What Do the New Heart Health Guidelines Mean for You?

By the way, for those not of the female persuasion, the recommendations are the same. Note that we do use “female hormones” for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Some things that I have previously touched on regarding nutritional supplements are dealt with in the new guidelines. These include the total absence of any benefit in preventing heart disease that has been demonstrated by the addition of extra folic acid, or antioxidants of any description. Likewise, the use of Vitamin C, "Vitamin E," and beta carotene have proven to be duds for the prevention of heart attacks and strokes. That doesn’t mean that someone won’t try to sell them to you though.

And the usual things that a doctor will generally recommend including 30 minutes of heart rate raising exercise per day (frankly, it takes 60 minutes to do this if you warm up by stretching, and have to change clothes either before or after you exercise), and a diet low in fats. With regard to the latter, going high protein and low carbohydrate as opposed to low protein and high carbohydrate probably doesn’t make much difference if the calories are the same. Fruits and vegetables are high in carbohydrates but are necessary fuel. Carbohydrates that are complex, and therefore a bit more difficult to digest, are usually better for you. Examples of these include whole grain and high fiber foods. Be alert to the fact however that a quick change of your diet to high fiber may meet with some resistance from your body with increased gas formation.

When it does come to protein, one generally gets it from meats, fowl and fish but you can also get it from other categories of food such as nuts or soy. In each case there is also some associated fat (oil if you like). Some of the fat is in the form of cholesterol builders, some seems to protect from cholesterol build up. The oils in fish seem to help protect against cardiovascular events, if they are not fried.

Last, but not least among the guidelines: Do not smoke!

This can’t be stressed enough. In all my years in practice, I have treated no woman for a heart attack under the age of 40 who didn’t smoke. A large majority of young women that I have seen for blood clots smoked and took birth control pills. Almost all of the young women that I have treated for strokes smoked. Maybe it was classy to smoke in the 1940 through 1970 movies, but it isn’t any more. Even if it weren’t a low-class habit, it’s not as easy to do when your arm doesn’t work, and your face is hanging twisted from a stroke. Please don’t put yourself in that awful position.