How Antioxidants Protects -

The Menace Of Atherosclerosis

There are several disease of arteries, but there is one beside which all the others pale into insignificance. This disease is very common and it is called 'atherosclerosis'. ( Note that this is not the same as the old-fashioned term 'arteriosclerosis' which was inaccurate and has now been almost completely abandoned.) atherosclerosis affects almost everyone in the Western world. It begins in childhood and, in most cases, progresses very slowly throughout life. The degree to which it progresses matters a great deal, for the very simple reason that advanced atherosclerosis furs up the affected artery and reduces the amount of blood that can get through it. If the blood flow is seriously restricted in the arteries, the organs or parts they supply will suffer disorder or malfunction. If the organ is the heart and the narrowing is excessive, the result is a heart attack, possibly death; if it is the brain, the result is a stroke; if it is a leg, the result is gangrene.

Atherosclerosis affects certain arteries more often than others and is particularly liable to occur in those supplying the heart, the brain and the legs. But it can affect almost any arteries and can lead to dire consequences to the eyes, the kidneys, the intestines, some of the endocrine glands and other parts of the body. Atherosclerosis kills more people than any other single disease or cause. It also has a devastating effect on the quality of life of millions, crippling them with angina pectoris and agonizing leg pain on walking and, in other cases, causing progressive and distressing dementia.

Although we have known for years that there is a relationship between diet and atherosclerosis, it is only recently that it has become apparent that the actual damage to the artery that leads to the dangerous narrowing is caused by free radicals.