How to decrease the risk of heart disease
One major step in reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease is to stop smoking cigarettes! The number of free radicals generated in cigarette smoke is astronomical, extending far beyond the body’s antioxidant mechanisms.
Another important step is lowering your LDL cholesterol. How is this done? First, reduce total caloric intake, decrease saturated fats, and increase unsaturated fats, available in fish such as salmon and tuna.
Next, try to increase your exercise level. Consistent physical activity can lower LDL and increase HDL.
Third, you may need prescribed medication. Niacin, which is not a prescription drug, may be used when other methods fail, but you need 1,000 mg two to three times a day. At this level, it is best to consult your doctor before self-medicating.
Shark liver oil has not been shown to directly lower cholesterol. However, early studies show that alkylglycerols are potent antioxidants. They may protect against damage to heart tissue following a heart attack.
It would take a long-term study to prove that shark liver oil can help prevent cardiovascular disease, but the data on alkylglycerols strongly suggest they may help. Alkylglycerols can be used long term to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
In individuals with heart disease, they may protect against serious complications from heart attacks or heart damage. After a heart attack, the muscles of the heart are badly damaged and undergo a process called ischemia, or lack of oxygen. Ischemic tissue slowly dies if there is no return of oxygen.
However, when oxygen is delivered, it may have both good and bad effects. In the presence of oxygen, the ischemic tissue produces many free radicals that can further damage the heart tissue. Scientific research indicates that alkylglycerols can counteract these free radicals, thus protecting the heart against catastrophe.
We call this process ischemia-reperfusion. It is a serious complication occurring often on the third or fourth day after a heart attack. Even angina attacks can cause mild damage that may be aggravated by concomitant free-radical damage.
Alkylglycerols may help protect you against this occurrence. The key to understanding antioxidants and free radicals is the word “prevention.” If you have a sufficient amount of antioxidants in the body, it will be far easier to stay healthy.
If there was only one reason to take shark liver oil, it would be as an antioxidant, even though the benefits of shark liver oil beyond its antioxidant activity. Let’s look now at the process of aging, and how free radicals trigger the changes usually associated with old age.