This article presents studies showing that the blood sugar level one hour after eating (post-prandial blood sugar) is highly predictive of many common diseases. At least here in the US, blood sugar levels at home can be easily checked with an inexpensive glucometer that can be bought without needing a prescription. I heard that a…
This article presents the studies that show that HDL-increasing drugs do not improve cardiovascular disease survival. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is commonly known as “good cholesterol.” HDL removes cholesterol from atherosclerotic plaques from the arteries (cholesterol efflux) and returns them to the liver for elimination (reverse cholesterol transport). The effects of high levels of HDL result…
This article presents a study that showed the best blood test to predict the development of atherosclerosis. One thousand eight hundred fifty-two patients scheduled for coronary angiography were classified into Normal Glucose Tolerance (NGT), Impaired Glucose Regulation (IGR), and diabetes based on Fasting blood sugar, Post-prandial blood glucose (PBG), and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).[1] Blood Sugar…
This article presents a study that showed that high blood sugar could change macrophages and cause atherosclerosis. The study was published in the journal Circulation in Sept 2021. The authors are from Oxford, UK; the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the Radboud University in the Netherlands; and the Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES) at the…
This article presents a study that shows how to prevent the rapid rise of blood sugar after a meal or Post-Prandial Glycemia (PPG) PPG and atherosclerosis High blood sugar after meals is a risk factor for developing diabetes and atherosclerosis. It injures the inner lining of the arteries and starts or continues atherosclerosis.[1] PPG is…
This article discusses the relationship between insulin resistance and atherosclerosis formation and how nattokinase improves both. In a study that I previously referred to by Ren et al., they compared nattokinase (NK) 6,000 units with simvastatin 20 mg in 72 patients. After 26 weeks, it showed that nattokinase (NK) and simvastatin could decrease total cholesterol…
A study shows a daily dose of 10,800 FU of nattokinase (NK) to decrease atherosclerotic plaque and lower total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. Nattokinase is an enzyme derived from natto, a Japanese food from fermented soybeans. Natto has been enjoyed and proven safe for eating for more than a thousand years. FU stands for Fibrin…
Hyperinsulinemia means high insulin levels. Persistent high insulin leads to conditions like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. The good news is there is something you can do about it. What is Insulin? Insulin is the primary hormone for fuel storage in the body. After eating, macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are broken down into easily…
Brief episodes of high-blood sugar can cause atherosclerosis
HDL is well known as good cholesterol, and that LDL is the bad cholesterol. Therefore, to lessen the chance of a heart attack, the HDL should increase, and the LDL should decrease. The easy way to increase the HDL is to take medicines like nicotinic acid (a.k.a. niacin) and fibrates. Both medications can increase the…
An aortic aneurysm is a ballooning of the aorta. It starts straight from the heart. The most prominent artery that comes from the heart. It is the main pipeline for the whole body. The aneurysm can form in the chest (thoracic) and/or the abdomen. Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA or Triple-A) are present in 3.9% to 7.2%…
The Fantastic Brick Road Imagine yourself walking in an old town enjoying the scene. Enjoying the fresh air and appreciating the culture. You noticed something different about the brick road. The road seems to be alive. It changes its width to accommodate travelers. The more traffic, the wider it gets, and the less traffic,…
Nitric Oxide is Essential for Normal Blood Flow Blood is ejected in spurts in every heartbeat. The vascular system requires flexible arteries that can expand to accommodate the high pressure and volume of blood. This dilatation is made possible by the rubber-like properties of the smooth muscle cells that are found in the middle layer…
LDL, the so-called “Bad Cholesterol” is not really cholesterol. LDL stands for Low-Density Lipoprotein. Role of Lipoproteins Whenever we eat fat or oil in our meal, they have to be transported with the blood. But blood is similar to water, and we know that water and oil do not mix. To be transported, the fat…
Erectile Dysfunction as a sign of Heart Disease
The arteries that supply blood all over the body has an inside lining called the endothelium. The endothelium has anti-atherogenic properties. Anti-atherogenic is the ability to prevent atherosclerosis. If everybody has protection against atherosclerosis, why is it that atherosclerosis is so preponderant that the number one and two cause of deaths in the whole world are…
