Diet Plan
There are many diet plans around catering to various requirements.
Food plays an important role in our lives. Understanding
our body requirements and adapting our lifestyles with
healthy food
options that provide vital nutrition and energy can go a long way
in maintaining good health. This has assumed more importance today on
account of the deteriorating diet patterns, especially that of growing
kids. Keep obesity, high cholesterol and other diseases such as anemia
and osteoporosis at bay by choosing healthy food substitutes.
For example to keep Osteoporosis at bay, eating a calcium-rich diet can help. Including milk,
particularly skimmed milk and low fat yogurt can help you build your calcium
deposits. Spinach is a source of non-dairy calcium. Anemia is of particular
concern to women, especially those who resort to dieting. Consuming meat,
fish and poultry or leafy green vegetables, nuts and breakfast cereals
can provide you with adequate iron.
Similarly Lutein is a pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens, corn and egg yolks. Lutein as an antioxidant reduces the effects of free radicals. Lutein in adequate quantities in the diet can help ward off Macular Degeneration or MD , a condition in which the center of retina suffers permanent damage due to a number of causes - natural degradation triggered by ageing or by undue exposure to strong light. Another carotenoid, zeaxanthin again has similar beneficial effects on the eyes. In addition some studies have indicated that these carotenoids can also help prevent cataracts. Cardiac Stress Test
A cardiac stress test aids in assessing how the heart can cope during exercise, especially when the body need for oxygen puts extra demands on the heart. A cardiac stress test is called a graded test or exercise tolerance test, exercise stress test or exercise electrocardiography. It helps to primarily evaluate the heart and vascular systems during the exercise. In fact, the American Heart Association has recommended the Cardiac stress test (EKG treadmill in particular) as the first choice to be tried on patients with medium risk of coronary heart disease and who exhibit certain risk factors of smoking, family history of coronary stenosis, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
- It helps to determine whether coronary arteries are clogged or blocked.
- To find the cause of chest pain.
- To assess the heart's capability after a heart attack or heart surgery.
- To discover the presence of any heart disease.
- To set limits on a person's exercise.
- To detect arrhythmias, that is extra heart beats, during the exercise.
- To assess the capacity of medicine used to control chest pain or extra beats during exercise.
The cardiac stress test can be done in a clinic or a hospital. The patient may be asked to exercise using a bicycle, treadmill or arm ergometer. The patient is attached to an ECG machine. The blood pressure cuff is placed on any one arm. The patient's heart is usually monitored using a 12 - lead EKG or ECG machine. A heart monitor may be used during and after exercise. After a baseline ECG is obtained, the patient begins to perform a low level of exercise, either by walking on a treadmill or pedaling on a stationary bicycle.
At each stage of the exercise, the pulse, the blood pressure and ECG are recorded along with any symptoms that the patient may be experiencing.
The level of exercise is gradually increased until the patient cannot keep up any longer because of fatigue or until symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath or lightheadedness prevent further exercise. The goal of this stress test is to diagnose the presence or absence of coronary artery disease. In a sub maximal stress test, the patient exercises only until a pre-determined level of exercise is attained. These tests are used in patients with known coronary artery disease, to measure whether the patient can perform a specific level of exercise with relative safety.
The side effects of a cardiac stress test also include palpitation, chest pain, and shortness of breath, headache, nausea and fatigue. The hypertension caused by stress testing is always considered abnormal and it may lead to severe coronary disease. In stress tests, false positive results are not uncommon. There can be occasions when the patient's ECG changes could suggest ischemia, even in the absence of coronary artery disease. Similarly, in stress test, false negatives are also not uncommon. In some patients, no significant ECG changes will be seen even in the presence of coronary artery disease. Presently, a new concept called nuclear perfusion study is added to the stress test. This factor has helped to minimize the limitations and improve the diagnostic capability of stress tests.
Statins
Statins are medications that are prescribed to lower high levels of cholesterol. This is done by inhibiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase; critical to cholesterol production in the liver. While cholesterol comes from diet, it is also manufactured internally in the liver. Since elevated cholesterol is indicated in cardiovascular disease, statins are prescribed for controlling cholesterol levels. In addition to inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, statins play a role in improving endothelial function, maintaining plaque stability and preventing the formation of thrombus.
The typical side-effect of statin is muscle pain, soreness and weakness. Some amount of liver damage might be noticed since it increases the production of certain enzymes. Some might notice nausea, diarrhea or constipation. Many individuals with heart diseases or high cholesterol are looking to switch to natural alternatives to statins or natural statins as they are widely known, to protect themselves from the potential side effects of statins. Foods containing natural statins are fermented soy products, flax seed, fish oil, fibrous grains like oats and barley, fibrous vegetables like beans and carrots, fibrous fruits like apples, avocados and berries.
Bibliography / Reference
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