Running head: NUTRITION AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease

Nicole Hernandez
College of the Desert
General Nutrition
Summer 2014

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Abstract
This paper explores two published articles that report on heart disease (Cardiovascular
Disease). According to the Mayo Clinic (2012) article, diet plays a tremendous factor in the
prevention of heart disease. According to Harvard Heart Letter (2014), the emphasis of this
article is on how not to fixate on just fat intake when thinking about the prevention of heart
disease but to look at nutrient intake as a whole.
Both articles are similar in their perspective on the causation of heart disease and how
general nutrition and living a healthy, active lifestyle reduces the incidence of acquiring heart
disease. In addition, this paper uses other internet resources that define and give further clarity
on what types of diet and physical activity can prevent heart disease. In addition, this paper also
uses information from Whitney and Rolfes (2013) text to further explain cardiovascular disease
from an educational perspective and uses Prevention of cardiovascular diseases: Role of
exercise, dietary interventions, obesity and smoking cessation (Buttar & Ravi, 2005) for
documented case studies to describe the physiological aspects of heart disease.

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Introduction
Hypertension, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, arrhythmias and valvular heart
disease, coagulopathies and stroke, collectively known as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
(Buttar & Ravi , 2005), are the leading cause of death in both men and women. There are several
conditions that are caused from cardiovascular disease. One of the most common conditions is
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). CAD is caused from plaque build-ups in the coronary arteries
that are a result from increased cholesterol. Over time, these plaques narrow the arteries causing
restricted blood flow to the heart. This is known as atherosclerosis. The restriction of blood flow
to the heart eventually causes the heart muscle to work harder than it normally should to perform
its important job of perfusing blood throughout the body. The strain on the heart causes pain and
discomfort known as angina. Over time, the weakened heart and increased narrowing of the
arteries cause the heart to not function properly which can lead to heart failure, also known as a
heart attack.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood glucose, and having a family history of
heart disease are some of the risk factors for CAD. Knowing these risk factors allows us to take
an active role in our diets and our lifestyle to prevent these symptoms which will eventually lead
to CAD. According to the Mayo Clinic (2012), diet plays a tremendous role in preventing all of
these health complications.

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Hypotheses
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to clarify and prove that maintaining a healthy diet and
active physical lifestyle can prevent cardiovascular disease. It will test the hypotheses that nine
easily measured risk factors for cardiovascular disease (smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension,
diabetes, obesity, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and psychosocial factors) account
for over 90% of the risk of CAD.

Methods
Subjects:
12,461 cases and 9459 controls were used in this study. The study was a standardized casecontrol study that screened all patients admitted to the coronary care unit or equivalent
cardiology ward that had experienced a first-time heart attack. Cases were identified using
standardized definitions and enrolled within 24 hours of symptom onset.

Tests and Apparatus:

A study questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic factors, socioeconomic status
(education, occupation, income), lifestyle (tobacco use, physical activity, dietary patterns), and
personal and family history of cardiovascular disease and risk factors (self-reported diabetes and
hypertension). Data on all medications taken prehospital, inhospital, and discharge were
abstracted from patients medical records. The components of the questionnaire were compiled
with previous knowledge of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, hence allowing for a
controlled study.

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Task Procedures:
Standard physical and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waist and hip
circumference, heart rate) were done on each participant. In addition a 20-mL sample of nonfasting blood was drawn from each individual and was frozen and stored for biochemical
analyses, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, apolipoproteins B
(apoB), and A1 (apoA1).
Design:
The study was an correlational/observational study which consisted of treatment and control
groups for efficacy.

Results
Based on the findings of this study, it appears that almost 90% of cardiovascular disease
is caused by the nine previously mentioned risk factors (smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension,
diabetes, obesity, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and psychosocial factors). In
contrast, heredity or family history of CVD has only a small percentage of being attributed to
developing CVD.
However, these are all modifiable risk factors. Eating a healthier diet, participating in
regular physical activity and not smoking, it is definitely possible to reduce the possibility of
developing cardiovascular disease including all of the symptoms and complications that arise
from CVD.

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Discussion
The purpose of this study was to determine if diet and living an active physical lifestyle
contributed to the prevention of acquiring cardiovascular disease. The findings of this study
were very significant in proving that a healthy diet and having an active lifestyle does in fact
prevent CVD.
In conclusion, all of the nine identifiable risk factors that were proven to increase the risk
of acquiring CVD, can be prevented by diet and exercise. High sodium intake causes high blood
pressure, high fat intake causes high cholesterol and high sugar intake causes diabetes. In
addition, incorporation of daily physical activity reduces the implications caused from any high
intake of bad food choices that may be consumed. With cardiovascular disease being the leading
cause of death in America, knowing that it can be prevented is reason enough to educate
ourselves on how we can prevent this deadly disease.

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References
Whitney, E., & Rolfes, S. R. (2013). General Nutrition (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage
Learning.
Mayo Health Clinic (2012). Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease. Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthydiet/art-20047702
For a heart- healthy diet, don't fixate on fat. (2014). Harvard Heart Letter, 24(11), 1-7.
HS Buttar, T Li, N Ravi. Prevention of cardiovascular diseases: Role of exercise, dietary
interventions, obesity and smoking cessation. Exp Clin Cardiol 2005;10(4):229-249.
Medscape (2004). INTERHEART: A Global Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Acute
Myocardial Infarction. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/489738

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Internet Resources
1) http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
2) http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Preventing-Heart-Disease---At-AnyAge_UCM_442925_Article.jsp
3) http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-healthy-diet/art20047702
4) http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-diseaseprevention/art-20046502

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Abstract on the Harvard Heart Letter Journal Article

According to the article Harvard Heart Letter (2014), a diet low in fat was the emphasis for
many years in helping to lower cholesterol which helps to prevent the onset of heart disease.
However, because the manufacturers of these new low-fat foods added refined carbohydrates
to these low-fat foods, eating a diet high in carbohydrates leads to obesity and diabetes which is a
catalyst to heart disease.
In summary, this article explains how we should start looking at our food contents not just by
individual food nutrients but to look at what nutrients overall we are consuming. According to
Dr. Dariush Mozarfarrian, dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at
Tufts University in Boston, We need to move away from the idea that we can manufacture
an artificially healthy diet.

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