Food as Medicine – Part II - 50% of People Who Suffer Heart Attack Have Normal LDL

In our last blog we discussed the need for a medical food to help with high cholesterol.  We also alluded to the complexity of cholesterol. 

Aside from simple LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol, there are other aspects of the cardiovascular system that contribute to heart disease even if you have normal cholesterol numbers.   Let’s remember that 50% of people who suffer a heart attack have normal LDL.

What else can one improve upon to reduce cardiovascular risk?

There is a single layer of cells called the endothelium that lines the interior surface of blood vessels.   The endothelium is a communication point between blood flowing through the vessel and the deeper layers of the vessel.  This layer of cells releases substances that control how the vessels contract and relax (blood pressure). It also releases enzymes that control blood clotting, immune function, and how the platelets stick together.

A healthy vascular endothelium produces sufficient nitric oxide (NO)...... but what does NO do?

According to Jason Clark, BSc, MSc, Nitric Oxide:

• Helps memory and behavior by transmitting information between nerve cells in the brain
• Assists the immune system at fighting off bacteria and defending against tumors
• Regulates blood pressure by dilating arteries (think about side effects of Viagra, Cialis, etc.)
• Reduces inflammation
• Improves sleep quality
• Increases your recognition of sense (i.e. smell)
• Increases endurance and strength
• Assists in gastrointestinal movement

Dysfunction affecting NO production can be driven by high blood sugar (diabetes), free radicals without enough antioxidants, and other factors such as aging. That is why we get concerned about erectile dysfunction in those male patients with diabetes because we suspect that there is an underlying cardiovascular problem.

Advanced Testing

Using Veridia Diagnostics, one of our advanced diagnostic lab partners, we can now measure Endothelin (blood vessel constrictor) in your blood! Elevated levels of endothelin may be related to high blood pressure, sleep apnea, chronic heart failure, kidney disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Treatment with a Medical Food

If testing indicates you have elevated endothelin, we can use a medical food to help lower your endothelin level.  ArginCor^® is a medical food formulated to provide specialized nutritional support for endothelial function, wound care and blood flow. It provides high quality L-arginine which the body converts into NO.

Medical foods are intended to:

• Provide support for the nutritional management of a specific disease or condition that has distinct and established nutritional requirements
• Be used under the supervision of a health care provider
• Support those who have trouble digesting and absorbing food and certain nutrients and cannot nutritionally manage their condition through diet modification alone