Heart Disease & Your Genes

Did you know that you can use nutrition to actually affect your genes?

We read a book last week for my Life Cycles class called Feed Your Genes Right by Jack Challem. It was fascinating to learn about how important diet is in turning on or off the genes we may have for certain diseases and conditions. Recent research shows that genes are NOT rigid determinants of our health. We all have the ability to improve the way our genes function through nutrition and other lifestyle improvements. So, no more blaming things on genes!

Nutrients are literally the building blocks of our bodies. If our nutrition is poor, our bodies will have an incomplete, unhealthy foundation. People often do not realize that genes are not fixed; rather, they are flexible and continuously responding to the nutrients we put inside of our bodies, as well as to our emotions and stress levels.

Certain nutrients affect our genes in very specific ways. For example, sugary foods and refined carbohydrates boost our levels of insulin, a hormone that alters gene activity and increases risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables and seafood actually turn off many of our disease-promoting genes, and foods such as kiwis and berries can both prevent gene damage and also repair genes that have already been damaged. As you can see, choosing nutrients wisely can truly affect your health!

Heart disease is characterized by a thickening of the inner walls of the arteries within the heart (sometimes referred to as atherosclerosis). This reduces blood flow, thereby slowing the delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Some people have genes that predispose them to cardiovascular disease. However, cardiovascular disease can almost always be offset by healthy eating and lifestyle choices.

There are some different genes people inherit that are related to heart disease:

• There are genes that lead to inefficient utilization of MTHFR, an enzyme necessary for folic acid utilization. This leads to increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

• Some genes can cause elevated homocysteine levels in the body, a common risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Homocysteine damages the cells that line blood vessel walls, leading to cholesterol deposits.

• Some genes cause cholesterol-transporting proteins to behave inefficiently. This can lead to higher blood-cholesterol levels and increased chance of heart attack.

• Certain genes lead to LDL (“bad” cholesterol) being more susceptible to oxidation. Oxidation occurs when people have a poor diet that includes fried, fatty or sugary foods. Oxidized LDL triggers an inflammatory response that leads to heart disease. During the inflammatory response, white blood cells capture oxidized LDL and then release them into blood vessel walls, causing damage.

Below are some nutrients that are very important for someone who has genes for heart disease. Try to incorporate them into your diet in the form of whole foods. However, supplementing can also be very helpful.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E helps prevent LDL oxidation. People with high cholesterol have a greater need for vitamin E because there is more oxidation inside their bodies. Whole food sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, papaya, and leafy greens.

Vitamin C: Vitamin C will work with vitamin E to reduce levels of oxidation inside the body. A lot of research has linked vitamin C intake to longevity and decreased risk of heart attack and stroke. Vitamin C also helps manufacture the heart cells and maintain structure and flexibility of the blood vessels. Whole food sources include papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries, oranges, cantaloupe, kiwi, cauliflower and kale.

CoQ10: CoQ10, like vitamins E and C, will reduce oxidation and help keep blood vessel walls clear. People with heart failure almost always have low levels of CoQ10. CoQ10 also helps prevent thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle, which leads to poor function. Whole food sources of CoQ10 include sardines, mackerel, grass-fed meats (especially organ meats like liver), pastured eggs, spinach and broccoli.

Essential Fatty Acids: EFAs work to reduce inflammation in the body. Heart disease is an inflammatory disorder of the blood levels, so EFAs are crucial for those predisposed to cardiovascular disease. Processed and sugary foods provide excessive amounts of the nutrients involved in the body’s inflammatory response. However, EFAs such as omega-3 fish oils have an anti-inflammatory effect. Gamma-linolenic acid, oleic acid and antioxidants also support the body’s anti-inflammatory process. Whole food sources of EFAs include coldwater fish such as salmon, herring and tuna; evening primrose oil; flaxseed oil; and olive oil.

Want to Improve Your Memory? Try these things…

There is little more frustrating than not being able to remember something. Especially the stupid little things that you should remember, like the person you talked to yesterday who said they ran into your sister; or, when you meet someone new and forget their first name literally a split second after you shake their hand. Does that happen to anyone else?!

Memory tends to fade as we age. That is inevitable. This is partly due to the natural aging process, partly due to the nutrient deficiencies often seen in the elderly, and partly due to the decrease in brain stimulation that some elderly people experience. I know some elderly people who work hard to retain their memory power by doing things like Sudoku, crosswords, and other brain teasers. No matter what your age, doing activities that make you think – make your brain work a little harder than normal – are all good for memory. We need to keep those neurotransmitters fresh and active! (I have provided a Sudoku below if anyone wants to get going on their brain exercises for the day…).

Nutrition can also be a good tool for improving memory. Some people believe that cognitive function is directly related to nutritional status. In fact, some studies show that Alzheimer’s disease is directly correlated with a low intake of essential nutrients. The B-vitamins are crucial for memory and brain function. Thiamin, or vitamin B1, actually mimics the effects of acetylcholine inside our bodies. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter involved in memory, and supplementation of thiamin has actually shown improved memory function in Alzheimer’s patients. Foods that contain high amounts of thiamin include sunflower seeds, tuna, green peas, black beans, lentils, and pinto beans.

Vitamin B12 is directly linked to nerve function. When someone has a B12 deficiency, they may experience things like tingly or numb hands or feet; memory loss; brain fog; and other cognitive issues. Many studies have shown that B12 levels inside the body tend to decline with age, and supplementation of B12 can be a powerful tool for those with impaired brain function. Foods high in vitamin B12 include calf’s liver, snapper, venison, grass-fed beef, lamb, scallops, shrimp and halibut.

Ginkgo biloba extract is an herb used to help increase memory and brain function. The studies on ginkgo biloba are ongoing, with some seeing positive results and others concluding that it does little for the brain. However, I have spoken with some people who have tried ginkgo biloba and had success. Ginkgo biloba not only increases our brain capacity, but it also normalizes acetylcholine receptors, which helps improve our brain function. Ginkgo biloba extract can be bought in supplemental form at most health foods stores, or ordered online.

Lecithin is a fatty substance found in animal and plant tissues such as egg yolks, soybeans and organ meats. This is one reason it is so important to eat the entire egg, not just egg whites! Since lecithin is made up of fat, and our brain is mostly fat, it makes sense that a diet high in lecithin will help the brain. Our brain depends on these healthy fats to keep the cell walls in tact so proper messages can be sent and received. In addition to brain health, lecithin helps prevent cardiovascular disease by increasing excretion of cholesterol and bile acids, and aiding in proper fat digestion. It also helps keep our liver healthy.

Finally, increased vitamin E in the diet can help protect our nerve cells. It acts as an antioxidant and prevents free radical damage to nerve cells, which are crucial for brain function. Whole food sources of vitamin E include sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, spinach, papaya, and leafy greens.

Did you finish the Sudoku yet?

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

We’ve spent the past couple of weeks in my nutrients class learning about fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. It’s important to understand how these different types of vitamins work inside our bodies, so I am going to give quick overviews of each – fat today, water tomorrow.

The four fat-soluble vitamins are vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. ADEK: pretty easy to remember.

Fat-soluble vitamins are obtained from our food. They travel through our digestive tract and then are absorbed first into the lymph, then into the blood. They require bile for absorption. Bile is produced in the liver but stored in the gallbladder, and is made up of water, cholesterol, and other bile acids and pigments (note: you NEED cholesterol to produce bile and absorb these 4 important vitamins!).

Many fat-soluble vitamins require protein carriers to help transport them once inside our blood. These vitamins are stored in our fat cells and are not readily excreted. Rather, they remain stored in our fat cells for weeks, months or even years. The positive aspect of this is that if we go through a period of poor nutrition, whether it be because we are sick or on vacation or just too busy to prepare nutritious food at home, our body can dip into the stores of vitamins A, D, E and K and use them to support our health. The downside of these vitamins being stored for longer periods of time is that it may take months or years for a deficiency to show up. If we are not obtaining enough vitamin E from our diet, or not absorbing it properly, our body will just dip into our stores and we may not know for months or years that our current diet is not supporting our health properly. Also, because fat-soluble vitamins are stored for so long, risk of toxicity can be higher.

The last thing I want to point out before giving some information on the four vitamins is this: in order to store these vitamins, we must include fat in our diets. The no-fat diet trend that has been around for a while now is (in my opinion) bad because people who eliminate fat from their diets completely will be unable to absorb and store fat-soluble vitamins, and will eventually become deficient and create a body that is out of balance. I’m not saying we should all overdose on high fat foods; however, it is okay, and even GOOD, to eat some fat with your vitamins – olive oil, butter, nuts, etc. This will help ensure you are able to fully utilize these vitamins. Don’t be afraid to make your own salad dressing with some olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. The fats are good! If you stick with the highly processed, store-bought fat free dressing, you may be denying yourself some important vitamins.

Here is a basic overview of each of the fat-soluble vitamins:

Vitamin A: Helps with vision, maintenance of the cornea, health of skin cells, bone and tooth growth, reproduction and immunity. Top food sources include calf liver, chili peppers, dandelion root, chicken liver, carrots, dried apricots, collard greens, kale, sweet potatoes, parsley, spinach, mustard greens, mangoes, cantaloupe and broccoli. Signs of a vitamin A deficiency include night blindness, dry eyes, and impaired immunity. One test my teacher told us about is the light switch test: Go into a room that is dark but not too dark, meaning you can still make out shapes, etc. Turn on the light switch and then immediately turn it back off again (so the light is only on for a flash) and notice how quickly your eyes readjust to the shapes in the dark. If they adjust quickly and easily, you have enough vitamin A in your diet. But if they take longer to adjust and you are blinded for a few seconds, you may be deficient.

Vitamin D: This is an important vitamin for bone health in that it stimulates the absorption of calcium. It also has anticancer properties. Food sources of vitamin D include fortified foods (milk, cereals, etc. – however, I recommend sticking with whole food sources), and also natural food sources such as cod liver oil, cold-water fish such as mackerel, salmon and herring, butter and egg yolks. The best source is, of course, sunshine! But remember that even an spf 2 sunblock will prevent vitamin D from being absorbed through your skin, so you must be outside with no sunblock for 15-30 minutes (depending on your skin type) before applying sunblock. Signs of vitamin D deficiency include rickets in children, and lack of bone strenth and joint pain in adults.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is used as an antioxidant in our bodies – it stabilizes cell membranes and protects the fatty acids from lead, mercury, and other toxins such as chemicals and drugs. Food sources of vitamin E include seeds, nuts, whole grains, asparagus, avocados, berries, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes. Cooking and processing of foods greatly reduces their vitamin E content. Signs of a vitamin E deficiency include nerve damage, muscle weakness, poor coordination, involuntary movement of the eyes, and anemia.

Vitamin K: The main function of vitamin K is the synthesis of blood-clotting proteins and bone proteins. Top food sources include kale, green tea, turnip greens, spinach, broccoli, lettuce cabbage, watercress, asparagus, oats, green peas, whole wheat and green beans. Gut bacteria can also produce vitamin K, so a deficiency is rare. However, deficiency symptoms would include easy bruising, appearance of ruptured capillaries and hemorrhaging.

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the water-soluble vitamins and in the meantime, get your vitamins A, D, E and K… and don’t forget the fats!