Angina

One third of Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease with approximately 7.8 million Americans experiencing angina to some degree. Among Americans ages 40-74, the prevalence of angina was higher among women than men.¹

Typical angina symptoms include chest pain with exertion or emotional/physical stress. It can occur in the chest, neck, lower jaw, and down the left arm. The pain is usually described as discomfort more than pain but may be characterized as tightness, squeezing, constriction, pressure, heavy weight on chest, and even heartburn. It may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, indigestion, sweating, dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath. Resting, sitting up, and/or use of anti-anginal medications usually alleviates the pain and accompanying symptoms. Unstable angina is chest pain that occurs at rest. This is usually an alarming symptom that needs immediate evaluation.

Angina is caused by atherosclerosis and inflammation of the heart’s blood vessels. Causes of cardiovascular disease are the same causes of angina. The primary causes are modern eating habits, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle. The Standard American Diet leads to a constellation of dietary-caused risk factors including being overweight, diabetes/insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and inflammation. The key to reversal of angina and lowering one’s risk of cardiovascular disease is a high nutrient, whole food, vegan or flexitarian-based diet plan that I call a Nutritarian diet.

Diet

• I have been treating patients with advanced heart disease for over 25 years, with spectacular results. Not only high blood pressure and cholesterol, but also coronary artery disease is routinely reversed in a reasonable time frame eliminating chest pain (angina) and enabling the avoidance of angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery.
• The most aggressive and effective approach to reversing atherosclerosis is described in my book, The End of Heart Disease. It describes a micronutrient dense diet with an array of cruciferous vegetables, non-green vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts, and seeds. This will reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerotic plaque formation in the blood vessels.
• Patients with diagnosed heart disease should avoid animal products altogether, as these can promote inflammation leading to damaged blood vessels. 
• Avoid high glycemic foods, salt, and all processed foods, refined carbohydrates, oils, dairy, sugar, sodas, fruit drinks, white rice, white potatoes, white flour, and wheat flour (except for 100% whole grains).
• Nuts and seeds should be eaten daily because of their benefits for cardiovascular health.^{1, 2}
• If you have a chronic disease or if you are taking any medication, please talk to your doctor before and after changing your diet, as reducing medication may be necessary. A Nutritarian diet is so effective at lowering blood pressure and blood glucose that a reduction in medications will most often be needed to prevent the risks of over-medicating.
• Meal plan: Cardiovascular disease reversal

Supplements

• Dr. Fuhrman’s general supplement protocol for adults (see Vitamin Advisor for details) includes:
  • Multivitamin (without beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, folic acid, copper), such as Women’s Daily Formula +D3, Men’s Daily Formula +D3, or Gentle Care Formula.
  • Omega-3 DHA and EPA, such as DHA+EPA Purity.
  • Optional: Consider adding a mixed mushroom immune supplement, such as Immune Biotect, because of the potential immune system benefits throughout life from assorted mushroom phytochemicals not normally consumed in the diet.
• Additional supplements:
  • LDL Biotect contains plant sterols, which have been extensively researched and are FDA approved for lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease.*

Exercise

Increasing exercise tolerance can lower oxygen requirement, improving angina symptoms. It also improves the risk factors associated with CVD, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.¹

Read

• The End of Heart Disease
• Study: Improved Cardiovascular Parameters With a Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Rich Diet-Style: A Patient Survey With Illustrative Cases
  • Published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine in 2015, this study demonstrated dramatic improvements in cardiovascular risk factors in response to a Nutritarian diet, and includes case histories documenting reversal of coronary artery disease.⁴

Other considerations

• Tobacco cessation lowers the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in smokers with and without coronary heart disease.² Avoiding the chronic ingestion of stimulants like caffeine, decongestants, amphetamines, and cocaine can lower the risk of experiencing angina.
• Emotional distress can provoke angina, so stress reduction can help relieve symptoms.