On Tue, 12 Oct 1999, TempestTerriers wrote:

> The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article last Friday (Oct.
> 8) on the latest
> theories concerning heart disease and heart attacks.

I'll have to read this article.  It sounds interesting.

> According to this
> article, many of
> the old theories about cholesterol may be inaccurate.  The new theories
> deal with
> arterial inflammation which sets the stage for the accumulation of fatty
> deposits(from
> cholesterol)  along the artery wall.  Researchers have found that 1/3 of
> all heart attack
> victims have a cholesterol rate at or below 200.  Also, that many heart
> attacks take
> place in people with arteries less than 80% blocked.  The researchers
> are trying to
> determine why some people seem to get inflammation in the arteries and
> others do not
> because without this inflammation cholesterol(the building block of
> these plaques) does
> not seem to be a problem.

If Barry Sears is right, the answer is probably in eicosanoid
balance.  That is, if the body is producing an excess of
inflammatory eicosanoids *for any reason* then there will be a
tendency for inflammatory processes to occur anywhere in the
body.  This may explain why there is some correlation between gum
disease and heart disease.

Ravnskov (http://home2.swipnet.se/~w-25775/index.htm) cites a
study that showed that while Japanese have lower heart disease
rates than Americans, autopsies indicate that the extent of
atherosclerosis is comparable.  This suggests that
atherosclerosis itself is not the whole story either.  In fact,
people can have significantly blocked arteries for years and
years without experiencing a heart attack or even angina.  The
coronary "event," if and when it happens, may be triggered by the
*constriction* of the arteries.  This is why nitroglycerin works,
as it causes the arteries to dilate.  But what causes that
constriction to occur?  Clearly, shock can do it, but Sears also
argues that certain eicosanoids in the series 2 family favor
vaso-constrictive processes.  Once again, eicosanoid imbalance
may turn out to be a major player.

A well thought-out paleo diet ought to go a long way to
maintaining a favorable eicosanoid balance, since insulin levels
and omega fat ratios are two main factors.  Saturated fat may be
relevant only insofar as it contributes to insulin resistance.

Todd Moody
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