Zachary Russo
MOV 495
Dr. Sherman
3/28/15
Literature Review
Background
Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque builds up inside of the arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood to the heart and other parts of the body. The plaque that forms can be made up from fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood, which is dependent on their diet. Over time the plaque will cause the arteries to harden which they will lose their elastic function. If this happens it will limit blood flow of oxygen to the organs and other areas of the body. Atherosclerosis can lead to other serious medical problems such as heart attack, stroke, and eventually cause death. When atherosclerosis effects the arteries of the
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However there was no notable reduction in the magnitude of carotid atherosclerosis (9). The research was done over a single marathon event, more follow up research would have to be conducted to support reductions in atherosclerosis. An additional study has shown that aerobic exercise training can prevent further progression of atherosclerosis, but the arterial lesions and scarring cannot be reversed (8). This is important to understand, because once the damage is done to the arteries it cannot be reversed. In another piece of literature, it was suggested that an eight week long at home endurance based training program could reduce the arterial stiffness. This study found that aerobic exercise training did not improve artery stiffness or reduce blood pressure. However there was an increase in maximal oxygen uptake (3). There is suggestions that the short eight week study was too short term to show any changes in arterial stiffness, due to the arteries being resistant to short term modifications. A more lengthy study would better suite this type of research …show more content…
With medication and lifestyle changes, plaques may slow or stop growing. They can even shrink slightly with aggressive types of treatment. Reducing the lifestyle risk factors that lead to atherosclerosis will slow the process; but it cannot necessarily fix any damage that may have occurred, without any procedures such as balloon angioplasty or having a stent implanted. Making lifestyle changes won't remove blockages, but they have been proven to lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Taking control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels will also aid in preventing the progression of atherosclerosis, as well as lower your risk of heart attacks and stroke (3). In autopsies of young American soldiers killed in action in the Korean and Vietnam wars, half to three-quarters had early forms of atherosclerosis (6). Even today, a large number of symptom less younger people have evidence of atherosclerosis. A 2001 study of 262 apparent healthy individual’s hearts was shocking. 52% had some atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis was present in 85% of those older individuals. 50.17% of teenagers had early stages of atherosclerosis. None of them had symptoms, and a few had moderate to severe narrowing’s in any arteries. Most of them had early stages of the disease, detectable only by special tests. If you are 40 and generally healthy, you have about a 50%
LDL or bad cholesterol comes from food that is a high source of cholesterol and/or saturated fats. Plaque forms when bad or LDL cholesterol builds up in your bloodstream and attaches to the arterial wall, as more LDL builds up the plaque becomes larger, this can become a major problem for your cardiovascular system. Because plaque is a substance that has rough edges, it reduces the elastic nature of the artery which means your heart will have to work double-time to pump the necessary blood to all your limbs, that will mean your limbs won’t get the amount of oxygen that they require to function properly. Plaque can also narrow the area blood has to pass through, this means your heart has to work overtime and overall capacity of your cardiovascular system is lowered. When the LDL cholesterol embeds itself in the wall of the artery it than damages the artery then blood pressure expands it which causes an aneurysm. When an aneurysm is too weak there is a high possibility of it bursting, when that happens it leaves the cells in and around that area without oxygen. If that artery is connected to a major vital organ the person will most likely die. When the blood flow is slowed it shows a greater risk for blood clots and although blood clots are natural and important to healing broken blood vessels, if blood clots gather inside the blood vessel this proves to be a serious health risk. The clots have the possibility to get stuck and completely cut off the blood flow to cells, leaving them without oxygen and causing them to die. If a clot gets inside a blood vessel connected to a major organ this could cause the person to die. The heart is fed by the coronary artery, if plaque or a blood clot blocks off blood flow to the heart, the heart ...
Why do we need to exercise? With out exercise many of our bodies arteries in the cardiovascular system can become clogged and bring on much unwanted cardiovascular diseases. Exercising regularly helps us maintain a healthy weight if already fi...
Although atherosclerosis affects millions of people around the world, there are many ways to prevent and treat it once it has developed. Simple life style changes can greatly reduce the inflammation and damage to the endothelial wall of the artery. It is very important that people who have high blood pressure or diabetes get regular checkups; if atherosclerosis goes untreated, the adverse effects, such as stroke or myocardial infarction can be deadly.
7. Sae Young, J., Heffernan, K., Fernhall, B., & Yoon-Ho, C. (2012). Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Carotid Artery Intima Media Thickness in Men With Type 2 Diabetes. Journal Of Physical Activity & Health, 9(4), 549-553.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of multifactorial chronic heart disease. It is a consequence of plaque buildup in coronary arteries. The arterial blood vessels, which begin out smooth and elastic become narrow and rigid, curtailing blood flow resulting in deprived of oxygen and nutrients to the heart [1].
Yung,, L.M., Laher, I., Chen, Z.Y., Huang, Y. and Leaung , F.P. (2009) Exercise, Vascular Wall and Cardiovascular Diseases. Sports Medicine. Vol. 39, No. 1: 45-63
Coronary heart disease is defined by the hardening of the epicardial coronary arteries. The buildup of plaque in the arteries slowly narrows the coronary artery lumen. In order to better understand the physiology of the disease, it is important to first know the basic anatomy of the human heart. The aorta, located in the superior region of the heart, branches off into two main coronary blood vessels, otherwise known as arteries. The arteries are located on the left and right side of the heart and span its surface. They subsequently branch off into smaller arteries which supply oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart (Texas Heart Institute, 2013). Therefore, the narrowing of these arteries due to plaque buildup significantly impairs blood flow throughout the heart.
Atherosclerosis is the culprit behind coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, which is the most common cause of death worldwide and in the United States10. Among the modifiable risk factors of CHD and stroke is the serum low density lipoprotein level (LDL)8, 11. Several randomized clinical trials have established that reducing the serum LDL level results in a reduction in the future risk of CHD and stroke in a linear relationship, in one study it was estimated that reducing the LDL by 1 % would reduce the risk by 1.7 %.1-4, 7, 9, 13
Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of CAD. Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease characterized by fat deposits in the arteries causing them to block the normal passage of blood. No one is quite sure how atherosclerosis develops. The plaque consists mostly of cholesterol, phospholipids and smooth muscle cells. They also reduce the size of the lumen of the affected artery which impairs the blood flow of this artery and later on could form a thrombus that will completely occlude the vessel. “Unfortunately, signs and symptoms of atherosclerosis usually don’t develop until at least 70% of an artery’s lumen has become obstructed. Angina is almost always the first symptom to appear.”(Journal: The killer behind CAD,2010). Modifiable factors that could prevent the occurrence of CAD include cigarette smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, atherogenic diet like diet high in cholesterol, use of contraceptive and hormone therapy replacement. “Women continue to ...
What is coronary heart disease (CHD)? It is a disease when plaque gets built up in the coronary arteries; and the job of the arteries are to provide rich-oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. Built plaque in the arteries leads to atherosclerosis and the plaque that is built can result from over the years. Throughout the years, the plaque tends to get hard or can rupture. If hardened, the arteries are now narrow and have weakened the flow of blood that travels to the heart. Blood clots can form from the plaque rupturing which can cause a great chance for the blood flow to be mostly blocked or blocked altogether. There are other names for coronary heart disease such as coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, etc.
Thompson, P. D., Buchner, D., Pina, I. L., Balady, G. J., Williams, M. A., Marcus, B. H., ... Wenger, N. K. (2003). Exercise in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a statement from the Council on Clinical Cardiology. Journal of the American Heart Association, 3110-3116. http://dx.doi.org/doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000075572.40158.77
Vuori, I 2007, ‘Physical activity and health: Metabolic and cardiovascular issues’, Advances in Physiotherapy, vol. 9 pp. 50-64, April.
High cholesterol is the best known of all the many threats to a healthy heart. When excess amounts fatty like plaque substance build up along the walls of the arteries, you face a significantly higher risk of a complete blockage, leading to a heart attack or stroke. At normal levels, cholesterol is not a bad thing. On the other hand, its an essential material used by the body to make cell walls and produce hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. The body produces its own supply of cholesterol in the liver, it’s also found in various animal products such as meats, eggs, and, milk. Cholesterol only becomes a threat when the body can’t use or get rid of excessive amounts of it.
Just as other muscles become stronger with exercise, so does the heart. The stronger the heart, the more efficient it becomes at pumping blood to the entire body. Over time exercise can lower blood pressure, which lessens the risk of experiencing a stroke or heart attack. Physical activity is linked to a reduced risk of many age related diseases. Among those diseases is cardiovascular disease. For people with cardiovascular disease, physical activity can lessen their risk of dying from it, and for those without, exercise can prevent them from attaining the disease. Since the heart is a muscle, it too needs to be exercised to perform at its
Learn the facts about cholesterol have regular screenings and, if you need to lower your cholesterol level, work with your healthcare professionals to set up a plan. Reduce your risk of heart attack — take responsibility for managing your cholesterol levels. By lowering your blood cholesterol level, you'll cut your risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke!