Show j I Doctorin Doctor in the Kitchen itchen Sf by Laurence M. M Hursh MD M.D. Consultant National Dairy Council i. i THE RISKS OF HEART DISEASE 1 I 1 1 With Valentines Valentine's Day occurring this week it should be a good time to discuss the heart Besides February is Is' Heart Month But Dut there re Is too much to say for just one short piece so this this' will be of three columns on the subject At the outset it must be said that heart disease is a multiple multiple- cause disease There simply Is no noone noone noone one thing you ou can point to and say that's it As Philadelphia's nutrition researcher David Krit PhD Ph.D. says Heart dis- dis case is a mosaic disease Dr i I Kritchevsky's comment was made madei i at nt a special conference for food I writers held In Chicago last De De- b by the National Dairy Council Risk Factors ugh High blood lipids fat heredity hered bored ity a family history of of heart disease smoking high blood pressure pres sure the dynamics d of how V 10 your blood flows lows through your arteries stress diabetes all these factors foetors fac foe tors are arc among the risks of ef heart disease said Dr KrItchevsky I think for fer every one ene of ef us he continued all of the risk factors are important For Fer some people smoking maybe more mere important important im im- than diet Or heredity may be the most important For other people it may be the other way around To Te expand on en Dr Kritchevsky's II remarks it might be that J I pressure is the tho most important I risk for fer you yeu The thing ilg in tn medicine is that we should Identify the people most susceptible susceptible tible to heart disease and then treat them individually for fer the risks that seem I cant can't agree for fer example that if everybody in America starts changing the fats in their diets for or fear of ef cholesterol that this is going to save many lives You just cant can't prescribe mass-prescribe effect ely tI People are different Which leads me to another statement from the Chicago food writers' writers conference Overweight and the fact that people differ and must be treated individually may be the most important im important factors in heart said disease Dr Robert SLees SLees SLees S. S Lees' Lees of ef Massachusetts Institute of ef Technology Dr Lees also said Only extended trials of diet and drug therapy will tell us with certainty whether such treatment is worthwhile But Dr Le Lees s does dees recommend that the effort be made with persons at high risk and young oung enough to be likely to derive advantage from frem such effort ef ef- fort Obesity Contributes Strongly Dr Lees' Lees main point at the conference con con- conference ference ferenc was that obesity contributes contributes contributes con tributes strongly to high levels' levels of fats in the blood bloed and thus that weight reduction must be the first line of therapy for individuals Individuals physicians believe to be susceptible susceptible sus sus- sus- sus to toa a heart attack More Mora Moreon More lon on on this next week |