Links between diet and Coronary Heart Disease

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Links between diet and Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is a disease of the arteries that causes damage to, or malfunction of, the heart. It is the biggest killer in Britain and is also the most expensive illness in the country.

When atherosclerosis - the accumulation of fatty material, calcium and plaque (which is like a firm shell with a soft inner core containing cholesterol and as blood hits it, the plaque may crack open and expose its inner cholesterol core, which promotes blood clotting) in artery walls - occurs in the lining of the coronary arteries they become narrow, restricting the flow of blood. Because of this, the heart has to work harder to force blood through the coronary arteries and this can cause blood pressure to rise. It also makes it harder to get oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle.

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There are three forms of coronary heart disease:

  • Angina pectoris – This causes great pain in the chest when exercising, but goes when resting. The pain is causes by a severe shortage of blood to the heart muscle.
  • Heart attack – (Also known as myocardial infraction). This is when a large branch of the coronary artery is blocked by a blood clot which causes a severe shortage of oxygen to part of the heart muscle, which therefore dies. This causes sudden and severe pain and could be fatal unless treated immediately.
  • Heart ...

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