Search -
Cardiovascular Health: How Conventional Wisdom is Failing Us
Cardiovascular Health How Conventional Wisdom is Failing Us Author:Jay N. Cohn Many of know someone who has suffered from heart disease, hypertension, or related cardiovascular issues. Here, a renowned cardiologist describes the biological processes leading to heart and blood vessel disease, challenging the conventional view that poor diet and lack of exercise are the culprits. Exploring the various risk factors that peopl... more »e most often associate with these diseases, Cohn reveals their true role in affecting cardiovascular health. The author further questions the current emphasis on population intervention to reduce risk rather than individualized health care, since individual variability makes some approaches good for some, but not for all. He argues further that inherited genomic factors are the dominant cause of premature disease development and progression. Although diet and exercise may modestly slow disease progression, the secret to life prolongation, he contests, is the prescription of drugs that slow the biological processes that accelerate the development of artery and heart disease. These pharmacologic agents lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol, but their main effect is to slow progression of disease even in those whose blood pressure and cholesterol levels are not elevated. He offers strategies for identifying and treating these early abnormalities is described, and provides guidance on early warning signs as well as lifestyle changes that may be beneficial.« less