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Ischemic Heart Disease and the Modern Western World
By Mark H
Ischemic heart disease is the proper medical term for lowered blood flow to the heart. It is ultimately caused by hardened or blocked arteries, and it is the biggest cause of death in most western countries. From the time people are very young, as young as five years of age, they can start developing tissue deposits, called plaque, in the lining of their arteries. For many individuals, these deposits create no problems. For others, the deposits can grow, harden, and sooner or later cause death. The growth of these tissues is known as arteriosclerosis.
As these tissues gather, the arteries will enlarge and try to accommodate blood flow. If the blob of plaque ruptures, the particles clog blood passages causing a heart attack or stroke, in the worst cases.
Please, Pass On The Fats
Scientists know well what makes ischemic heart disease: a fatty diet, inaction, and smoking. Meanwhile smoking is for a fact not limited to rich countries, a fatty diet and inaction are luxuries of middle- and upper-class populations. In Europe and the United States, calories are cheap and plentiful. For an hour’s wage, a person can get a meal containing a pound of meat. Nonetheless, in some countries, a pound of meat is a treat to be divided within one family once a month.
No
gp recommends either excesses of poor or rich food, but rather, everybody needs a healthy, balanced, but lean diet to prevent ischemic heart disease. Some doctors favour an idea about using peer pressure to make westerners to make themselves healthier. Thirty years ago, few Americans wore seatbelts. A great many more also smoked cigarettes than they do now. Laws played a factor in changing behavior, but in both of these cases, peer pressure really started the craze. And many scientists, nutritionists, and activists, worried about ischemic heart disease, are trying to repeat this and similar trends for healthier diets.
This power of healthy suggestion seems to be working to a large extent on restaurants as well. Especially since 2004, fast food chains began to offer healthier menu choices like yogurt, salads, and fruit. Many restaurants these days print some nutrition knowledge on their menus and offer specifically "heart-smart" options.
The big question is will people profit by healthier menus, city recreation departments, and fresh vegetables at the grocery shop? Thus far, it doesn't seem likely. Some scientists have predicted that 75% of all Americans will be overweight by 2008. Yet extra weight and the bad diet and inactivity that in the main go with it are causing an epidemic of ischemic heart disease.
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