It certainly sounds as if you are doing everything possible to prevent CAD. I really wish you well. I had no idea I was so vulnerable or I would have tried to do more!
Take care.
Terry
I take a 100 mg aspirin, vitamic E (500 mgr.) and B1-B6-B12 complex. I do not eat red meat and I eat 4-5 times a week fish, and 10-20 gr. olive oil every day. (from my native country-Greece).
I have forgotten how cheese, cream and butter taste
and all dairy products that I consume are fat free (milk and yogourt 0% fat)
Aspirin, however, is ONLY a blood thinner and an anti-infammatory drug, does not stop the formation of plaque. Garlic must be consumed in vast quantities to work.
I do not think that I can lower my cholesterol bellow 160 without medication, but I will give a try to increase HDL to 60 or more with low intensity--long duration aerobic workouts and increase of omega3 omega6 consumption.
Regards
George
With your family history, I would suggest that you take a baby aspirin a day, one garlic tablet (which is supposed to keep plaques from forming at all - latest study!) and perhaps one B12 and a folic acid.
All of these are supposed to be preventative. Also make sure that your lipid numbers are REALLY good - I always had what I thought was low cholesterol (about 160) but my Doctor wants it between 120 - 140!
Good luck and hopefully you will never have any heart problems to deal with!
Terry
Not really, but the family history (from father's side) is too bad. Father with MI at 56, triple by-pass at 57, but till today (69 years) he is OK.
He was a heavy smoker 50-60 a day, with high cholesterol more than 280 (from his 30s), high blood pressure 150/90 (from his 30s), overweight etc.
All his brothers and sisters with CAD and by-passes (one died from MI at 59).
I had some symptoms in the recent past, during a very stressful time of my life, but these symptoms did not involve chest pain or agina during exercise or physical exertion, but palpitations, and a feeling of an embedding disaster, during mental stress. My MD thinks that was a form of panic attack, which disappeared since.
A did a series of tests, actually two stress tests and two ECHOs with normal findings. (LAFB, slightly oversized heart and slightly oversized left ventricle and bradycardia due to exercise).
The only think that worries me is the LAFB, although my MD, and my cardiologist are quite sure that is normal variant in my case.
LABF puts me in a slightly greater risk for a pacemaker in the future.
Sorry for the lengthy answer. Best Regards.
My dad is the culprit. He died of heart disease at age 58 but he was diabetic, smoked, was sedentary had bad lipid levels, etc. Only ate meat and potatoes, etc. My Doc did not even think it was hereditary but I really can't think of any other explanation. I also read that all people are born with some "plaque" in the LAD - that seems to be the norm - but whether you develop the inflamation, etc. seems to be hereditary. I only wish someone would have suggested a baby aspirin a day to me as they did my brother.
My lipid levels were very good. In fact the day I returned home from my angioplasty, I had a card from my primary physician to let me know that my numbers were so good, the chance of any heart disease was minimal!
When my Doc did my angioplasty he was blown away. He was on the phone checking all my tests. My stress test was excellent as was my thallium scan. The only thing that bothers me know is I can be monitored since I pass all the tests.
Have you had problems?
Terry
What about your family history, your blood lipid levels ?
It is unusual for young athletic females to develop CAD.
Certainly CAD is not a matter of lifestyle.