Commonly known as hardening or furring of the arteries, atherosclerosis is a disease that eventually affects most of us. As we age age, deposits amass at certain parts of the endothelium of arteries so that arterial walls thicken inwards. These deposits may gradually give rise to the so-called atheromatous plagues. Arterial walls usually thicken over a period of decades,but in smokers and people with high cholesterol levels the procegression is much faster.
In developped countries, nearly all males eventually suffer to some degree from atherosclerosis. Symptoms normally begin to apper around the age of 50. In women the risk is relatively low throughout their reproductive age because estrogen keeps low cholesterol levels. After menopause, however, athero(artery)sclerosis(hardening) may develop quickly.
The dangers of atherosclerosis
Since arteries with thick walls lose elasticity and cannot expand easily, blood pressure in them increases, thus limiting blood flow to the tissues. When coronary arteries become sclerotic, chest pains connected with angina pectoris and other kinds of heart diseases often occur.
Atherosclerosis is the cause of most heart attack (infarction) and stroke cases in the elderly. It results when low density lipoprotein (LDL) - the main cholesterol transporter in blood – concentrate in the cells located in the aterial wall. These cells – called macrophages - remove dead and damaged cells from the body. Macrophages do not accept LDL under normal circumstances, but under certain conditions - when oxidised - they will absorb it and fill up so much with cholesterol that they will start to from fatty plague particles along arterial walls.
Most plagues disappear with the time, but some will transform into connective tissue or clusters of blood platelets. This transformation often occurs when the macrophages die. Ehen a macrophage is about to die, it emits chemical signals that call other cells to rush to heal „the wound“. While the high LDL levels in blood speed the formation of fatty plagues, HDL (high density lipoprotein) slows this process down. It helps to remove cholesterol from these plagues and return it to the liver.
How to deal with atherosclerosis
If you want to lower the risk of atherosclerosis, it is best to give up smoking and cut down on food increasing LDL blood levels. It is necessary to especially cut down on saturated fats, such as diary products, fatty meat and products with high cholesterol contents, especially eggs. Excessive drinking of coffee also contributes to increased cholesterol levels. This fact used to be attributed to coffein. Nowadays, however, we know that the increase is caused by cafeol and cafestol, two substances present in the coffee oil. Both are found in brewed coffee only, so instant or filtered coffee can be very well enjoyed by people suffering from heart diseases.
The progression of atherosclerosis can be slowed somewhat if we eat food with low contents of saturated fats, rich in mono and polyunsaturated fats. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also critical components of a healthy diet. One theory suggests that the natural antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables possibly help to fight this disease because they prevent the oxidation of LDL. Medications that help decrease cholesterol levels bring significantly positive results but they also often have undesirable side effects, e.g. depression that rarely leads even to suicidial attempts.
Another theory recommends eating a lot of fatty fish, e.g. mackerel, herring, salmon, sardines, trout and fresh tuna fish because they contain omega 3 fatty acids that prevent plague building-up in the arterial walls. Some studies have shown that food rich in omega 3 fatty acids increases arterial elasticity. Even though it is necessary to refrain from excessive alcohol drinking, an occassional glass of wine or liquer may produce beneficial effects. Alcohol increases HDL levels in the blood which in turn slows down the development of atherosclerosis. Regular physical activity remains, of course, the best prevention.
How to recognise having atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis develops slowly and inconspicuously. Fatty plague is silently deposited in the vascular walls, narrowing their passageways without us noticing any change. If the narrowing reaches a critical value or if a rupture occurs in the plague, symptoms occur that we mostly cannot overlook. The symptoms of atherosclerosis are diverse depending on the location of the affected vessel.