This video discusses a hidden source of heart attacks that is often overlooked: chronic stress and its impact on the heart muscle. The heart muscle is unique as it never fully relaxes and constantly beats, requiring a continuous supply of oxygen. When the heart muscle is deprived of oxygen due to stress-induced hypoxia, it can lead to a buildup of lactic acid, causing the heart to malfunction. Factors such as high glucose levels from stress-triggered adrenaline, smoking, vaping, certain medications, inflammation, and certain deficiencies can contribute to this hypoxia. Managing stress, avoiding sugar, exercising, and supplementing with B1 and tocatrinols are recommended preventative measures.
Key Insights:
– The heart muscle is constantly beating and does not have a chance to fully relax and recover, unlike skeletal muscles.
– Heart attacks occur when the heart muscle malfunctions due to a lack of oxygen, not solely due to a blocked artery.
– Lactic acid, which is derived from glucose, can build up in the body and lead to hypoxia, damaging the heart muscle.
– Adrenaline, released during chronic stress, raises glucose levels and can contribute to the production of lactic acid.
– Other factors that increase lactic acid and hypoxia include smoking, vaping, Tylenol poisoning, inflammation, diabetes, fructose consumption, cyanide poisoning, alcohol, and certain medications.
– Deficiencies in B1 and B12 vitamins can also contribute to lactic acidosis and hypoxia.
– To mitigate these risks, reduce stress triggers, engage in daily stress-reducing activities, avoid sugar, supplement with B1, consider a ketogenic diet, and increase intake of tocatrinols, a form of vitamin E.
Transcript
– Heart attacks occur when the heart muscle malfunctions due to a lack of oxygen, not solely due to a blocked artery.
– Lactic acid, which is derived from glucose, can build up in the body and lead to hypoxia, damaging the heart muscle.
– Adrenaline, released during chronic stress, raises glucose levels and can contribute to the production of lactic acid.
– Other factors that increase lactic acid and hypoxia include smoking, vaping, Tylenol poisoning, inflammation, diabetes, fructose consumption, cyanide poisoning, alcohol, and certain medications.
– Deficiencies in B1 and B12 vitamins can also contribute to lactic acidosis and hypoxia.
– To mitigate these risks, reduce stress triggers, engage in daily stress-reducing activities, avoid sugar, supplement with B1, consider a ketogenic diet, and increase intake of tocatrinols, a form of vitamin E.
Transcript
I want to talk about a hidden source of heart attacks that you may have never even considered before, but I think it’s very, very common and not talked about enough. Since heart disease is the number one killer on planet Earth, it might be a good idea for you to know more about this topic.
The unique thing about the heart muscle is that it never has a chance to fully relax and recover. It’s constantly beating 24/7, whereas your other muscles can have a chance to relax. The heart has to keep working, and when someone dies from a heart attack, it’s actually the heart muscle itself that stops contracting and relaxing. It tends to quiver, and then you basically die. So people don’t really die because of the artery itself, it’s the heart muscle.
Now, it’s true that you can have a blocked artery that stops the blood flow to the heart muscle, but you die from the heart muscle malfunctioning because of a lack of oxygen. It’s called hypoxia or ischemia, which is a lack of blood flow. And as you know, anytime you have a lack of oxygen to a muscle, it cramps, it stops contracting and relaxing. For a muscle to work, it needs a lot of oxygen, unless you’re doing some short sprints or high-intensity exercise. But that’s very short-lived, and you can only go so far before you hit a wall.
When someone gets a heart attack, sometimes they do this test to measure the enzyme called lactic dehydrogenase, which is an enzyme involving lactate. When this enzyme is in higher amounts, it could mean that you just had a heart attack within 24 to 72 hours. But it can also mean other things too, like B12 anemia, kidney issues, liver issues, pancreatitis, or even cancer because there’s destruction of tissues, and with this destruction comes hypoxia. Hypoxia can also elevate this as well.
What’s interesting about this topic is I’m going to work backward and show you how someone could actually get into this situation where they have too much lactic acid in their body. Lactic acid is related to lactate. Too much lactate gives you lactic acid, and the pH goes down, becoming more acidic, and then you run out of air really quick.
So, where does lactate come from? It comes from a compound called pyruvate, which is kind of a middleman in this chain reaction, and that comes from glucose. When you burn glucose fuel, it turns into pyruvate and then lactate, and eventually lactic acid.
Another name for glucose is sugar, and you probably already know that sugar is not good for the heart. Elevated glucose, as in a diabetic, can really raise your triglycerides because they convert to fat. You might also know that if you’re on a high-sugar diet, you’re going to have high levels of LDL cholesterol. But what you might not know is there’s something else that releases a lot of glucose that has nothing to do with your diet, and that is called adrenaline.
Adrenaline is a hormone-like communication potent neurotransmitter that raises your glucose. The more chronically stressed you are, the more adrenaline you’re going to have, the more glucose your body is going to make or release, which will turn into pyruvate, lactate, and lactic acid. It’s going to create hypoxia.
There’s fascinating research on the stress connection to heart attacks, as stress creates hypoxia through adrenaline and cortisol too. Even when someone has low blood sugar, adrenaline kicks in and mobilizes a lot of glucose in the body to raise blood sugar. Adrenaline is designed for quick energy, like being chased by a tiger where you have to generate quick energy. But when you’re under constant stress over a period of time, it’s like the same thing as eating a lot of sugar. Adrenaline creates vasodilation to the coronary artery but vasoconstriction of the other blood vessels around the body, reaching a point where there’s no more vasodilation, only vasoconstriction. This could also explain the higher risk of heart attacks from severe shocks to the system, such as stress, loss, loneliness, divorce, illness, injury, chronic anxiety, anger, depression, or being in a constant fear state.
When you have too much lactic acid in the heart muscle, it can lead to arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation. High blood pressure and hardening of the arteries can also be effects. Eventually, necrosis can occur, which is when your heart muscles start breaking down and dying due to a lack of oxygen.
One medication used after a heart attack is digitalis, which increases more blood flow and acts as a potent inhibitor of lactic acid. This is likely why it helps keep people alive.
Chronic stress can raise LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, just like eating sugar does. Many people are under sympathetic nervous system dominance and lack enough of the opposing parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for rest and digestion. This imbalance can contribute to heart problems.
Other factors that increase lactate directly and cause hypoxia include smoking and vaping, which can release propylene glycol and nicotine, raising adrenaline levels. Tylenol poisoning, inflammation, diabetes, cyanide poisoning, alcohol consumption, and the medication metformin can also cause hypoxia and lactic acidosis.
B1 and B12 deficiencies can increase lactate, lactic acidosis, and hypoxia. Metformin can also create this state by causing B1 and B12 deficiencies. Sugar, stress, and excess carbohydrate consumption can lead to the same hypoxia state. Taking B1 regularly can help prevent lactic acid buildup. Vitamin E tocotrienols are important for increasing oxygen levels in the heart muscle.
To combat stress and its effects, reduce stress triggers, engage in activities that flush out stress like walking in nature, avoid sugar, and consider B1 and tocotrienol supplementation.
