Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body.

Healthy arteries are flexible, strong and elastic. Over time, however, too much pressure in your arteries can make the walls thick and stiff — sometimes restricting blood flow to your organs and tissues.

This process is arteriosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries, is a chronic disease characterized by abnormal thickening and hardening of the walls of arteries, with a resulting loss of elasticity. The major form of arteriosclerosis is atherosclerosis, in which plaques of fatty deposits, or atheromas, form on the inner walls of the arteries

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When arteries leading to your limbs are affected, you may develop circulation problems in your arms and legs called peripheral arterial disease.

When arteries to your heart are affected, you may have coronary artery disease, chest pain (angina) or a heart attack.

When arteries supplying blood to your brain are affected, you could have a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke.

Atherosclerosis can also lead to a bulge in the wall of your artery (aneurysm).

The process of atheroscleroses is chipping away fat against the wall of our arteries. This makes the cavity narrower. Cholesterol, nicotine, high levels of blood sugar, high levels of the mineral sodium, stress and anger will also chip away.

The combination of processes where resulting into a reduced blood flow, which can mean that the race to destroy your arteries is on.

Normal aging processes, unhealthy feeding - and other life habits (particularly smoke!) contribute in an important degree.

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• In the brain, the presence of vulnerable plaque in arteries can lead to a blood clot (thrombus), thus cutting off the supply of oxygen to an area of brain. The results of this depend on the area and amount of damaged brain tissue - for example paralysis, typically affecting only one side of the body, can occur.
  
  
• A brain artery affected by atherosclerosis may also rupture (haemorrhage), usually in someone who also has high blood pressure, and can potentially cause considerable brain damage. Both these events are known as strokes.
  
  
• In the heart, it can be seen as angina, coronary thrombosis or reduced heart function (heart failure) due to damage done to the heart muscle from vessel occlusion.
  
  
• In the aorta, atherosclerosis can lead to the development of aneurysmal dilation of the thorax and abdomen - in other words a ballooning of a segment of this vessel, which is then at risk of a rupture.
  
  
• In the kidneys, atherosclerosis can lead to high blood pressure and renal failure.
  
  
• Leg pains can also be experienced due to atherosclerosis in the main and smaller arteries to the lower limbs. In extreme cases, this might mean amputation of the leg due to an insufficient blood supply.

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Sicknesses of the aureole lying veins, such as angina pectoris and a heart infarction, are the consequence of constriction or locking of the aureole lying veins(s). This starts with small damages of the slippery inside of the arterie.

The body tries to repair the damage arteries; covering the wounds with white blood cells having toxic contents. Those contents attacks the infections. But the white blood cells also takes cholesterol. Because of this the aureole lying veins become always narrower and blood rich of oxygen floates even more difficulty through the myocardium.

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• Lifestyle changes can help you prevent or slow the progression of atherosclerosis.
  
  
• Stop smoking. Smoking damages your arteries. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to halt the progression of atherosclerosis and reduce your risk of complications.
  
  
• Get moving. Exercise more. Regular exercise can condition your muscles to use oxygen more efficiently. Physical activity can also improve circulation and promote development of new blood vessels that form a natural bypass around obstructions (collateral vessels).
  
  
• Lose weight, if overweight. weight control is very important; prevent for overweight.
  
  
• Eat healthy foods.
  • Eat a varied healthy diet, full of greens, fibre and, of course, low-fat products. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Avoid saturated fats found in red meat like pork and beef.
  • moderately use animal endosperms, such as flesh, eggs, cheese and milk.
  • choose a soya product, which is realm to lecithin and soya broad beans.
  
  
  
• Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing.
  
  
• If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes Type 1 or Type 2 or another chronic disease, work with your doctor to manage the condition and promote overall health.
  
  

Eat more fibres! feeding fibres have numerous virtues. They promote the darmtransit, work satisfying, prevent some cancers and protect against heartdiseases, diabetes and too high cholesterol.

For a long time of feeding fibres has been confessed that they are well for health. They raise the weight and the volume of chair pace, promotes the darmtransit and is thus suitable at the treatment and prevention of constipatie. Moreover they hold the Galle salts and cholesterol, as a result of which they are useful at a too high cholesterol quality.

Finally they slow down the prerecording of carbohydrates, as a result of which use them become as appliances at the treatment of diabetes. Fibres sit in fresh or dried vegetables and fruit, and in grains.
See also our concerning page about nutrition and carbohydrates