ESTIMATE YOUR RISK FOR A SERIOUS HEART ATTACK

ESTIMATE YOUR RISK FOR A SERIOUS HEART ATTACK

New Information added June 2006: Framingham Study Cholesterol Statistics Increasingly Discredited

Recent publications show document cholesterol is not the important risk factor we once believed.

Factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis include diabetes, familial and genetic traits, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and stress. Any or all of those additional factors could increase your risk.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an independent risk factor, with linear increases in risk from the lowest to the highest levels (from less than 1.0 mg/L to greater than 10 mg/L). A CRP of 3 increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by approximately 150%, compared with a CRP of 1. Using that same ratio, a CRP of 10 mg/L would increase the risk by approximately 500%. A CRP of 4 mg/L could double the statistical probability of a serious heart attack, compared to a CRP of 1 mg/L.

Click here to read more about C Reactive Protein

Click here to learn more about testing for C reactive Protein

C-Reactive Protein is measured with a laboratory blood analysis and is an indicator of inflammation. The nutritional supplements contained in Dr. Cranton’s AntioxPackets™ are formulated to reduce free radicals, which are a cause inflammation in blood vessels.

Homocysteine is still another independent risk factor for heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Blood levels of homocysteine greater than 12 to 15 micromol/L add to the above described risk by up to 600%. It is estimated that every 3 micromols/L decrease of blood homocysteine will decrease the risk of heart disease 16%, and decrease the risk of stroke by 24%.

Dr. Cranton’s AntioxPackets™ are formulated to lower blood levels of homocysteine.

By using the laboratory test measurements of C-Reactive protein and homocysteine, you can estimate your personal risk for future heart attack, stroke and other related atherosclerotic diseases. Half of all deaths and age-related disabilities are caused by cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis.

There are many things that you can do to reduce your overall risk—including proper diet, nutritional supplements, EDTA chelation therapy, stress management, and avoidance of tobacco and other chemical pollutants in air, food and water. Take charge and improve you chances for future good health.

REFERENCES

The Framingham Study began in 1948 and is still ongoing under the auspices of the National Heart Institute, NIH. Participants were recruited from Framingham, Massachusetts. Between1948 and 1952, 5,209 men and women between the ages of 28 and 62 years were initially recruited. As of February, 1999, there were 993 survivors. Medical examinations and a wide range of laboratory tests have been conducted every two years for half a century. Statistics have been computed to derive risk factors for cardiovascular disease and death—including coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary insufficiency with sudden and non-sudden death, stroke, high blood pressure, peripheral arterial disease and congestive heart failure. The result is a statistical probability called the “Framingham Risk Score.” (Click on references below to read an abstract from the National Library of Medicine.)

Sullivan LM, Massaro JM, D'Agostino RB Sr: Presentation of multivariate data for clinical use: The Framingham Study risk score functions. Stat Med; 2004 (May 30);23(10):1631-60

Ridker PM, Cook N: Clinical Usefulness of Very High and Very Low Levels of C- Reactive Protein Across the Full Range of Framingham Risk Scores. Circulation; 2004;109 (April 27): 1955-1959.

Fortin LJ and Genest J Jr, "Measurement of Homocyst(e)ine in the Prediction of Arteriosclerosis," Clin Biochem, 1995, 28(2):155-62 (review).

Wald DS, Law M, Morris JK. Homocysteine and cardiovascular disease: evidence on causality from a meta-analysis.BMJ. 2002 Nov 23;325(7374):1202-1209.

In another long-term study (similar to the Framingham Study but more comprehensive), 40,000 doctors and 80,000 nurses have been followed for 20 years by the Harvard School of Public Health. Those who took vitamin-mineral nutritional supplements were found to have significantly reduced risks for heart disease, stroke and cancer. Risks were found to be reduced by 30% to 50% or more.

A low blood level of vitamin E was reported by a World Health Organization study to be 100 times more significant than cholesterol as a predictor for heart disease. The authors of that report suggested that the action of vitamin E was similar to cholesterol lowering drugs, without the risk of side effects.

Gey KF, Puska P, Jordan P, Moser UK: Inverse correlation between plasma vitamin E and mortality from ischemic heart disease in cross-cultural epidemiology. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:326S-334S

For further detailed information, visit the internet pages below.

Click here for more information on C Reactive Protein

Click here for the latest research on heart disease and atherosclerosis