Effective Diet to Guard Against Heart Attack Threats

Heart attacks require immediate medical care to minimize damage to the heart muscle of an individual. While heart attacks can occur all of a sudden, it appears to be an accumulation of unhealthful lifestyle choices that contribute to the case. As more and more evidence emerges about the connection between red and processed meat and heart disease, people are increasingly adopting a plant-based diet. A new study found that halving the amount of red and processed (RPM) meat in the diet can have a substantial impact on health, reducing the amount of LDL' reduced' cholesterol in the blood, which reduces the risk of developing heart disease.

Red and processed meats are usually high in saturated fatty acids, which cause an increase in LDL cholesterol.

As the study states, this is the "poor" cholesterol that is stored in the walls of the blood vessels, where it can cause blockages and increase the chance of a heart attack.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham wanted to find out whether a reduction in the amount of red meat consumed, rather than a total reduction, would have a positive effect on the health of the participants.

The results published today in the journal Food & Function found that the most significant change was a fall in the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood, and those with the highest levels originally had the most significant drop.

Overall, there was an overall fall in LDL cholesterol of about 10% with men (who appeared to have the highest starting values) seeing the most considerable change.

For this treatment study, 46 participants agreed to reduce their consumption of red meat by adding white meat, fish, and meat alternatives in 12 weeks or to decrease their red meat portion size.

During the analysis, they kept a food diary, and blood tests were conducted at the start and intervals.

Professor Andrew Salter from Nottingham School of Biosciences led the study and said: "The high saturated fatty acids have linked the content of red and processed meat with heart disease and other chronic diseases, particularly colon cancer. Studies have demonstrated that there is a 40% increase in the risk of death due to cardiovascular diseases in people who eat mostly meat.

She explained: "Meat is a high source of the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) necessary for blood cell growth, and while these nutrients can be obtained in plant-based diets, our results suggest that those who reduce their meat intake should ensure that their new diet is obtained.
This finding is followed by recent research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association that revealed that consuming mostly herbal foods and less animal-based food can be associated with better heart health and a lower risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, stroke, or other conditions.

"While you don't have to give up animal-based foods completely, our study suggests that consuming more plant-based foods and less animal-based foods can help reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or other forms of cardiovascular disease," said Casey M. Rebholz, Ph.D., Johns Hopkin's assistant professor of epidemiology, Bloo.

Researchers examined a database of information from food intake from over 10,000 middle-aged U.S. adults who were tracked between 1987 and 2016 and had no cardiovascular disease at the start of the study.

The participants then classified the eating patterns by the proportion of plant foods they consume relative to animal-based foods.

Overall, people who ate the most food based on plants had a:

• 16% lower cardiovascular disease risk such as heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, and other conditions. 
• 32% lower risk of cardiovascular disease deaths. 
• 25% lower risk of dying from any cause than those consuming the least amount of plant-based food.

While the first study compares dietary patterns of plant and meat, future research on plant-based diets must consider whether the value of plant food – nutritious versus toxic – affects cardiovascular disease and the risk of death, said Rebholz.

What is the heart attack symptoms?

The NHS reports that signs may include:

• Chest pain: a feeling of discomfort, swelling, and pressure in a person's chest region. 
• Pain elsewhere – it can feel as if the pain spreads from the chest to the arms of a person (usually the left arm is affected, but it can involve both arms), the chin, neck, back, or abdomen. 
• Feeling dizzy or lightheaded. 
• Sweating. 
• Perspiring 
• Breath shortness. 
• Feel sick (nausea) or vomiting. 
• An extreme sense of fear (like a panic attack). 
• Whirling or vomiting. 
• swirling