Problems of the Circulatory System

Heart Disease
Risk Factors

High Cholesterol

LDL & HDL Cholesterol

High Blood Pressure

High Triglycerides

Artherosclerosis
Angina
Intermittent Claudication
Heart Attack

Please note: The information contained in these pages is for information only and should not be used for self diagnosis.  Anyone suffering from illness or who has concerns about any health issue should always consult their medical practitioner for proper diagnosis, advice and guidance. 

Heart Disease (top)
Many problems of the circulatory system arise when blood vessels become less able to transport blood effectively. These problems can arise when the blood vessels become hardened and less flexible (arteriosclerosis) or they become narrowed from a build up of fatty plaque deposits (atheroscerosis). Both conditions result in a decreased ability of the circulatory system to pump blood effectively around the body, and the heart has to work harder to compensate. This in itself can lead to heart problems when the heart muscle becomes over stressed and uses more oxygen than is available, or, if the blood vessels supplying the heart muscle with oxygen become narrowed or blocked can lead to a heart attack.

Risk Factors (top)
Many risk factors are associated with cardiovascular disease; most can be managed, but some cannot. The ageing process and genetic make-up are risk factors that we are born with and cannot be altered. However there are many other risk factors that we can have direct influence over by adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle. Until age 50, men are at greater risk than women of developing heart disease, though once a woman enters the menopause, her risk triples.

Risk factors for problems with the circulatory system include:-

• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Age
• Genetics
• Gender
• Diabetes
• Lack of Exercise

High Cholesterol (top)

Anyone can develop high blood cholesterol regardless of age, sex, race or ethnic background. Like high blood pressure, it is a potential threat to health that can usually be corrected by dietary and lifestyle changes, and if indicated by a health professional, prescription medications from a family of drugs called ‘statins’ can be given to aggressively lower cholesterol levels. Diets high in phytosterols are known to help regulate cholesterol absorption from the gut, and thereby lower cholesterol levels; because this dietary approach works in a different way to ‘statin’ prescription medications, the effects of lowering cholesterol with increased dietary phytosterols are additive to the cholesterol lowering effects of ‘statins’.

Although elevated cholesterol is not the only risk factor in heart disease, elevated levels of cholesterols in the blood are clearly associated with a high risk of artherosclerosis and heart disease. Most doctors suggest that cholesterol levels should stay under 200 mg/dl, and as there are no definitive symptoms of having high cholesterol levels, it is a good idea to have these regularly checked by a health professional.

LDL and HDL Cholesterol (top)

There are two forms of cholesterol:-

• Low density lipoproteins (LDL) - ‘bad’ cholesterol, which is directly linked to heart disease
• High density lipoproteins (HDL) - ‘good’ cholesterol, which is protective

Cholesterol travels in packages called lipoproteins, which are all made in the liver for transport throughout the body. Low density lipoproteins (LDLs) carry most of the cholesterol in the blood, and if it is not successfully removed the cholesterol can be deposited in the arteries causing atheroscerosis, which is why it is often termed ‘bad’ cholesterol. High density lipoproteins (HDLs) carry cholesterol back to the liver for processing or removal from the body, and so remove cholesterol from the blood preventing accumulation in the walls of the arteries.

The level of cholesterol in the blood is strongly influenced by both dietary and genetic factors, and the presence of free radicals in the body are thought to have a major role in the development of circulatory disorders. These ‘free radicals’ are very reactive molecules that oxidise fats, especially LDL cholesterol, which can lead to LDL cholesterol being deposited in the arteries where they form plaques that narrow or eventually block the blood vessels. Cigarette smoking in particular increases the production of free radicals, which is one of the reasons why smokers have an increased incidence of disorders of the circulatory system.

Major risk factors for high cholesterol levels are a poor diet and lifestyle. A diet which is high in saturated animal fats, low in vegetables (containing fibre and plant phytosterols), can lead to high cholesterol levels and heart disease. Lifestyles that include smoking, excess alcohol, or lack of exercise also result in a high risk of unhealthy cholesterol levels and heart disease.

High Blood Pressure (top)
High blood pressure, or hypertension is often poorly understood but is a serious condition. Often there are few or no symptoms of having high blood pressure, but the damage that is done over a period of time to susceptible organs can be significant. In particular, the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels supplying the brain are most susceptible to damage from sustained or untreated high blood pressure, and lead to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. It is for this reason that people should have their blood pressure checked at regular intervals throughout their lives, so that appropriate medical treatment can be given if high blood pressure is detected.

Where the elevation in blood pressure is mild or moderate, lifestyle changes alone can produce significant improvements in blood pressure in combination with medical treatments. In either event, individuals should work closely with their doctor and take appropriate advice, such as dietary changes, stopping smoking, and increasing levels of exercise to improve their cardiovascular fitness.

High Triglycerides(top)
Triglycerides are a group of fatty compounds that circulate in the bloodstream and are stored in the fat tissue. Individuals who have elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, appear to be at increased risk of developing heart disease. This condition is common in people with diabetes, although in some people triglyceride levels will return to normal when the diabetes is successfully controlled.

Artheroscerosis (top)
Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a very common disease of the major blood vessels, which is characterised by fatty streaks along the vessel walls and by deposits of cholesterol and calcium. Atherosclerosis of arteries supplying the heart is called coronary artery disease. It can restrict the flow of blood to the heart, which often triggers heart attacks-the leading cause of death in Americans and Europeans.

People with elevated cholesterol levels are much more likely to have atherosclerosis than people with low cholesterol levels. Many important nutritional approaches to protecting against atherosclerosis are aimed at lowering serum cholesterol levels.

People with diabetes are also at very high risk for atherosclerosis, as are people with elevated triglycerides.

Angina (top)
Chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart is known as angina or angina pectoris. Hardening of the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis) that feed the heart is usually the underlying problem, but may also be caused by coronary artery spasms, where the muscular walls of the coronary artery constrict and reduce the volume of blood supply through the artery.

Intermittent Claudication (top)
Atherosclerosis of the arteries supplying the legs causes a condition called intermittent claudication, sometimes termed Reynaud’s Disease.

Heart Attack (top)
Heart attacks occur when blood flow to a portion of the heart is severely reduced or cut off. The result is death of heart muscle cells (called an infarct). Hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries (atherosclerosis) that feed the heart is often the underlying problem. In some cases, a blood clot blocks blood flow; other times, the narrowing is caused by atherosclerosis alone. Spasm of the coronary arteries may also cause a heart attack.