Internal Medicine

Diet for atherosclerosis

introduction

Atherosclerosis is a growing problem in western industrialized society. Along with gout, it is one of the major affluent diseases of our time.
The diet plays the most decisive and at the same time also the easiest to influence component in the development.
Nonetheless, arteriosclerosis is an effect that occurs even with a supposedly “perfect” diet. But then to a much lesser extent and in such a way that hardly any health problems arise from it.

For the doctor, the main indicator of increasing arteriosclerosis is the patient's cholesterol level. More precisely, the ratio of HDL cholesterol to LDL cholesterol. This value is increased if too greasy or too much is eaten over time.

Which foods have a positive effect on arteriosclerosis?

There are a large number of foods that are said to have a protective effect with regard to atherosclerosis:

These include apples and grapefruits.
These contain so-called pectins, which are believed to slow down the progression.
Furthermore, foods with many vitamins such as spinach, oranges, but also Swiss chard are a good option.
Vitamins serve the body as so-called oxidation protection. This means that they prevent the cholesterol in the blood from being deposited on the walls of the blood vessels and thus reducing their diameter.
It is also advisable to use foods rich in unsaturated fatty acids.
Avocados fall into this category, but so do most types of fish.
Your fats add to the so-called "good" cholesterol, HDL cholesterol.

From a medical point of view, however, it must be noted that a positive diet alone is not enough to effectively prevent or “treat” arteriosclerosis. Exercise and sport are the second important mainstays in the treatment of arteriosclerosis.

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Which foods have a negative effect on atherosclerosis?

Almost everything that can be eaten quickly and tastes good to the common citizen "unfortunately" has negative effects. We're talking about fast food!

As a rule, especially in the case of large fast food chains, foods are processed that contain a lot of saturated fatty acids and that are often mixed with glutamate to enhance the taste.

Other examples would be a very meat-heavy diet. It inevitably leads to an increase in cholesterol levels, with both HDL and LDL cholesterol usually being increased here. As a result, your total cholesterol is also increased. In addition, frequent meat consumption is the greatest risk factor for developing gout.

It is not just a bad diet that carries risks for arteriosclerosis. Find out what else is possible as a cause:

Causes of atherosclerosis

Sweets and chips are other foods that have a negative impact on atherosclerosis.
It is well known that crisps are fatty, and even have up to 40% fat on 100g. Unfortunately, the deep-frying fat is usually also saturated fatty acids. Sweets containing sugar mainly have an indirect effect on the cholesterol level. The body is able to store unused carbohydrates in the body in the form of fats.

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Healthy eating

What are unsaturated fatty acids?

Everything that is commonly referred to as "fats" is actually fatty acids, or is ultimately absorbed as fatty acids in the gastrointestinal tract. Fatty acids can then be transported much better for the body in the blood.
A precise chemical backlighting of this fact would probably lead too far at this point.

Fatty acids can be thought of as long chains of carbon atoms surrounded on the outside by hydrogen atoms, which in turn are connected to the long carbon chain.
While saturated fatty acids are characterized by the fact that each carbon atom forms a connection with exactly two hydrogens, unsaturated fatty acids, on the other hand, are characterized by the fact that carbon atoms are only connected to one hydrogen. In other words, one can also say that the unsaturated fatty acids have a double bond in their chain.

Unsaturated fatty acids can also be divided into mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids. In the case of monounsaturated, exactly two carbon atoms are affected by this phenomenon; In the case of a triunsaturated fatty acid, on the other hand, there are a total of six carbons that are connected to only one hydrogen atom.
Depending on how many double bonds occur, one speaks of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids.

What is the effect of olive oil?

Olive oil is the main source of fat in Mediterranean cuisine.
Studies have shown that people from Mediterranean countries suffer significantly less often or severely from arteriosclerosis.

Olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids that the body uses to lower the “harmful” LDL cholesterol.

How big the difference between cold-pressed and hot-pressed olive oil actually is has not yet been adequately clarified.
However, it is believed that the untreated process of cold pressing will contain more unsaturated fatty acids.

Which vitamins have a positive effect?

Vitamins B12, B6, B1, vitamin E, but especially vitamin C, are said to have a positive effect on arteriosclerosis.

Numerous studies in the past have shown that vitamin C was able to lower LDL cholesterol and blood triglyceride levels. What the vitamins have in common, however, is their protective effect. They serve the body as so-called oxidation protection.
Oxidized fats increasingly tend to be deposited on the vessel walls. In addition, oxidized fatty acids can damage other cells.

The state of research as to which vitamins have a protective effect in which way is still relatively poor so that concrete statements on this topic are very difficult.

Which supplements can help?

Do you want to do something about your arteriosclerosis? Find out more about:

Treatment of atherosclerosis

The following dietary supplements can be used for arteriosclerosis:

In this context, omega-3 fatty acids can be mentioned as an important dietary supplement.
These are among the monounsaturated fatty acids.
These fats, which are usually available in capsule form, are now available both from fish oil and in a vegan version in which the omega-3 fatty acids come from plant sources.
Furthermore, vitamin C is one of the so-called supplements, which have a protective effect with regard to arteriosclerosis.
Vitamin C protects the body against oxidation, since the cholesterol present in the body must first be oxidized in order to be able to accumulate on the blood vessel walls.
Vitamin C prevents this process so that there is no extreme oxidation in the first place. It also has a protective effect on other cells in the human body by slowing down the formation of so-called radicals.
Another candidate is the amino acid arginine.
It is already available on the market in numerous variants, i.e. in combination with other fabrics. However, also in their pure form.

Arginine is partly produced by the body itself, but it can also be supplied from outside. The amino acid serves the body as a donor of nitrogen, which ensures that the blood vessels relax and thus create a larger vascular lumen.
In addition, arginine is said to be able to "rejuvenate" the blood vessels by being able to make them more elastic again.

Arginine also helps lower blood pressure. Since high blood pressure is a direct risk factor for atherosclerosis, arginine also has a protective effect against vascular calcification in this passive way.

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