Are You On Track For A Heart Attack?

I never like to post things that scare people, but I believe in being true and honest.  The reality is that heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America.  Part of it is genetic.  A very small part.  The vast majority has to do with what you eat and how much you eat.  Although heart disease can strike an overweight person just as well as it can strike a thin person, I'm writing about it because this blog is not just about losing weight, it's about being healthy.  Your first priority should be to be as healthy as possible, and things like weight loss will fall right into place.

As far as heart disease is concerned, let me explain what happens.  Basically, as you continue to consume fatty meals, plaque starts to build up in your coronary arteries.  The same kind of plaque that builds up on your teeth.  You know what that looks like.  It builds up so snugly against the walls of your arteries that it basically becomes part of the artery itself.  At least your body thinks so.  Over time (years) your arteries also lose elasticity.  Just like any other part of your body (skin, etc), elasticity decreases and the arteries stiffen up.  So, every time your heart beats, the artery wall can't expand as much as it used to. If that built up plaque gets bigger and bigger, the force of the blood moving through the artery can break a piece of that plaque off.

Now, since your body thinks that plaque is a part of itself, what happens next?  The same thing that happens when any wound occurs.  Your body tries to repair the wound. Think about if you cut yourself.  You bleed, and then your body repairs the wound by forming a scab.  The elements that form a scab are very sticky and clumpy, and that stops the bleeding.  This exact same thing happens inside your heart when a piece of that plaque breaks off.  Sticky, clumpy molecules aggregate in one of your heart's arteries to repair that wound.  There's just one problem.  Those arteries are so small and delicate, that the "scab" fully blocks the artery and blood flow stops.  100%.  Whichever part of the heart muscle is connected to that artery dies due to lack of oxygen, and you keel over in pain.  If it was a small coronary artery, you would have a mild heart attack.  If it was a larger artery, you could have a massive heart attack and possibly die.  Regardless, once a piece of the heart muscle dies, large or small, you can't get it back.  See the diagram to the right from http://www.healthy-anti-aging-solutions.com.

And so, technically speaking, no one ever had a heart attack due to the actual plaque build up.  The body's defense and repair mechanisms are what is responsible for the complete blockage of the artery.  Amazing isn't it?

After someone has a "mild" heart attack, they immediately jump on a new diet, no fat, not cholesterol, etc., etc.  That is a good thing.  It's a must.  But what I want you to know is that no one ever had a heart attack because they ate a big greasy burger last week!  The events leading up to the heart attack result from years of eating foods high in fat and cholesterol.  It's that simple.  Start eating the right foods NOW so you can stop the plaque build up in your arteries dead in its tracks.  Seriously, can you imagine what it must feel like for your heart to stop?  I don't imagine that is something you want to experience.  And you don't have to.

Make the change NOW!