Syndrome X (eBook)

Overcoming the Silent Killer that Can Give You a Heart Attack

Barry Fox, Gerald Reaven, Terry Kirsten Strom (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2002 | 1. Auflage
288 Seiten
Simon & Schuster (Verlag)
978-0-7432-1899-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Millions of Americans follow the 'best' medical advice every day to prevent heart attacks -- eating the standard low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet so widely recommended by doctors -- but in fact they are placing themselves at greater risk for heart disease. In Syndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer That Can Give You a Heart Attack, Dr. Gerald Reaven, the world-renowned physician who identified and named this silent killer, explains why the standard heart-healthy diet can be dangerous and lays out a simple six-step program to reduce the risk of heart disease for everyone.
The problem stems from a little-known cluster of metabolic abnormalities known as Syndrome X. The insulin resistance that lies at the heart of the syndrome can turn normal rules of good health upside down and dramatically increase the risk of heart disease. Fortunately, Syndrome X can be cured.
This important book explains how to identify the disorder and provides a program of diet and exercise (plus medication when necessary) that can render Syndrome X harmless. Tested in carefully controlled research settings and in practice, this remarkable new approach has the ability to reduce the risk of heart attacks and heart disease for all of us.
Dr. Reaven shows how eating a diet relatively high in 'good' fats (40 percent of calories) can dramatically lower the risk of heart disease if you have Syndrome X. The approach seems paradoxical: Everyone 'knows' that fat is bad, so how can more fat possibly lead to better health? The answer lies in the type of fat and the body chemistry of the people who consume it. If you have the abnormal metabolism called Syndrome X, eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to lower your LDL and blood fats won't protect you. In fact, doing so will increase the odds of heart disease.
Millions of Americans have the potentially deadly, yet easily identifiable signs of Syndrome X -- but few cases are detected in time, because most physicians don't know what to look for. This trailblazing book will change that, making doctors and patients aware of the problem -- and its easy solution, an integrated program of diet and exercise that simultaneously reduces all the risk factors for heart disease, including Syndrome X.
Dr. Reaven's discovery of Syndrome X has shown us that the standard approach to preventing heart disease is dangerous for many of us. Now, his safe, proven new approach explains how millions can drastically reduce their risk of heart disease. His program works not only for those who have Syndrome X, but also for anyone who simply wants to reduce the risk of heart disease.

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Millions of Americans follow the "e;best"e; medical advice every day to prevent heart attacks -- eating the standard low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet so widely recommended by doctors -- but in fact they are placing themselves at greater risk for heart disease. In Syndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer That Can Give You a Heart Attack, Dr. Gerald Reaven, the world-renowned physician who identified and named this silent killer, explains why the standard heart-healthy diet can be dangerous and lays out a simple six-step program to reduce the risk of heart disease for everyone. The problem stems from a little-known cluster of metabolic abnormalities known as Syndrome X. The insulin resistance that lies at the heart of the syndrome can turn normal rules of good health upside down and dramatically increase the risk of heart disease. Fortunately, Syndrome X can be cured. This important book explains how to identify the disorder and provides a program of diet and exercise (plus medication when necessary) that can render Syndrome X harmless. Tested in carefully controlled research settings and in practice, this remarkable new approach has the ability to reduce the risk of heart attacks and heart disease for all of us. Dr. Reaven shows how eating a diet relatively high in "e;good"e; fats (40 percent of calories) can dramatically lower the risk of heart disease if you have Syndrome X. The approach seems paradoxical: Everyone "e;knows"e; that fat is bad, so how can more fat possibly lead to better health? The answer lies in the type of fat and the body chemistry of the people who consume it. If you have the abnormal metabolism called Syndrome X, eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to lower your LDL and blood fats won't protect you. In fact, doing so will increase the odds of heart disease. Millions of Americans have the potentially deadly, yet easily identifiable signs of Syndrome X -- but few cases are detected in time, because most physicians don't know what to look for. This trailblazing book will change that, making doctors and patients aware of the problem -- and its easy solution, an integrated program of diet and exercise that simultaneously reduces all the risk factors for heart disease, including Syndrome X. Dr. Reaven's discovery of Syndrome X has shown us that the standard approach to preventing heart disease is dangerous for many of us. Now, his safe, proven new approach explains how millions can drastically reduce their risk of heart disease. His program works not only for those who have Syndrome X, but also for anyone who simply wants to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Textauszug

Chapter One: The 'Unknown' Heart Slayer Bob's life began to unravel one night after he and his wife, Eleanor, finished a healthy, home-cooked dinner consisting of fresh sea bass, spinach salad, baked potato and asparagus tips, topped off with low-fat carrot cake to celebrate Bob's fifty-eighth birthday. Fish, vegetables and low-fat dressing on the salad: just the low-fat diet the doctor recommended. Later that evening Bob took the couple's terrier, Cargo, out for an evening stroll. The birthday boy was looking forward to breathing in the crisp San Francisco air, but he also felt a little tired. And as he and Cargo headed toward the park he began to feel a slight pressure in his chest, right beneath his breastbone. Thinking it might be indigestion, Bob forced a burp to relieve the discomfort. Later, at the park, Bob was still aware of the uncomfortable heaviness in his chest. He had suffered from indigestion before, but this sensation was somehow different and frightening. Unwilling to admit that he was scared or that the nagging pressure was growing worse, he decided to wait it out. Eleanor peered over her magazine when Bob came back. 'You look a little tired,' she said. 'Why don't we both turn in for the night?' 'I'm OK,' he replied. 'You go ahead. I just need to belch but can't quite make it. I think I'll take something to settle my stomach. As soon as it goes away, I'll be in.' Quickly downing a bromide, Bob sat down on the couch with a newspaper. Within a few minutes he felt a thin layer of perspiration on his forehead. As he drew his handkerchief across his forehead, he thought about his father's fatal heart attack at age sixty-one. It came as a complete surprise to the family because his father had no history of heart problems. Two years later, his father's brother Roy suffered a mild heart attack, living only four more years before dying of a second attack in his sleep. Fighting back his anxiety, Bob tried to reassure himself. 'I hardly eat any saturated fat,' he thought, 'My cholesterol is low, I haven't smoked in years. I could lose a little weight, and my blood pressure may be a little high, but overall I'm in good shape.' He settled back with his newspaper, but the feeling of pressure in his chest was getting worse, and his growing sense of fear made it hard to concentrate. Finally, a few minutes after midnight he went into the bedroom. 'Eleanor,' he said, grim faced, 'I know this sounds crazy, but I think I'm having a heart attack.' Instantly awake, Eleanor bolted upright. She gasped when she saw Bob standing by the side of the bed, pale as gray-tinged ice. In the emergency room, a physician questioned and examined the frightened man, then ordered an electrocardiogram and a blood sample. Although the tests were inconclusive (several hours may pass before tests can confirm a heart attack), the doctor kept Bob in the coronary care unit overnight to monitor his heart, and repeated the tests in the morning. Then Bob received the terrifying news: he had indeed suffered a heart attack. No longer fearful, Bob was incredulous -- and angry. 'Maybe I don't exercise enough and I've gained a few pounds, but I religiously follow a low-fat diet. How could I have had a heart attack?' The doctor could only shrug, saying, 'I really don't know. Some people, lots of them, eat what should be healthy diets and have normal cholesterols, but still have heart attacks.' Neither the patient, his wife nor his doctor knew that Bob was a victim of Syndrome X, a silent condition that often triggers 'the heart attack that shouldn't have happened.' The 'Unknown' Problem with a Paradoxical Solution There's good news and bad...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 28.2.2002
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie
• Themenwelt: Medizinische Fachgebiete ► Innere Medizin ► Kardiologie / Angiologie
• Themenwelt: Studium ► Querschnittsbereiche ► Prävention / Gesundheitsförderung
• ISBN-10: 0-7432-1899-X / 074321899X
• ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-1899-3 / 9780743218993