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The 'Inuit way' to lower your risk heart attack risk
11th April 2008
When I read this article last month, I tore it out of
the paper with glee.
I meant to tell you about it immediately...
But with all the recent sausagebased cancer
hysteria igniting my fury, I put it on the backburner
'til today.
By the way, my 'backburner' is not a new exercise
machine, but a very large pile of newspaper
cutting, magazine articles and reports which sits
under my desk.
I eventually do get round to passing on this
information to you. But it's a haphazard process!
Anyway...
What the papers revealed
The report in The Independent on the 25th of
March revealed the results of a new study at
Ninewells hospital in Dundee.
They've found that subjects suffering from
rheumatoid arthritis who regularly took codliver
oil were able to significantly REDUCE their
medication.
This cheered me up no end.
After so many sceptical newspaper articles
questioning the effectiveness of fish oils (a kind of
cod liver backlash), here was some positive proof.
Even more excitingly, this new study reinforces the
secrets of 'The Inuit Condrum'.
'WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT?' you cry.
Fair enough. I'll explain....
Why many Inuits don't suffer
from inflammation
Back in the 1970s, while studying the Greenland
Inuit, Danish scientists noticed a strange
phenomenon.
The Inuits had a very low incidence of
inflammatory diseases such as asthma,
rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and psoriasis.
Along with this, they were pretty much free from
heart disease.
And yet their diet was chocka full of fat... their
meals consisting almost entirely of whale meat,
seal blubber and salmon.
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How could this be?
The secret was in the large amounts of omega-3
fats in the food they ate.
Yes, FAT! The enemy of all dieters since time
began. The blame for all the evils of the world.....
And yes.... MEAT! The stuff that kills you stone
dead, according to Channel 4 News, the Metro,
and anyone else who cares to scare the daylights
out of the public.
How these fats help your heart
Omega-3 fatty acids are converted in the body into
natural anti-inflammatory substances known as
prostaglandins and leukotrienes.
This is why the Inuits were less prone to
inflammatory diseases, and why doctors in
Dundee are now excited about the potential for
treating rheumatoid arthritis.
Omega 3 fats are shown to reduce levels of
triglycerides. This is the sort of fat found in the
blood that has been linked to heart disease.
Recently, an Italian study published in The Lancet
showed that fish oils given to more than 4,000
patients after a heart attack helped to prevent a
secondary event.
Now the Italian health service gives out fish-oil
capsules to everyone who has a heart attack!
How to get your omega 3s
The best way to get omega 3s into your body is to
eat oily fish twice a week.
These include: sardines, herring, mackerel, trout,
salmon, kippers, fresh tuna, anchovies and
swordfish.
You can also use good quality cod liver oil tablets
or other fish oils. Go for supplements that include
small amounts of vitamin E. This protects the oil
from being damaged by free radicals in your body
before it can work its magic.
What's exciting is that intelligent and open-minded
mainstream GPs are using this as part of their
approach to illness.
Glasgow GP Dr Tom Gilhooly, who also runs the
Essential Health Clinic, says:
'Working with patients to increase their omega-3
levels can help to treat conditions as varied as
MS, depression, drug addiction and Crohn's
disease.'
So let me get this right. This is a case of natural
medicine being used by a renowned doctor as part
of a holistic approach to the diseases of modern
times....? |
Well, I never! There's hope for us all.
Another way to help lower your heart
attack risk
You should also try and get your hands on
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This has been reported
to lower lipoprotein, another risk factor in the
causes of heart disease.
And there's more...
* In animal studies CoQ10 was seen to
protect heart muscle against the threat of
reduced blood flow.
* In a double-blind trial, CoQ10 was given to
subjects who had just survived a heart
attack.
* After 28 days, they had fewer repeat heart
attacks, fewer deaths, and less chest pain.
This was compared to a group who took a
placebo.
* In another test coenzyme Q10 reduced
the incidence of recurrent cardiac events
(fatal or non-fatal heart attack).
* It is believed that CoQ10 used with
selenium can increase the rate of heart
attack survival.
To try a source of CoQ10 - that also contains
selenium - on a risk-free trial basis, check this out.
UBITOL
I'll be back on Sunday with good news for asthma
sufferers and chronic coughers... |
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