Blood Viscosity: A Major Player in Heart Disease

(And what you can do about it)

Anthony G. Payne, Ph.D.

One of the lynchpins of the plague-building process in people is blood viscosity. When blood is viscous -- think of Karo syrup or "grade D motor sludge" -- it damages blood vessel walls. The cells that line damaged arteries and veins will attempt to adapt to the assault and offset the impact by actually building up plague ("Atheromas" in medical parlance). This, at least, is the contention of researcher Kenneth Kensey, MD of Rheologics, Inc. (RHEOLOGICS). Dr. Kensey's contentions are well argued, supported by lots of data, and are logical and forthright.

If you smoke, have high blood pressure, are diabetic, drink excessively, do drugs, have a high homocysteine level, etc. -- guess what? Major players in increasing blood viscosity like fibrinogen and hematocrit go up! As does the risk of developing significant blockage in circulatory vessels that are get the blunt of the movement ("shear stress) of this sticky, viscous blood.

Since heart disease is the #1 killer of adult Americans, it follows that a lot of us are walking around with "grade D motor sludge" in our circulatory systems. How can this viscosity be reduced so that the damage will slow or stop -- if not reverse?

Here are some of the things high risk people can do:

If your LDL ("bad cholesterol") level is high, work with your MD or DO and/or an RD to reduce this. Also check out Adaptrin, an herbal blend that has been shown to lower serum lipids and impact peripheral artery disease in five (5) separate double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trials. The Adaptrin blend is approved in Switzerland by the Swiss equivalent of the FDA for use in treating periperhal arterial occlusive disease (PAOD).

If your triglycerides or fibrinogen are high, ask your MD or DO about slow release niacin or other approaches to reducing this. Also take a look at the herbal drug Adaptrin.

Consider taking coenzyme-Q10, as this has been shown to lower blood viscosity. This said, make sure to scout of a form that is optimally absorbed and utilized.

If you are obese, get the excess weight off slowly under medical supervision ("The Paleodiet" is highly recommended, as is anthropologist Dr. Loren Cordain's highly informative book, “The Paleodiet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat”)

If you smoke or use tobacco in any form, you should stop.

If you drink excessively, you should curtail your intake or stop. Take a look at the HBO documentary titled “ADDICTION” for some cogent medical help pointers.

Check out any drugs you take with a physician or pharmacist concerning their impact on blood viscosity. If you are taking or using a drug that increases blood viscosity, then see if any alternatives exist and look into switching to this (or them).

Take a B multiple. This will help the body deal with artery-damaging homocysteine.

Take a comprehensive or full-spectrum antioxidant supplement (Antioxidants help the body deal with the cell damaging free radicals generated by viscous blood). As an alternative to popping pills or tablets, look into the many drink powders on the market that furnish a wealth of food-derived antioxidants.

Eat food low in saturated fat. Favor omega-3 rich foods over those high in omega 6 fatty acids (Check out the PALEODIET )

If you are diabetic, keep your condition under control and ask your doctor about L-Carnosine and other protective compounds.

Clean up dental infections and inflammation in the body (Make sure your MD or DO monitors your serum C-reactive protein level).

If you are stressed out or depressed, consider stress management courses and/or Cognitive Therapy.

Note: Dr. Payne has no financial interest in Adaptrin or Pacific BioLogic.

Kato T, Yoneda S, et al, ‘Reduction in blood viscosity by treatment with coenzyme Q10 in patients with ischemic heart disease,’ Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 1990 Mar;28(3):123-6.

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