Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

What are the functions of antioxidants? Antioxidants protect various compounds in the body from damage by some very active forms of oxygen, produced by various chemical reactions necessary to maintain body functions. Antioxidants protect cells exposed to toxic environmental factors, such as cigarette smoke, that cause cell damage, damage that can, in turn, contribute to the onset or progression of many diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Should I take vitamin E to protect my heart? In nature’s design, this vitamin is actually a group of substances called tocopherols. They are found in abundance in plant foods high in the good fats almonds, wheat germ, whole grains, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, and in cold pressed or minimally processed vegetableoils . Vitamin E and other tocopherols are powerful antioxidants, as well as vitamins. Like other antioxidants, they protect unsaturated fats from being damaged by oxygen. In humans, they help to protect against cell damage an...

Yes. During a heart attack, some heart muscle cells that lack sufficient blood and oxygen become damaged, releasing various enzymes into the bloodstream. A blood sample may be drawn every few hours to look for these enzymes as one way to diagnose whether a heart attack has occurred and how much muscle has been damaged. After a heart attack, your physician will always take blood samples to measure blood cholesterol and fractions of blood cholesterol. These tests can reveal your level of risk of developing a future heart attack. These fractions include measures of highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), often called the “good” cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), often called the “bad” cholesterol. Levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) are often measured at the same time.

Oral contraceptives pose a risk for heart disease because they raise slightly the level of LDL cholesterol while at the same time lowering the level of HDL. However, among nonsmoking women under forty who take birth control pills, there is only a slight increase in the risk of heart disease. But when women in the same age group smoke, are overweight, and take birth control pills, they are about five times more likely to suffer a heart attack.