Words a person never wants to hear are “you have multiple sclerosis (MS).” It’s bad enough living with MS symptoms. But, there’s another symptom you may not be aware of and that is “heart disease.” Having MS increases your risk by 28% for heart disease.
Why is this?
Unfortunately, they don’t know. Maybe it’s because heart disease and MS share similar health risks. Such as obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking.
American Heart Month
February is American Heart Month to help bring awareness to cardiovascular disease. The first Friday in February is National Wear Red Day®.
Heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions. In the U.S. the leading cause of death is heart disease. Heart disease is also known as a silent killer because a person may not know they have it.
They used to believe women didn’t have heart attacks. But, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
Women often experience symptoms differently compared to men. While chest pain is a main sign for men it is less common for women. Doctors are more likely to tell their female patients that their symptoms are not heart-related.
Older studies for heart disease were always on men. Pharmaceutical companies used these studies to create heart medication. Unfortunately, they don’t always work as well for women. Women have a greater risk of dying after a year of having a heart attack.
Men with MS have a greater risk for heart disease than men without MS. Women with MS have an even greater risk than women without MS.
MS and Heart Attacks
People with MS have a shorter life expectancy compared to the general population. Studies found this is due to cardiovascular disease. Having MS puts you at a three times higher risk of mortality from a heart attack.
This is why you need to understand how important it is to take care of your heart. Researchers don’t know why having MS puts a person at a higher risk or why this even happens.
Risk factors for heart disease:
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Poor diet (refined sugar and carbs, salt, saturated fats, trans fats)
- Lack of exercise
- Overweight
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Age
I was very surprised when my blood test showed I had high cholesterol. In the past, I’ve always had good cholesterol, I ate healthily, didn’t drink, wasn’t overweight, and exercised.
Yes, I was getting older but not every older person has heart disease. So why was my cholesterol high?
The only thing I could figure out that was causing my high cholesterol was my diet.
Saturated fats come from tropical fruit like coconut. Also, animal sources like dairy and meat. I didn’t consume tropical fruit because I believed the high sugar fed Candida. (This theory is now wrong.) And I didn’t consume any coconut because it showed up on my food sensitivity test as you can see below.
The only saturated fats I ate were from animal proteins. Mainly chicken and wild-caught fish. I did eat red meat but only occasionally, about 2-3 times a month.
That’s when I decided to cut out animal fats and only eat a plant-based diet.
Fats In The Blood
Lipids are fats found in the blood, which include cholesterol and triglycerides. Your body needs small amounts of lipids to work normally. High amounts of lipids can cause fat deposits in the artery walls.
Cholesterol is the main lipid. HDL cholesterol is good, think of “H” for healthy. LDL cholesterol is bad and can lead to heart disease. Triglycerides come from food and are a good source of energy.
But, sometimes too much of a good thing is bad. Obviously, too much LDL is bad but so is too much HDL and triglycerides. One study found people who had high HDL cholesterol were nearly 50% more likely to have a heart attack.
Healthy lipid levels:
- Total cholesterol = less than 200
- HDL cholesterol = 40 or higher
- LDL cholesterol = less than 100
- Triglycerides = less than 150
Most people have high lipid levels in their blood because they eat too much fat. People on a healthy diet can eat too many eggs and animal fats. Even on a vegan diet people can eat too many fats such as avocados, chia seeds, and nuts.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Eating a healthy diet is important for heart disease and to help manage MS symptoms. Your first step to eating healthy is to remove dairy and gluten (for gut health).
Studies found areas that consumed more dairy had higher rates of MS. And, women who consumed more cow’s milk had more MS flares.
By removing dairy from your diet you already lowered your fats. Now, work on lowering your fat intake.
Eating more fruits and vegetables lowers the fat in your blood. And eating fewer fats helps to thin out the blood making it easier for your heart to pump. This reduces the risk of heart disease.
Fruits and vegetables also provide antioxidants that protect the heart. Antioxidants also protect you from free radicals which cause damage to cells.
Choose foods such as:
- Apricots
- Asparagus
- Berries
- Broccoli
- Cherries
- Kale
- Leafy greens
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Squash
- Watermelon
- Wild blueberries
- Zucchini
Vitamins and Minerals
Our body uses small amounts of salt also known as sodium. It helps maintain fluid and blood volume. Minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium produce a healthier heart.
Omega-3s are critical for a healthy heart and a healthy nervous system. Here is a plant-based omega-3 supplement I use: Vegan EPA/DHA
You can get omega-3s from:
- Chia seeds
- Fatty fish such as salmon and sardines
- Flaxseeds
- Walnuts
Studies found curcumin is a powerful spice that reduces the risk of heart disease. Curcumin helps lower chronic inflammation and fights cancer. Here is a vegetarian capsule I use: Curcumin with Turmeric
Vitamin C is another good supplement for heart disease. Studies found the more vitamin C a person took the lower the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Benefits of vitamin C include:
- Increases your immune system
- Increases brain function
- Fights the Epstein-Barr virus
Here is the vitamin C supplement I use: Micro-C
Heart Disease and MS
Having MS increases your risk for heart disease. It is important to eat a healthy diet with lower fats and live a healthy lifestyle. If you smoke stop, get plenty of sleep, lower your stress, and exercise.
I like to use an online gym for MS called OptimalBody Personal Fitness. The owner also has MS so he knows what works for strength and mobility. There are exercises for any level of MS including for people in wheelchairs.
There’s no need for expensive weight equipment. It uses resistance bands like these: Resistance Bands Set 17pcs
Don’t do strenuous exercises that can only further damage your heart. Moderate exercises like walking keep you strong, mobile, and heart-healthy.
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Photos courtesy of pixels.com, pixjumbo.com, and pixabay.com.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5394435/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761826/
MS and Heart Disease
