Heart valves and inflammation

[mikeccolella]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0720154208.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0425093745.htm

it appears according to this that inflammation is a contributor to heart valve decline. It would also likely be an issue for tissue valves as these are susceptible to chronic inflammation. The current issue also has an interesting article on use of baking soda to reduce the inflammation cascade of rheumatoid arthritis which is strongly associated with heart valve disease. It may sound too simple but they offer a very detailed explanation as to why and how baking soda accomplishes this.

IAC, are you tissue valvers and those trying to avoid surgery paying attention to the inflammation issue in your daily habits?

 

[libra rising]

it appears according to this that inflammation is a contributor to heart valve decline. It would also likely be an issue for tissue valves as these are susceptible to chronic inflammation.

My journey to a better understanding of health matters started in December 2011, when I was pronounced diabetic. Within weeks I switched to a low carb diet, which greatly helped my blood sugar levels.
Since then I've slowly acquired a growing number of health professionals who are brave enough to go against decades old dogma, and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, are not funded by Big Pharma.
What I've learned is that heart disease is caused by chronic inflammation and hyperinsulinemia. This is the position of Dr Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist with a Harley St practice. I could list others who agree.
I've learned that the Cholesterol Hypothesis (aka Diet Heart Hypothesis) is wrong, and that cholesterol is not something to be feared. The best indicator to heart risk from a lipid panel seems to be the trigs/HDL ratio.
I've learned that natural fats are not to be feared, and that saturated fat has been wrongly demonised. So I indulge in full-fat milk, cream, and butter to my heart's content, along with fatty cuts of meat.
it appears that polyunsaturated fats are the real demon, and oxidise easily in the body. Oxidative stress and damage lead to inflammation.

On the hyperinsulinemia front, a diabetic can soon learn that all carbs turn to sugar in the body. Some even raise blood sugar levels faster than sugar itself. In the non-diabetic or pre-diabetic, higher sugar levels trigger higher insulin levels, and increasingly we are being warned this is a problem.

I can look back on my diet pre 2011, and see how it contributed to any heart problems I might currently have.
I've also learned how vitamin/mineral deficiencies have contributed, so currently take D3 (together with K2) and magnesium


So your post makes ultimate sense to me.

Geoff

 

[Paleowoman]

Oh wow Geoff, I too am diabetic and on an extremely low carb diet (30 to 50g carb per day) as per Dr Richard Bernstien who I discovered when first diagnosed 11 years ago. I too follow Dr Aseem Maholtra, plus Dr Malcolm Kendrick re cholesterol - my cholesterol has risen since going low carb but risen because my HDL is amazingly high (3.5 or 135 for our US friends) and my trigs very low (0.4 or 35 in US numbers). The LDL is simply calculated with the Fredewald forumula and incorrect with high HDL and low trigs. This means I don't have high inflammation. I'm especially concerned to keep my blood glucose low as that is the biggest cause of inflammation. My HbA1c is currently 33 (5.2 in US). My endo says my control is "exemplary". I have a very high fat diet too, saturated fats that is. The only polyunsaturated fats I eat are those that are in fish and in nuts, and sometimes a bit of cold olive oil. I cook in coconut oil which is saturated. I too take vitamon K2 and sometimes magnesium (can give upset tummy as I probably get enough with the green veggies I eat). I've been taking D3 for about 10 years which is prescribed by the endo - my level of D is just over 150 nmol/L (60 in US numbers) so that again reduces inflammation. I've had three CD angios over the past nine years and my coronary arteries are completely clear.

I guess, though, that when you have a bicuspid aortic valve the process of calcification/stenosis is different than in degenerative valve disease. We've been unfortuante enough to have been born with a valve which leads to turbulent blood flow due to the smaller valve area caused by having only two cusps, and that turbulent blood flow must be an irritant, for want of a better word, to the area where the valve is and therefore attracts calcification.

 

[libra rising]

I too follow Dr Aseem Maholtra, plus Dr Malcolm Kendrick re cholesterol

What a small world, Anne.
My journey started with Dr Briffa's Escape The Diet Trap where he says "saturated fat is good for you". Nonsense I thought ! That got my research buds going. Gary Taubes soon folowed with his The Diet Delusion (aka Good Calories, Bad Calories). This book can be a bit long and dry and I gather his Why We Get Fat is a better read.
A diabetes forum soon introduced me to Dr Kendrick and other cholesterol sceptics such as Duane Graveline.
There are an increasing numbers of voices joining the call for an abandonment of low fat, questioning the suitability of statins etc. Each with a number of YouTube videos to save on reading time.
Some more modern names I know have introduced others more recenty are Jason Fung, Dr Sikaris and Ivor Cummins

I guess, though, that when you have a bicuspid aortic valve the process of calcification/stenosis is different than in degenerative valve disease. We've been unfortuante enough to have been born with a valve which leads to turbulent blood flow due to the smaller valve area caused by having only two cusps, and that turbulent blood flow must be an irritant, for want of a better word, to the area where the valve is and therefore attracts calcification.

I do not have a BAV. What I currently believe may have largely contributed to my stenosis is my gout. It's not fully proven but they've found a higher prevalence of AS in gout sufferers :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27720853
So figuratively I don't see myself as a car with a dodgy engine, but a car which needs it's fuel pump replacing.
No more car analogies, I promise. You'll only tyre of them ; )

​​​​​​​Geoff

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Geoff - I used to follow Dr Briffa's blog when he had it, not read anything on it lately. And I have Gary Taubes 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' - I read it before the UK version came out - I agree it's a bit dry, but chokablock full of science. Have you read Uffe Ravnkov's books about cholesterol ? And Nina Teicholz 'The Big Fat Surprise' ?

The best book currently out for diabetics, imho, is 'Diabetes Unpacked' by Prof Tim Noakes and Jason Fung.

No more car analogies, I promise. You'll only tyre of them ; )

LOL

 

[Nocturne]

Geoff wrote: “I do not have BAV...”

Uh-oh. Have you had your Lp(a) levels checked?

 

[libra rising]

Geoff wrote: “I do not have BAV...”

Uh-oh. Have you had your Lp(a) levels checked?

"Causes of aortic valve disease

Some of the main causes include:

• senile aortic calcification – where calcium deposits form on the valve as you get older, preventing it from opening and closing properly
• bicuspid aortic valve – a problem present from birth, in which the aortic valve only has two flaps instead of the usual three, which can cause problems as you get older"

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/aortic-valve-replacement/whyitsdone/

I'm not aware I have BAV, but am open to correction. The impression I've got is that you don't live to be 66 without knowing you have it. Not sure I like the use of the term 'senile'

Regarding Lp(a) :
"Lp (a) is not routinely measured in general practice ... The European Atherosclerosis Society currently recommends patients with an intermediate, moderate or high risk of cardiovascular disease should have their Lp (a) levels measured. This should include those with premature cardiovascular disease, familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), family history of premature cardiovascular disease, family history of elevated Lp(a) and those with recurrent cardiovascular disease despite optimum medical treatment."

The catheter lab report from my angiogram reported "Severe AS. Mild CAD", so I don't fall within the above guidelines (assuming mild falls below intermediate). The mild CAD doesn't worry me, as I can attribute it to previous bad diet, particularly during my latter 40s and 50s, when my low thyroid problems surfaced, my GP said that my TSH test showed me to be 'normal' (how wrong they were), and my extreme tiredness caused me to throw all manner of bad food down my throat, in an effort to get some energy. I drank fruit juice by the litre, ate 100 g chocolate bars in the blink of an eye, and emptied tubs of Pringles on my own etc. ALL IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE SOME ENERGY. After my GP told me I was simply getting older.

So no they haven't tested my Lp(a). The most unusual of my tests was a BNP test, where I expected to be questioned on my political affiliation (UK joke).

Geoff (disappointedly senile)

 

[libra rising]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0720154208.htm

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0425093745.htm

The current issue also has an interesting article on use of baking soda to reduce the inflammation cascade of rheumatoid arthritis which is strongly associated with heart valve disease. It may sound too simple but they offer a very detailed explanation as to why and how baking soda accomplishes this.

Mike, I'm sorry if your original post has been slightly derailed.

As a (former?) gout sufferer, I learned to control its recurrence using baking soda, which I routinely take every night before bed (a level teaspoon dissolved in water). My research has often seen its use recommended in all sorts of arthritis, of which gout is one (it can also be called gouty arthritis).
Over acidity in the body is definitely a problem, and baking soda is a useful alkaline buffer. Dr Simoncini uses it in his treatment of cancer
https://natureworksbest.com/dr-tullio-simoncini-sodium-bicarbonate-cancer-treatment/

I suspect more people could benefit from using it.

Geoff

 

[Nocturne]

Geoff,

High Lp(a), particularly that caused by the “G” variant of SNP rs10455872, has been found to be a causal factor for AVS. In fact, that “G” variant is the single most powerful causal genetic factor for AVS that has been found to date. I have two copies of it and was diagnosed with AVS at age 41 — with an otherwise normal aortic valve.

Unfortunately many if not most docs still have their heads up their butts where Lp(a) is concerned. I am not surprised you never had it tested, but I’d recommend you get it checked. There are therapies on the horizon that can lower it by up to 90% (and if you’re a lucky duck like Agian, you might live in a country where you can get a scrip for a PCSK9 inhibitor which can lower it right now).

It’s one test, and it’s better to be informed IMO. They SHOULD be testing evertone’s Lp(a) in their youth, and the fact that we currently do not will be one of the things future docs look back on and cluck their tongues about how the current time was “the dark ages” of cardiovascular medicine.

 

[libra rising]

Thanks for that Nocturne. I will look into that.

Geoff

 

[OldmrWilson]

Another thanks to Nocturne. I have gout occasionally as well as small flare-ups with psoriasis. I will try baking soda.
Wilson

 

[user 16827]

3.5 HDL ? awesome, i was 2.3 last test but 3.5 is fantastic, i don't do envy but if i did ............
i'm on the same page Libra, very similar diet and Vit regime however i add high quality DHA & EPA.
iv'e mentioned this before but to anyone who gets PVC or ectopic beats i personally found a huge improvement
by adding in extra chelated Mag.
Thanks for the baking soda links Mike

 

[Paleowoman]

3.5 HDL ? awesome, i was 2.3 last test but 3.5 is fantastic, i don't do envy but if i did ............

leadville - my HDL started to inch up when eleven years ago I adopted an extremely low carb diet which is high in fats, especially saturated fats. Prior to that on a low fat complex carb diet It was a perfectly ordinary HDL of 1.8 or 2. I once got it up to 3.9 - I'm trying to get it to 4 but it has stubbornly stuck to 3.5 for the past 18 months ! Docs are always astonished but it seems that lowcar/high fat way of eating leads to very good HDL.

 

[Agian]

There are therapies on the horizon that can lower it by up to 90% (and if you’re a lucky duck like Agian, you might live in a country where you can get a scrip for a PCSK9 inhibitor which can lower it right now).

'Lucky duck' rhymes with what I'm usually called, so close enough. I don't get the Repatha for free. I pay out of pocket. I'm sure you could do the same. Agreed, it's not cheap. But I doubt it costs more in the US and A.

 

[cldlhd]

Oh wow Geoff, I too am diabetic and on an extremely low carb diet (30 to 50g carb per day) as per Dr Richard Bernstien who I discovered when first diagnosed 11 years ago. I too follow Dr Aseem Maholtra, plus Dr Malcolm Kendrick re cholesterol - my cholesterol has risen since going low carb but risen because my HDL is amazingly high (3.5 or 135 for our US friends) and my trigs very low (0.4 or 35 in US numbers). The LDL is simply calculated with the Fredewald forumula and incorrect with high HDL and low trigs. This means I don't have high inflammation. I'm especially concerned to keep my blood glucose low as that is the biggest cause of inflammation. My HbA1c is currently 33 (5.2 in US). My endo says my control is "exemplary". I have a very high fat diet too, saturated fats that is. The only polyunsaturated fats I eat are those that are in fish and in nuts, and sometimes a bit of cold olive oil. I cook in coconut oil which is saturated. I too take vitamon K2 and sometimes magnesium (can give upset tummy as I probably get enough with the green veggies I eat). I've been taking D3 for about 10 years which is prescribed by the endo - my level of D is just over 150 nmol/L (60 in US numbers) so that again reduces inflammation. I've had three CD angios over the past nine years and my coronary arteries are completely clear.

I guess, though, that when you have a bicuspid aortic valve the process of calcification/stenosis is different than in degenerative valve disease. We've been unfortuante enough to have been born with a valve which leads to turbulent blood flow due to the smaller valve area caused by having only two cusps, and that turbulent blood flow must be an irritant, for want of a better word, to the area where the valve is and therefore attracts calcification.

So would that restriction in fliw show up in your peak and mean gradients?

 

[Paleowoman]

So would that restriction in fliw show up in your peak and mean gradients?

I think it would. The blood has a smaller aortic orifice to flow through than it would if the valve were a normal tricuspid aortic valve which has a much larger area. My replacement valve has a very small effective orifice area too (0.76cm2) and therefore my mean and peak pressure gradients are already high only four years after AVR - mean 32mmHg, peak 58mmHg.

 

[cldlhd]

I think it would. The blood has a smaller aortic orifice to flow through than it would if the valve were a normal tricuspid aortic valve which has a much larger area. My replacement valve has a very small effective orifice area too (0.76cm2) and therefore my mean and peak pressure gradients are already high only four years after AVR - mean 32mmHg, peak 58mmHg.

Thanks for the info. I haven't had mine meaured for a bit over 2 years but I believe it was pretty low- like 4mmHg mean. Maybe because my bav is a Sievers 0 with 2 equal sized leaflets and no raphe visible.

 

[Nocturne]

'Lucky duck' rhymes with what I'm usually called, so close enough. I don't get the Repatha for free. I pay out of pocket. I'm sure you could do the same. Agreed, it's not cheap. But I doubt it costs more in the US and A.

One dose every two weeks costs over $14,000 per year here in the USA. Are you paying that much?

I think we have discussed this before, and you are not. You do know that the USA is the land of overpriced medicine, right?

 

[Agian]

Well, it's not that much. But you can blame the pharmaceutical company for that. No one cares if we move an embassy either. Especially if Turnbill announces it while Neighbours is playing.

 

[Nocturne]

Well, it's not that much. But you can blame the pharmaceutical company for that. No one cares if we move an embassy either. Especially if Turnbill announces it while Neighbours is playing.

If memory serves, you are paying about $7000 per year - about half what I’’d have to.

American docs won’t even prescribe the stuff unless you have FH and have had a heart attack.

Edit: You’re in the UK, right? It’s UNDER $7000 there:

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150902/NEWS/150909996

You lucky duck. Must be nice.