Atherosclerosis

~ The narrowing of arteries due to plaque building up causes the space inside the artery to narrow and flow of blood becomes restricted.

~ Cholesterol gets deposited in the arteries and get clogged.

~ The narrowing causes ischaemic heart disease ; lack of blood supply to the heart muscles.

~ Almost half of those heart attacks are found to have normal cholesterol levels.

~ Hardening of arteries is another attributed to inflammation of the arteries.

~ Inflammation of the lining of the arteries is more of the root cause.

~ Inflammation,a protective response of the body against infection and injury,may damage blood vessels if it goes out of control.

~ High cholesterol,high blood pressure,diabetes,smoking and a sedentary life style are the main causes of heart disease.

~ Precursors of inflammation are actually trans-fatty acids,saturated fat,sugar and carbohydrates.

~ Trans-fatty acids are mostly found in hydrogenated oil ( margarine )

~ Important factor in choosing carbohydrates is the Glycaemic Index ( GI ) - an indicator of how fast carbohydrates and sugars in the certain food raise blood sugar levels.

~ High GI ( refined carbohydrates ) - potatoes,table sugar break down in the body rapidly and raise blood sugar levels in a short time.

~ The spike in blood sugar levels generated may cause inflammation as high blood sugar levels,even if transient,favour a process called glycation,which damages and distorts body structures and functions triggering an inflammatory response.

~ Difference between an angina and a heart attack is : - 

( i ) Angina,the heart muscle lacks oxygen but undamaged.

( ii ) Heart attack,the heart muscle dies due to the shortage of oxygen caused by a total occlusion of the coronary artery.