I'm sure some of you would have read the recent news of soccer player Fabrice Muamba collapsed during the game on the pitch suffering from heart attack. For those who don't, I've uploaded the video and news from the link below. The reason why I decided to write this post, as there are still alot of people who are clueless about what causes heart attack or heart disease. Although I will tell you to read my previous posts "High Cholesterol causes Heart Disease?", but I would like to compile some of the real live situations which happened to people like us, and athletes from around the world. Yes, even supposedly the fit and healthy athletes.
The billion dollar question, "Why do supposedly fit and healthy people suffer heart attack or failure?". Doesn't exercise meant healthier? How could this had happened? Why rich big sports clubs with their supposedly good physicians and cardiologists failed to predict or diagnose before the athlete collapse (weeks and months earlier)? Why developed countries such as USA, UK and other western countries with high tech advance technology and medical treatment, but suffer such a high heart disease rates? Does the lipid profiling in health screening tells you anything at all? Does total cholesterol serum levels an accurate predictor of heart disease?
Accounting for 17% of all deaths (according to the WHO) and killing over 616,000 people in the United States alone in 2008. In 2010, coronary heart disease alone was projected to cost the United States $108.9 billion. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
As you can tell, heart disease not only kills but it weighs heavily on the health care system of a country. For years it was believed that eating too much fat was the cause of heart disease. And for that reason, the 1980's saw a new “low-fat” movement. However, heart disease still increased. And so too did obesity.
The billion dollar question, "Why do supposedly fit and healthy people suffer heart attack or failure?". Doesn't exercise meant healthier? How could this had happened? Why rich big sports clubs with their supposedly good physicians and cardiologists failed to predict or diagnose before the athlete collapse (weeks and months earlier)? Why developed countries such as USA, UK and other western countries with high tech advance technology and medical treatment, but suffer such a high heart disease rates? Does the lipid profiling in health screening tells you anything at all? Does total cholesterol serum levels an accurate predictor of heart disease?
Accounting for 17% of all deaths (according to the WHO) and killing over 616,000 people in the United States alone in 2008. In 2010, coronary heart disease alone was projected to cost the United States $108.9 billion. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
As you can tell, heart disease not only kills but it weighs heavily on the health care system of a country. For years it was believed that eating too much fat was the cause of heart disease. And for that reason, the 1980's saw a new “low-fat” movement. However, heart disease still increased. And so too did obesity.
If fat was the problem, then why are people still having more heart attacks, getting fatter, and even developing Type 2 Diabetes then and now? Well, a big part of the answer is SUGAR. Sugar is a big reason why 1/3 of Americans have high blood triglyceride levels, making them, or maybe even you, more susceptible to a heart disaster! Most of the industrialized, developed nations suffer similar consequences as well. Don’t be fooled by low-fat products because if fat has been reduced or removed, then manufacturers know that something else has to take its place. In many cases, it’s sugar.
So why is sugar so bad? Well, it’s a DRUG that literally destroys every cell and system in your body. Under healthy conditions, insulin stores sugar in your cells. It’s a building or storage hormone. You might not like that about insulin but that’s the way it goes. If you don’t want as much insulin circulating in your blood, and thus less sugar stored as fat, then don’t spike your blood sugar with poor quality foods or high glycemic foods. When insulin resistance occurs, your cells NO longer respond to insulin. Therefore, no sugar can be stored. At first glance, those wanting to lose weight might think that’s a good thing but let me tell you why it’s not.
Aside from the fact that too much sugar in the blood WILL ruin your arteries, nerves, and other precious tissues, It also increases triglycerides (fats) in the blood, raising your risk of heart disease. Insulin resistance is manifested by hyperinsulinemia (too much insulin), increased glucose production in the liver, and decrease glucose disposal. In fat cells, insulin resistance triggers an increased release of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), resulting in elevated rates of triglycerides breakdown AKA lipolysis into free fatty acids. These free fatty acids then move to the liver. In the liver, free fatty acids can either be converted to ATP energy in the mitochondria OR converted back into triglycerides for storage or incoporated into dangerous VLDL particles.
Not only does insulin resistance increase your blood triglycerides via increased VLDL formation but it also activates all of the lipogenic (fat-forming) genes in your liver. This essentially means that more processes occur to convert sugar into fat, rather than energy. Folks, for more detailed explanation of how sugar plays a huge role in heart disease, read my previous SUGAR posts.
Meanwhile, apart from sugar, another primary contributing factor of heart disease is STRESS. My whole high cholesterol posts covers almost everything about how STRESS leads to heart disease. This apply similiar affects from physical exercise routines, which primarily from endurance training or sports. Also, I covered and explained how endurance training or similiar activities impact our body hormonal, mentally and physically, in earlier "Cardio vs Weight Training" posts.
Not only does insulin resistance increase your blood triglycerides via increased VLDL formation but it also activates all of the lipogenic (fat-forming) genes in your liver. This essentially means that more processes occur to convert sugar into fat, rather than energy. Folks, for more detailed explanation of how sugar plays a huge role in heart disease, read my previous SUGAR posts.
Meanwhile, apart from sugar, another primary contributing factor of heart disease is STRESS. My whole high cholesterol posts covers almost everything about how STRESS leads to heart disease. This apply similiar affects from physical exercise routines, which primarily from endurance training or sports. Also, I covered and explained how endurance training or similiar activities impact our body hormonal, mentally and physically, in earlier "Cardio vs Weight Training" posts.
By the way, does any of you know why more and more people participate in marathon? Firstly, it's free. One doesn't need to pay for any fee as outdoor running doesn't cost a cent. Secondly, we have been hardwired to think that endurance or marathon training is healthy and improve cardiovascular health. Ask yourself, do you want to have a physique of a sprinter(lean,strong, muscular, fast and explosive) or marathon runner (gaunt and skinny)?
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| Jim Fixx (Died of heart attack at age of 52 yrs while running) |
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| Which body do you prefer? |
Articles/Studies:
- http://www.soccer-blogger.com/2012/03/18/fabrice-muamba-collapse-video-fa-cup-spurs-bolton-tie-abandoned/
- http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/315696/20120317/muamba-collapse-heart-attack-premier-league-botlon.htm
- http://people.umass.edu/excs597k/carpenter/sdathlete.htm
- http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/heart-attack-risks-are-greater-for-athletes-who-compete-in-endurance-sports-263
- http://content.bandzoogle.com/users/cippianhotmail/files/Athletes-Fit-But-Unhealthy.pdf
- http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/15/1903.full
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