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Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America, but so few are aware of the early signs of this devastating disease. Even worse, it's entirely preventable and, if caught early, can even be reversed.
Just remember to always check with your doctor if you are worried about these silent signs of clogged arteries--it's a serious and potentially life threatening condition that should be treated by a doctor.
Check out the silent signs you may have clogged arteries, and then check out the list of foods that help prevent and even reverse some of the damage.
1. Baldness. According to a new study of 37,000 men, there was a strong correlation between severe baldness at the crown of the head and the presence of silent CHD--at any age. In a different study of more than 7,000 people (this time, including over 4,000 women), moderate to severe baldness doubled the risk of dying from heart disease.
2. An angled ear crease. In many medical reports over many decades, there seems to always be a mention of a crease in patients earlobe (specifically, an angled crease in the ear that runs diagonally from the canal to the lower edge of the earlobe) as a sign of silent CHD. This crease could be due to poor circulation, which is always a sign that your arteries are potentially clogged.
3. Erectile dysfunction (ED). "Men have a built-in warning system for silent CHD," Joel K. Kahn, MD. explains. "When achieving an erection is difficult or impossible, it can be a sign of clogged arteries in the pelvis that presents before a heart attack hits." The good news is that this is an extremely early sign of clogged arteries, meaning you would have plenty of time to treat and even reverse the damage. "There are, on average, three to five years between the onset of ED and the finding of CHD, which is plenty of time to detect and to work on preventing heart issues."
4. Calf pain when you walk. This is also commonly known as claudication (which is Latin for "limping"). This is one of the most prominent symptoms of early heart disease, and should be taken very seriously. It is critical that heart disease be diagnosed as early as possible because there are many dietary and medical treatments that can help reverse the issue. According to Kahn, "Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) can block leg arteries, particularly in smokers, before CHD is diagnosed. This symptom requires an evaluation without delay. Your doctor will examine the pulses in your legs and perform simple measurements of leg blood pressure and blood flow to confirm a diagnosis of poor circulation."
Below is a list of foods that can help prevent clogged arteries. If you have heart disease in your family, these foods can actively work to prevent clogged arteries from happening in the first place.
1. Fish. Fatty fishes are packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which prevent clots from forming, cholesterol from becoming damaged or oxidized, reduce inflammation, heart rhythm disturbances, triglyceride levels, and high blood pressure. These fatty fishes are easy to remember with this SMASH acronym: sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, and herring.
2. Garlic. Surprisingly, garlic has been used to treat hypertension and heart diseases for hundreds of years. According to a study conducted by a German scientist Professor Guautnter Siegel, powdered garlic can reduce the formation of nanoplaque (the first building blocks of plaque) by up to 40 percent and reduced the size of the nanoplaque that has already formed by up to 20 percent.
3. Grapes. You've probably heard the studies that a glass of red wine wine is good for your heart--that's because of the flavonoids found in grapes that give them their color. These flavonoids appear to be most concentrated in the skins of grapes, as well as the stems and seeds of grapes (as opposed to their juicy middle), and they have been shown to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol ('bad' cholesterol) that leads to the formation of plaque in artery walls.
4. Tea. Because tea is rich in plant substances, it also is filled to the brim with healthy flavanoids like grapes. However, green tea has a specific flavanoid that grapes do not called catechins; catechins protect our cells much like a premium gas additive keeps your car engine going. Black, green, and oolong tea halt heart disease in several ways, including blocking dietary cholesterol from being absorbed into the bloodstream, regulating levels of blood sugar, and soothing inflammation.
What do you think of this list? Are you surprised by any of these foods or signs? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Copyright © 2009 Sean McGrath/Flickr
