One of the leading causes of death in North America is cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis, the hardening of large and medium sized arteries, is the underlying disorder leading to heart attacks and ischemic strokes. The oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which carry cholesterol into the blood stream, plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Antioxidants are believed to slow the progression of atherosclerosis by inhibiting the cell damaging oxidation process. Studies have reported a reduced risk of heart disease in those consuming lycopenes, an antioxidant contained in tomatoes.

Lycopene is a lipid soluble antioxidant that is transported in the blood through lipoproteins. Serum levels can be significantly increased by the consumption of tomato juice, spaghetti and concentrated lycopene. Studies now suggest that the consumption of tomato products inhibits oxidative damage of LDL cholesterol, and thus may be helpful in reducing the risk of heart disease.

Do Lycopenes Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease?

Can Lycopene Consumption Reduce Cancers of the Prostate, Lung and Stomach?

Is Rosehip a Good Source of Lycopene?

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How Many American Women Have Heart Disease?

Eight million American women are currently living with heart disease.

How Many American Women Have Had a Heart Attack or Have Angina?

Six million women have a history of heart attack and/or angina or both.

What Is The Age Distribution Of Women With Heart Disease?

10% of women in the 45-64 age group and 25% of women above 65 years have heart disease.

Approximately How Many American Women Have Heart Atacks Yearly?

Over 400,000 American women have heart attacks each year. The average age is 70.4 years.

83,000 are under age 65 and 9,000 are under age 45.

What percent of women will die within one year of a first heart attack?

38% of women will die within one year of a first recognized heart attack.

If you are a woman with risk factors for heart disease, take a close look at these statistics and start changing your life for the better! You can get a good start by reading “Dr. Pete’s Eating for a Healthy Heart” book which has been a smash hit! We have received so many positive e mails about his book. Dr. Pete’s personal family history is very touching, as his father had heart surgery in his 30′s. Dr. Pete’s philosophy about healthy heart living will forever change your life to the better.

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A myocardial infarction (heart attack) occurs when a patient’s heart does not receive enough oxygen, causing heart muscle to die. Although many causes can reduce oxygen delivery to the heart, the death of heart muscle (myocardial necrosis) usually occurs due to a blockage of a blood vessel to the heart. The dead heart muscle releases many different chemicals into the blood, and doctors often order blood tests on patients with chest pain in order to look for these chemicals to substantiate the diagnosis of a heart attack. Finding these chemicals helps a physician to diagnose a patient with a heart attack, and start appropriate treatment. But, not all the chemicals released my dead heart muscle are the same, there are different chemicals, each with distinct properties.

Myoglobin

Myoglobin is released by dead heart muscle soon after a heart attack, but it is also released by many other dead cells. This means that a doctor in the emergency department has a difficult time interpreting this test because so many different things can produce an abnormal result. Doctors do not often use this test in diagnosing myocardial infarctions because of the lack of clear information offered by an elevated myoglobin. A myoglobin/ carbonic anhydrase III ratio makes this test more specific, but this ratio is not often readily available.

Creatine-Kinase

Creatine-kinase (CK) is another chemical located within the heart that is released by dead heart muscle. CK is also released by other types of dead tissue, but there are different subtypes of creatine-kinase that are only released from specific types of tissue. Creatine-kinase subtype MB (CK-MB) is only released from dead heart muscle and is useful in diagnosing heart attacks. The amount in a patient’s blood increases about 4 hours after a heart attack, peaks at 18-24 hours, and then it starts to disappear from the blood. This means that a patient with a heart attack may have levels too low to diagnose a heart attack when measured less that four hours after the event. This test is even better for diagnosing a heart attack when it is measured in a patient’s blood every few hours for a full day.

Troponin I

Troponin I is only released from dead heart muscle and reaches a detectable level in a patient’s blood 3-6 hours after a heart attack, and stays elevated for 14 days. This means it elevates quicker than CK-MB after a heart attack and stays elevated longer also! This makes it a more valuable test in the diagnosis of a heart attack than CK-MB.

All of these chemicals are invaluable in the diagnosis and treatment of a myocardial infarction. Scientist are currently working on even better test for use in the diagnosis of a heart attack. The ideal test will look for a chemical that is only released from heart muscle, is released immediately and stays elevated for a long time after a heart attack.

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