Beyond Cholesterol – Sub Topics

The Plan will help you attack most of the risk factors discussed in this chapter. But some, like the ones listed below, you’re stuck with. Even so, keep in mind that your power to reduce your overall CHD risk is still monumental. Leg length. A British study of 2,512 men ages 45 to 59 found...

The following are sings of depression. If you’re experiencing one or more of them, see your doctor or a mental health care provider. Despair: persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, worthlessness; excessive crying; inappropriate guilt; recurring thoughts of suicide or death, Apathy: loss of interest in activities, including sex. Trouble concentrating: difficulty making decisions, restlessness. Fatigue:...

For most people coffee contributes little to overall heart disease risk. But if you’re a java junkie, keep reading. A 2001 study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking four or more cups of coffee a day affects cholesterol and homocysteine levels. Researchers broke 191 healthy, nonsmoking, coffee-drinking volunteers aged 24 to...

The discovery of the link between homocysteine and heart disease owes much to an obscure case published in (he November 23, 1933, New England Journal of Medicine.  described an 8-year-old boy admitted to Massachu setts General Hospital after four days of headache, drowsiness, and vomiting. He died three days later. An autopsy revealed the cause...

Think about this the next time you rush through brushing your teeth or decided to skip flossing: You’re more likely to have elevated C-reactive protein(CRP) levels—and a higher risk of heart disease—if you have gum disease. Gum diseases are bacterial infections that destroy the gum and bone that hold your teeth in your mouth, When...