Unfortunately, grapefruit juice also contains substances that block certain enzymes in the intestines. These enzymes normally break down cholesterol and hypertension medication that you take so that only a small amount of the drug goes into the blood. When the enzymes are blocked, more of the medication gets into the blood which can cause overdose.

These effects of grapefruit juice can last for some time so simply drinking it at a different time may still have negative effects, so you may have to stop taking it altogether while you are taking these medications. ]]> http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/grapefruit-cholesterol-and-high-blood-pressure/feed/ http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/obese-middle-aged-women-more-likely-to-have-stroke/ http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/obese-middle-aged-women-more-likely-to-have-stroke/#comments Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:41:43 +0000 Ada http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/obese-middle-aged-women-more-likely-to-have-stroke/ The incidence of stroke has been rising in the US mainly due to an increase in the incidence of stroke in middle aged women. The main culprit is abdominal obesity according to recent research. The incidence of stroke between the ages of 35 and 54 years is twice as high in women as it is in men.
For some reason, abdominal obesity has a much greater impact on stroke in women than it does on men. This means that women need to be especially careful about their weight, especially in middle age and especially those that have risk factors which increase their risk of developing strokes. ]]> http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/obese-middle-aged-women-more-likely-to-have-stroke/feed/ http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/loud-noises-and-high-blood-pressure/ http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/loud-noises-and-high-blood-pressure/#comments Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:20:03 +0000 Ada http://hearthealthforher.com/blog/loud-noises-and-high-blood-pressure/ Loud noises at night may raise your blood pressure. Noises that we associate with everyday modern life like the sound of aeroplanes, cars and even music and snoring may not be enough to wake you up but they may raise your blood pressure  according to  recent  research.

High blood pressure may lead to complications like stroke and heart disease.

You need cholesterol

Cholesterol is not some evil stuff that you have to flush out of your system at all costs. Cholesterol is important for your body to function. It forms part of the walls of the cells in the body. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), your body makes enough cholesterol for all needs so you don’t actually need to eat much of it. So what happens to all that extra fat that you eat? Over time it’s laid down in the walls of your arteries including those that supply blood to your heart, brain and kidneys. (It’s also laid down around your middle, amongst other places, as fat but I’m sure you know that already.)

As the arteries get narrower and narrower, they may eventually get blocked. No blood gets through and this leads to an ischaemic stroke if it’s in the brain and a heart attack if it happens in the heart.

Cholesterol levels

Cholesterol travels around the blood combined with substances called lipoproteins:

1. Low density lipoproteins (LDL or bad cholesterol) - this carries most of the cholesterol in the body.
2. High density lipoproteins (HDH or good cholestrol) - this removes cholesterol from the blood so that it’s not deposited on the walls of the arteries.
3. Another type of fat you need to look out for are triglycerides.

This means that you want lots of HDL and as little LDL as possible.

Cholesterol levels vary in women according to their age:

1. below age 45 cholesterol in women is lower than in men
2. between age 45 and 55, cholesterol levels begin to be higher than in men
3. above 55 the gap in cholesterol levels increase even more with levels in women rising even more.

Are you post-menopausal? Do you have high blood pressure? Well, help may be at hand. A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that blood pressure was reduced by eating soy. 60 healthy post-menopausal women who took part in the study were divided into 2 groups. Both groups had identical healthy diets, the only difference being that one group had part of its protein intake replaced by half a cup of unsalted soy nuts. After 8 weeks, in the soy group, blood pressure was significantly reduced in the 12 women who had hypertension and also in those that had normal blood pressure.
As an added bonus, levels of “bad” cholesterol were also lower in women that had hypertension.
This particularly important for post-menopausal women who are hypertensive because they have 4 times the risk of developing heart disease as those with normal blood pressure. Just goes to show what an impact small changes to your diet can have on your health - yet another good reason to start eating soy!

What kind of exercises should I do?

Some examples:

• walking
• jogging
• skipping (jumping rope)
• swimming
• cycling

The good news is that:

1. the intensity of the exercise was less important than the duration, i.e. you can exercise gently and still enjoy the benefits, and
2. you don’t have to go on any special diet (though you are watching what you eat already, right?)

Why the fuss about HDL?

HDL has a protective effect on the heart and blood vessels. Higher levels of HDL decrease your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (heart disease, strokes e.t.c.). When you combine this with other lifestyle changes it can make a big difference.
There a drugs that can raise you HDL levels much higher than aerobic exercise, but if you’re looking for drug-free options, this may be the way to go.

• the hearts of obese patient have compensated for the extra strain put on them by becoming stronger
• where the fat is deposited in the body may determine how well the heart has adjusted to the extra strain
• obese people can increase their chances of survival by losing weight, an option which isn’t available for thin patients

This may sound like the ideal excuse to be overweight but it isn’t. Obese people are more likely to develop heart disease in the first place. They are also more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Losing weight through lifestyle changes is definitely a good idea.

What causes heart disease?

High blood cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is produced by the liver and is used for various things in the body.The liver produces cholesterol which is then carried as LDH (low density lipoprotein) or HDL (high density lipoprotein). HDL actually removes cholesterol from the blood so that it doesn’t build up on the walls of your arteries. When there is too much cholesterol in the blood it is laid down on the inner walls of the arteries causing narrowing and eventually blockage. This cuts off blood supply to the affected part of the body, e.g.in the coronary arteries of the heart this would lead to a heart attack.

High blood pressure

High blood pressure is a condition in which the force of the blood in the arteries is too high. This increases the risk for heart disease.

Diabetes

This is a condition in which the body doesn’t make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin that it does produce because the cells have lost the ability to respond to it.
(Insulin is an important hormone for processing sugars in the body.) When this happens, the processing of fats and protein in the body are also affected. About 3/4 of diabetics die from heart disease or disease of the blood vessels.

Smoking

One of the worst things you can do to yourself in terms of trying to stay healthy is to smoke. If you smoke you are 2-6 times more likely to develop heart disease than someone who doesn’t. The more cigarettes you smoke, the higher the risk.
Smoking also increases your chances of getting various cancers including cancers of the mouth, lung, cervix and urinary tract.

Low tar and low nicotine cigarettes are no safer than regular cigarettes. The only way to improve your health is to stop smoking!

Unhealthy diet

If you eat a diet that is high in saturated fats and cholesterol, your risk of developing heart disease are increased.
A diet high in salt increases the blood pressure which increases heart disease risk.

Lack of exercise

Not being physically active increases your heart disease risk. It also influences some of the other risk factors for heart disease such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity and HDL levels.

Obesity

This is associated with low HDL levels and high LDH levels. It also increases the risk for diabetes and hypertension.

Heredity

If your close relative, e.g. one of your parents or a brother or sister has heart disease, then your chances of developing heart disease are also increased.

What is Heart Disease?

Heart disease is a broad term which people use loosely to describe a number of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. A more accurate term to use would be “cardiovascular disease” but it’s a bit of a mouthful if you’re not used to medical terms. Cardiovascular disease refers to a collection of conditions which affect the heart (cardio-) and blood vessels (vascular).

The heart is made up of:

• muscle which pumps blood
• valves which keep the blood moving forward
• arteries which supply oxygen and food to the heart muscle
• the pericardium, the outer sac which surrounds the heart

Problems may arise from any of these structures.

Coronary artery disease

This is among the best known forms of cardiovascular disease. It is a condition in which the blood vessels that supply oxygen and food to the heart become blocked and the heart muscle cannot function properly. This eventually leads to a “heart attack” when there is death of the heart muscle.

The most common cause of blockage of the arteries is artherosclerosis, a condition where fat is laid down on the artery walls gradually causing narrowing until blood can’t pass through it anymore. Coronary artery disease eventually leads to coronary heart disease which refers to a condition where disease of the coronary arteries has led to heart symptoms such as chest pain or a heart attack (myocardial infarction).

Cardiomyopathy

This means that the heart muscle itself is damaged. This can be due to a heart attack for example.

Valvular disease

This affects the valves in the heart and can be due to narrowing or inability of the valves to close properly leading to blood leaking backwards. The strain that is put on the heart muscle eventually leads to cardiomyopathy.

Pericardial disease

This affects the outer coat of the heart

Congenital heart disease

These are heart conditions that you are born with.

Heart failure (Congestive cardiac failure)

This is a condition in which the heart can’t pump blood effectively around the body. As a result, organs in the body can’t get enough oxygen and nutrients. This can lead to build up of fluid in the tissues when it is then known as congestive cardiac (heart) failure.

Heart failure can be caused by conditions that damage the heart muscles e.g high blood pressure.

Vascular diseases

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Here the force of the blood moving round in the blood vessels is very high. It can lead to damage of the blood vessels resulting in bleeding e.g. into the brain (leading to a stroke) and the nose leading to a nose bleed.

Ateriosclerosis

Arteriosclerosis refers to hardening and thickening of the walls of the arteries. As the artery can’t expand, it reduces the amount of blood it can carry around the body. This is a natural part of the aging process. However, the commonest type of arteriosclerosis is artherosclerosis where hardening of the arteries is caused by fat being laid down on the walls of the arteries.

Stroke

This is when the brain can’t function properly as a result of death of the brain cells. Strokes can be hemorrhagic (from bleeding into the brain) or ischemic (from blood supply to the brain cells being cut off e.g. in atherosclerosis).

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are swollen, twisted veins which occur most commonly in the legs. They arise from damage to the valves in the veins which are supposed to stop blood from flowing backwards. When these valves don’t close properly, it leads to accumulation of blood in the veins making them become enlarged and twisted. Apart from causing varicose veins, incompetent valves and pooling of blood in the arms or legs can also lead to skin ulcers (wounds) and swelling of the legs.

Venous thrombosis

A thrombus is a blood clot. Venous thrombosis happens when a blood clot is formed in the veins, usually in the legs. When part of a blood clot breaks off and moves to another part of the body, it is known as an embolus. It may go on to become stuck in the smaller blood vessels of the lungs (leading to pulmonary embolism) or the brain (leading to a stroke).

With this quick over-view of cardiovascular disease, I hope you will find it less confusing.