessing the logic goes like this: In 1900, Bayer became the first aspirin available in tablet form. Since then, Bayer has sold more aspirin than any other drug company. So theoretically, no other aspirin has done more of anything than Bayer Aspirin has. Based on that logic, Bayer might also claim that no other aspirin has prevented more terrorist attacks, or sold more cars, or won more Olympic medals than Bayer has. Sadly, using even that logic, I can't say I've won more Olympic medals than any other Jenny Thompson. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " High Apolipoprotein B, Low Apolipoprotein A-I, and Improvement in the Prediction of Fatal Myocardial Infarction (AMORIS Study): A Prospective Study " The Lancet, Vol. 358, No. 9298, 12/15/01, thelancet.com " Effect of Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors Associated with Myocardial Infarction in 52 Countries (the INTERHEART Study) " The Lancet, Vol. 364, No. 9438, 9/11/04, thelancet.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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