More Nonsense -- Scientists Now Have Heart Attack Vaccine

Many media outlets are sporting the headline of a new “heart attack jab” that can prevent damages and death caused by heart attacks. This is reminiscent of the headlines that came out in 2010 claiming a flu shot may prevent a heart attack, as both are incredibly misleading.

So what is this new “heart attack” injection all about?

Can an Injection Curb the Damage Caused by Heart Attacks and Strokes?

Researchers at the University of Leicester say they have produced an antibody that can reduce the damage caused by heart attacks and strokes by more than 60 percent when injected even hours after the attack. It works, they say, by stopping the body from attacking oxygen-starved cells, which is the cause of massive inflammation that leads to more than 80 percent of heart attack and stroke-induced damage.

This allows your body’s cells to oxygenate normally in the hours following the attack, thereby preventing much of the damage that would otherwise occur. Heart attacks are responsible for the majority of heart disease deaths, which account for 26% of deaths in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strokes account for nearly 1 in every 17 deaths.

An injection that could help stave off the damage caused by these epidemic conditions sounds like a miracle treatment, and researchers are already claiming it could be “more effective than statins” at lessening the damages caused by cardiovascular disease each year … but is this really a medical breakthrough as it’s being touted?

Vaccines do Not Treat the Underlying Cause of Disease

The purpose of a vaccine is to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease or, in this case, to make your body “immune” to the damage caused by heart attack and stroke.

But although vaccines are often considered to be a form of preventive medicine, the new “heart attack jab” in no way reduces your risk of having a heart attack or stroke -- and that should really be the goal you’re after.

As it stands, instead of working to uncover ways for people to truly reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke damage by not having one in the first place, researchers are working fervently to develop any new profitable vaccine they can think of, including one to prevent addictions.

Even More Ridiculous -- How About a Vaccine to Treat Addictions?

Whereas the heart attack vaccine works by producing an antibody that blocks your body from attacking oxygen-starved cells following a heart attack or stroke, the addiction vaccines in the works involve an antibody that fights addictive-drug molecules and blocks them from triggering your brain’s pleasure centers.

So far the addiction vaccines have been a massive failure, with at least three trials halted due to manufacturing errors or failure to prove effectiveness. But, researchers are still hot on the trail and new trials are currently ongoing.

Unfortunately, although addiction is a serious problem throwing a vaccine at the condition will not address the underlying driving forces causing the addiction any more than the heart attack vaccine will prevent the foundational causes of heart attack and stroke.

Make Yourself “Immune” to Heart Attacks and Strokes by Limiting Fructose

Getting back to the issue of heart attack and strokes, after you have had one taking an injection to help stave off permanent damage may be worth looking into, as at this point you may have nothing to lose. (As an aside, curcumin has also been found to help reduce lasting damage from strokes.)

However, the best solution is to do all you can to avoid being in that dire situation to begin with, and one of the simplest ways to do this is by limiting the amount of fructose you consume.

Fructose is the number one source of calories in the United States, and because it is so cheap it is used in virtually all processed foods. The average person is consuming one-third of a pound of sugar EVERY DAY, which is five ounces or 150 grams, half of which is fructose or 300 percent more than the amount that will trigger biochemical havoc.

And that is the AVERAGE -- many consume more than twice that amount.

You can find a comprehensive overview of why fructose is so damaging to your health here, but for starters we now know that fructose elevates uric acid, which decreases nitric oxide, raises angiotensin, and causes your smooth muscle cells to contract, thereby raising your blood pressure and potentially damaging your kidneys. Increased uric acid also leads to chronic, low-level inflammation, which has far-reaching consequences for your health.

For example, chronically inflamed blood vessels can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

There are more than 3,500 articles to date showing a strong relationship between uric acid and obesity, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, kidney disease, and other conditions. In fact, a number of studies have confirmed that people with elevated serum uric acid are at risk for high blood pressure, even if they otherwise appear to be perfectly healthy.

As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.

But for most people it would also be wise to limit your fructose from fruit to 15 grams or less, as you're virtually guaranteed to consume "hidden" sources of fructose if you drink beverages other than water and eat processed food.

Another Step Toward Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention …

Optimizing your blood level of vitamin D!

In a study presented on November 15 last year at the American Heart Association's (AHA) annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago, it was revealed that vitamin D deficiency doubles your risk of stroke.

This adds weight to research released earlier last year, which found that vitamin D deficiency is associated with arterial stiffness; a risk factor for both heart disease and stroke. A separate study from Finland also found that those with the lowest vitamin D levels had a 25 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or stroke, and when only stroke was evaluated, those with the lowest levels had twice the risk as those with the highest vitamin D levels.

Researchers have also found that people with the lowest average vitamin D levels had a 124 percent greater risk of dying from all causes and a 378 percent greater risk of dying from a heart problem -- so optimizing your levels will keep you out of this risk bracket.

Most Heart Attacks and Strokes are Preventable

Up to 80 percent of strokes are preventable, according to the National Stroke Association, and, conventionally speaking, many of the same risk factors that increase your risk of heart disease and heart attack also increase your risk of stroke. These include factors like:

• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• High triglycerides and elevated homocysteine levels
• Low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol
• Smoking

So, as with heart disease, limiting fructose, eating unprocessed, natural foods, exercising and keeping your weight at a healthy level will help to reduce your risk of stroke. Also high up on the list of keys to preventing a stroke or heart attack is to get a handle on your stress levels as the more stressed you are, the greater your risk.

As an example, a study published in the journal Neurology found that psychological distress will greatly increase your risk of suffering a stroke. The researchers actually found that for every notch lower a person scored on their well-being scale, their risk of stroke increased by 11 percent. Mental stress has also been described as an even stronger indicator of heart attack or other severe heart event than other known risk factors including smoking and diabetes.

So while limiting fructose, optimizing your vitamin D levels and leading a healthy lifestyle with nutritious food and regular exercise are important, you'll want to be sure you tend to your emotional health as well.