Stopping our Biggest Killer
Modern medicine has been hailed as one of the most rapidly advancing phenomena of the 21st century. Innovative treatments for disease and disorders such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) continue to be researched at an accelerated rate.
Alarmingly, CVD related diseases have surpassed cancer as the biggest killer in the world today. More specifically, ischaemic heart disease and stroke topped the list as the world’s biggest killers, accounting for a combined 15.2 million deaths in 2016. These diseases have remained the leading causes of death globally in the last 15 years (WHO, 2018) with many of these deaths both premature and preventable.
Several external factors make the heart and blood vessels weak. The Framingham Heart Study, founded in 1948, examined the epidemiology of CVD in a small town outside of Boston (https://framinghamheartstudy.org/).
They found the following contributory factors:
- • No fresh air - not keeping the windows open at night.
- • Poor posture
- • High-fat diet
- • Caffeine – Studies have shown caffeine reduces the flow of blood to your brain by 27%, worsens insomnia and depression, ruins REM sleep essential for good night sleep and contributes to dehydration. Caffeine is a compound that is naturally derived from over 60 different plant sources, including coffee beans, tea leaves, cacao and cola nut seeds. It is also found in some prescription and non-prescription drugs such as cold, allergy, and pain medication.
- • Alcohol
- • Sedentary lifestyle
- • Obesity - obese men are five times more likely to die from heart disease by the age of 60 than men of normal weight.
- • Smoking
- • Drugs
- • Stress - constant excretion of adrenaline causes the heart to beat faster. This can also be emotional stress triggered by unforgiveness and anger. Proverbs 16:22 teaches us ‘a merry heart doeth good like a medicine’.
- • Mould
- • Heavy metals
- • Hybridised wheat - starting in the 1960s and increasingly in the 1990s, plant breeders undertook efforts to produce hybrid wheat varieties with the goals of improving yield and disease resistance. Wheat belly book by Dr Davis, asserted there are too many carbs in this country.
- • Refined sugar.
The good news is, groundbreaking research demonstrates that a plant-based diet doesn’t just prevent heart disease but can manage and in some instances, reverse it altogether. Pioneering studies by Ornish, M.D., Caldwell Esselstyn Jr Dean and others have shown that a low-fat, plant-based diet combined with regular exercise and an overall healthy lifestyle can prevent, delay and reverse heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions. Dr Ornish’s landmark study tested the effects of a plant-based diet on participants with moderate to severe heart disease. There were no surgeries or stents - just simple diet and lifestyle changes. Within weeks, 90 per cent of chest pains diminished, after one month, blood flow to the heart improved and after one year, severely blocked arteries had reopened.
So what does plant-based mean? Simply put, it means eliminating meat, poultry, fish and refined grains such as white rice, baked goods, ‘enriched’ flour products and bread. It also means avoiding processed and packaged foods which can cause inflammation and abnormal blood sugar responses. This transition to a plant-based lifestyle is further supported by Heather Nichols in her book ‘The Plant-Based Diet Meal Plan: A 3-Week Kickstart Guide to Eat & Live Your Best’.
WHAT DOES THE NEW ZEALAND HEART FOUNDATION SAY?
“For a healthy heart, the Heart Foundation already recommends eating plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and less meat, whether you eat animal products or not. A vegan or a vegetarian diet may be one approach in eating more plant-based foods, however, there are other heart-healthy dietary patterns too”.
Overall, applying the NEWSTART principles of health can improve heart health.
N= Nutrition: Having a plant-based diet.
E= Exercising: Engaging in at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity and strengthening exercises as physically able.
W= Water: Drinking water 1.5 hours after or before meals and ensuring the 2-3 litre daily requirement is met.
S= Sunlight: Getting out in the sun for at least 20 minutes daily.
T= Temperance: Eliminating bad foods and consuming moderate amounts of foods that are good.
A= Air: Regular access to fresh air by keeping the window open at night, taking a walk and deep breathing. After a thunderstorm, the negatively charged ion in the air is actually good for us as it neutralizes free radicals and revitalises cell metabolism
R= Rest: The Sabbath rest – and ensuring at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night (and well before 12noon).
T= Trust: Trusting in Jesus Christ, giving Him our care and burdens. Interestingly, scientific studies have shown that going to church increases life span by 7 years, inferring that by trusting in God, forgiving others and living by these principles, stress levels will remain low. Furthermore, stress effects would be small and short-lived whereas, on the other hand, anger can trigger a heart attack, stroke, or risky heart rhythm.
It is clear that many factors can increase the risk of CVD, however, God has given us insight into the lifestyle changes that we can make in order to reduce this risk and keep both our hearts and bodies healthy.
We must take a holistic approach, looking not only at the physical changes we can make, but also the spiritual and emotional care that is required too. If you would like more information on any of the topics raised in this article, please get in touch with me at hopeinternational.natalie@gmail.com.