Probably everyone has heard of blood clots and thrombosis, but not everyone realizes how dangerous they can be. A blood clot is responsible for the development of such fatal diseases as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke.
Cardiologists blame cholesterol for all the problems. Heart attacks are thought to be caused by heart rhythm disorders that are caused by narrowing of the arteries as a result of the accumulation of cholesterol plaques.
But recent scientific evidence suggests that a person does not die from cholesterol. It can be killed by a blood clot that forms a cholesterol plaque in the arteries.
Thrombus formation
Blood thrombosis is probably the only serious symptom that determines whether you will have a heart attack, stroke or damage to blood vessels. The degree of danger is determined by thrombotic factors: blood viscosity, density and stickiness, tendency to form blood clots and their growth.
All of these factors are largely determined by diet. One of them is how many platelets (the smallest blood cells) tend to accumulate, form blood clots and stick to the walls of blood vessels.
Another factor is the amount of fibrinogen, a protein that is a crude suspension for blood clots. High levels of fibrinogen in the blood are the most important sign of heart disease and heart attacks.
An important role is played by the fibrinolytic system, which destroys and dissolves unnecessary and dangerous blood clots. The degree to which this system is active, as well as the level of fibrinogen, are important determinants of heart disease, says Dr. Victor Gurevich, a Harvard cardiologist.
Experiments confirm the main effect of nutrition on the development of heart disease and the relationship with thrombotic factors, not with cholesterol in the blood.
Effect of nutrition on the process of thrombosis
Doctors always warn patients not to take aspirin before surgery. They are afraid of “thinning of the blood”, deterioration of its coagulation. The blood must thicken quickly to cover the wound made with a scalpel.
But does the surgeon tell you not to eat Chinese food before the operation? Or avoid large doses of ginger, garlic, black mushrooms and oily fish such as salmon and sardines?
The fact is that all these products are also anticoagulants that can drastically reduce blood clotting, they have the same biological mechanism as that of aspirin.
Such products block the action of a substance called thromboxane, which increases the ability of lamellar blood cells to combine into a single thrombus-forming element and close the damaged vessel wall.
Fatty foods, such as cheese and steaks, make the blood thicker because their platelets are more sticky and easier to collect and form blood clots.
In addition, some foods increase or decrease the level of fibrinogen, which plays an important role in the formation of blood clots, and also accelerates or slows down the processes of dissolution of blood clots.
There are also products that affect the viscosity and conductivity of the blood, contribute to or prevent the formation of blood clots, causing blockage of blood vessels in the heart, brain, legs and lungs.
Products that prevent blood clots
Garlic
Eric Block, a professor of chemistry at New York University, believes that garlic achon isolated from garlic is a substance with the same effect as the anticoagulant of aspirin, or even superior to it.
Ahon got its name from the Spanish ajo – “garlic” is a substance containing sulfur, which is formed within minutes after cutting or crushing garlic.
Achon is involved in lowering cholesterol and preventing blood clots. Here are some tricks that will help you get more ahon than garlic.
Do not cut the garlic, but crush it. This releases enzymes and allicin. Lightly fry the garlic. High temperature treatment also helps. Add garlic to tomatoes or add it to other sour foods. Even a small amount of acid contributes to the release of achones.
In addition, many achones are released when crushed garlic is mixed with feta cheese and olive oil (this is a well-known Greek medicine for heart disease).
Bow
Onions have a truly amazing ability to counteract the thrombogenic effect of fatty foods. Researchers from the Medical College of India conducted an experiment: first they gave the participants a very fatty food with butter and cream and found that the body’s ability to dissolve blood clots was sharply reduced.
Then they gave the same dinner, this time with the addition of 60 grams of onions – raw, boiled or roasted. Blood tests a few hours later showed that the onion completely blocked the harmful effects of fatty foods. For this, less than half a cup of onions was enough.
Conclusion: If you eat fatty foods, do not forget about onions. A little onion in a hamburger, omelet or pizza can neutralize the thrombogenic properties of these fatty foods.
Fish
Because blood clots cause 80% of strokes, oily fish will help protect you because it acts as a weak anticoagulant that slows down blood clots.
Paul Nestel, head of the Human Nutrition Research Center in Australia, and his colleagues found that about 150 grams of salmon or sardines a day reduced the level of dangerous fibrinogen by an average of 16% and increased bleeding time by 11%.
Similar results were obtained by researchers at Harvard. They suggest that eating 195 g of canned tuna can dilute the blood no less effectively than aspirin.
When you eat oily fish, your platelets release much less thromboxane, which gives them the command to assemble.
Conclusion: The antithrombotic effect can be achieved by consuming about 105 grams of oily fish (mackerel, herring, salmon and sardines) or about 180 g of canned tuna.
Red wine
Dr. John Foltz of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine has found that using two and a half glasses of red wine reduces platelet stickiness, and hence the ability to form life-threatening blood clots.
Red grape juice also helps, but it takes three times longer to achieve the same effect. Researchers at Cornell University have suggested that the main active ingredient in wine in this case is resveratrol, which is found in the skin of grapes. Every time a fungal infection enters the grapes, the fruit is protected and secretes the natural pesticide resveratrol, just as the human body produces antibodies to fight infections. If you drink red grape juice or red wine, you are taking a certain amount of resveratrol in your body, says Dr. Leroy Chrissis, a professor at Cornell University College of Agriculture. A high concentration of this substance was found in red wine, but not in white. Here’s how to explain it: in red wine production, pressed grapes ferment together with the skin, and in white wine production, the grapes are pressed and the rind rich in resveratrol is discarded.
Conclusion: Regular consumption of red wine in moderation with food obviously contributes to antithrombotic processes and prevents heart disease. This means that women should drink a glass and men – two glasses of wine a day.
Tea
Tea really protects the arteries from blood clots. Researchers at Japan’s Central Research Institute in Ito note that a type of tannin called catechin found in green tea suppresses platelet aggregation no less actively than aspirin.
In addition, tea slows down the formation of bad cholesterol on smooth muscles on the walls of the arteries. This reproduction promotes the appearance of arterial plaques.
Vegetables
Those who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables are better able to deal with the problem of blood clots, according to a Swedish study of 260 middle-aged patients. Other studies show that vitamin C and fiber, concentrated in vegetables and fruits, stimulate the process of dissolving blood clots and help slow the accumulation of platelets. In addition, the lowest level of fibrinogen, causing blood clots, is observed in vegetarians, especially those who do not eat any animal products, including eggs and milk. Probably the reason is that fruits and vegetables contain substances that lower fibrinogen levels, while animal fats and cholesterol increase it.
Cayenne pepper
Chili pepper – an excellent remedy for blood clots. Proof of this comes from Thailand, where people regularly eat hot pepper as a spice. Hot pepper contains vitamins A and E, potassium and folic acid, which perfectly dilute the blood. Hematologist Sukon Visudhifan from Bangkok believes that red pepper clears the blood of blood clots and therefore Thais suffer much less from clogged arteries.
Other spices
To protect against malignant blood clots, other spices will help. Krishna Srivastava of the University of Auden in Denmark studied eleven types of spices and found that seven of them inhibited platelet aggregation.
The strongest are cloves, ginger, cumin and turmeric. “Cloves are more effective than aspirin in this regard,” says Dr. Srivastava. The main active substance in cloves is most likely eugenol, which reduces the production of thromboxane.
The substances in ginger, according to Dr. Srivastava, inhibit prostaglandin synthesis more effectively than the potent indomethacin. If you are taking anticoagulants, consult a doctor before adding a large amount of blood-thinning ginger to your diet.
Chinese black mushrooms
To prevent blood clots from forming, fill the blood with a medicine made from an Asian black fungus called “plague” or “wood ear.”
These mushrooms are well known in Chinese medicine for their positive effects on the blood. It turns out that black mushrooms (but not all, namely Chinese) contain a number of blood-thinning components, including adenosine, which is also found in garlic and onions.
The presence of such a large number of blood thinners in the diet of the Chinese – garlic, onions, black mushrooms and ginger – may explain why the representatives of this people so rarely suffer from coronary artery disease.
Olive oil
In addition to all the other benefits, olive oil even reduces the stickiness of platelets, which may explain the benefits for the arteries.
For example, British researchers from a medical school in London asked volunteers to take three-quarters of a tablespoon of olive oil twice a day for eight weeks in addition to a normal diet.
The ability of platelets to accumulate has decreased dramatically. The researchers concluded that olive oil is good for platelet counts, adding that this explains why people in the Mediterranean who consume a lot of olive oil suffer less from heart disease.
It should be remembered that it is important to reduce the intake of foods rich in vitamin K, as they contribute to blood coagulation. Among them in the first place are the fruits of chokeberry.
There is vitamin K in spinach, lettuce and other green foods. If you have thick blood, you should keep in mind that foods rich in vitamin K make it even thicker.
A diet aimed at fighting blood clots is perhaps the most important measure we need to take to prevent heart disease and stroke, which is even more important than controlling cholesterol.
Nutrition for the prevention of heart disease
Eat oily fish, garlic, onions and ginger and drink red wine (in moderation). All this dilutes the blood and prevents the formation of blood clots.
Limit the use of fats, especially saturated animals and plant polyunsaturated types of omega-6.
Try to use at the same time with food that contributes to the formation of blood clots, foods that prevent their occurrence.
If you are taking anticoagulants, suffering from bleeding or your loved ones have had a stroke, you should eat food that dilutes the blood in moderation. If you are worried, ask your doctor to check if your blood coagulates normally, writes zdrave.to.
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