I have just found a report sent to the Ministry of Defense in April 1958 by Lt. Colonel Jeanpierre of the first REP Corps. This report highlights the lessons learned from four months of intense fighting on the Tunisian border (Bataille des Frontières) that took place from January to the end of May 1958. Enemy losses amounted to 1528 killed, 23 prisoners, around 512 weapons recuperated including 26 machine guns, 13 automatic rifles, several rocket launchers and mortars. This man was my commanding officer for five years and I reported to him directly as part of the intelligence group. Jeanpierre was the only Corps leader killed on active service when his helicopter was hit by machine gun fire in pursuit of an enemy column on 29 May, 1958. He was the first chief to establish a doctrine on the use of helicopters, considered the only valid and costeffective modern engine in subversive warfare where success is due to a) intelligence b) the use of crack troops and c) the shock of rapid deployment. The alternative is a slow, discreet deployment under cover of darkness with units converging on the objective from different directions, taking the enemy by surprise and cutting off any retreat.

Save Your Heart

Dr Michael Colgan

When the first confirmed case of atherosclerosis was = reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Dr. James Herrick in = 1912, the disease was so rare most physicians could not find a single = case. Seventy-seven years later, the same journal reported 60 million cases = across America . We did it all to ourselves! = The leading cause of death in America is cardiovascular disease, responsible for some 40% of deaths. The = next leading cause of death is cancer at only 24%. Let's look at the = major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Diet:

High saturated fats (over 25% of calories).

High trans-fats.

High sugar.

High glycemic (over 405 of calories).

High acid diet (regular use of antacids).

High salt diet (over 2 grams per day).

Low essential fats (under 20 grams per day)

Low fiber (under 30 grams per day).

Low B6, B12 and folic acid vitamins.

Low antioxidants.

Exercise:

Less than 30 minutes aerobic exercise five times per = week.

Less than 30 minutes resistance/weight exercise three times per = week.

Other Factors:

Smoking

Chewing tobacco

Exposure to second-hand smoke

Women with bodyfat over 23%

Men with bodyfat over 18%

Insulin resistance

Juvenile diabetes and adult-onset diabetes.

Stress

Depression

The more risk factors you have, the higher your chances are of having = heart disease. Combine these factors with the blood test indicators = below and you could be on borrowed time.

Blood Test Indicators of Cardiovascular Risk Used at = the Colgan Institute :

Total cholesterol above 168 mg/dl

LDL/HDL ratio over 3:1

Total cholesterol/HDL ratio above 3.5:1

Homocysteine above 12.0 umol/L

Blood pressure above 120/80 mmHg

Hemoglobin A1c above 5.5%

Triglycerides above 100 mg/dkl

Fibrinogen above 400 mg/dl

Insulin above 25 uU/ml

C-reactive protein above 0.5 mg/L

Albumin/globulin= ratio below 1.1

So what can you do to help lower your risk. Dietary changes seem = obvious and all follow healthy eating practices. The exercise component is = also straight forward, though it involves a greater time commitment. The = other risk factors can be more difficult to eliminate or prevent. Let's = take a closer look at the mechanisms of atherosclerosis. =

Atherosclerosis:

Most folk know that the typical American high-fat diet will raise = cholesterol to high risk levels within a month, and that a low-fat diet will lower them. This heart disease risk starts to rise at a cholesterol = level of 168 mg/dl. Regular exercise yields high levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the "good" cholesterol that scrubs and = vacuums excess cholesterol off the walls of your arteries. However, the = major mechanism by which atherosclerosis takes hold is oxidation. It = starts with cells of your immune system called monocytes. These stick to the = arterial wall, then pass through it and transform into scavenger cells called macrophages that gobble up wastes. This is what is supposed to happen. Problems arise when you subject the system to excess free = radicals, such as polluted city air, pesticide contamination or many prescription drugs. Exercise is also a potent source of = oxidation.

These excess free radicals begin to oxidize little particles of = cholesterol called low-density lipoproteins (LDL). The immune system = macrophages in the arterial walls recognize the oxidized LDLs as toxic to the body and = gobble them up. If you have excess LDLs, the macrophages soon become = overstuffed with LDLs and breakdown into pathological cells called foam cells. = These foam cells form the fatty streaks on the arterial walls that are the = beginning of atherosclerosis.

What can you do to inhibit the oxidation of LDL? Since 1988 seven = cell and animal studies have reported that vitamin E reduces LDL = oxidation. Sixteen human studies have reported that supplements of vitamin E = reduced LDL in healthy subjects, smokers and diabetics. The effective doses = used were between 400-1600 iu per day, but supplementation had to continue for a = minimum of five months for changes to start to take = place.

Fourteen animal studies since 1990 report that vitamin E, beta-carotene = or combinations of the two, with or without vitamin c, inhibit and even = reverse induced atherosclerosis. A representative study in monkeys reports regression of induced atherosclerosis from 33% to 8% in eight months of supplementation.

Prevention of Heart = Disease

Since 1989, 11 epidemiological studies have reported an inverse = relationship between plasma vitamin E and heart disease, including angina. = Eight studies have reported the same protective effects with beta-carotene and = five studies report the same protective effect with combinations of vitamin = E, vitamin C and beta-carotene.

Media attention always focuses on those studies with poor results. = The ATBC study in Finland took 29,133 male smokers aged between 50 and 69 who had smoked an = average of 21 cigarettes a day for an average of 36 years. All subjects = continued to smoke. They were given 20 mg of synthetic beta-carotene and 50 mg = of synthetic vitamin E for 5-8 years. There was no effect. This = study was a little like a flea trying to stomp an elephant. Much too = little, and way too late. The Physicians Health Study took 22,071 male physicians, aged between 40 and 84. They were given 50 mg of beta-carotene on alternate days for 12 years. Overall there was no effect. Again the dose was too small.

There have been a large number of studies showing positive trends. In = the HOPE study 9541 high-risk patients aged 55+ with existing heart disease, = diabetes or other health problems were given 400 iu of natural source vitamin E for = 4.5 years. These results showed a progressive trend towards positive = effects. The researcher's report that in high-risk groups effects may take = 5 years or more to show. In the GISSI study in Italy , 11,324 patients = who had survived a heart attack were given 300 iu of vitamin e, or 1 gram of = omega-3 fish oil, or both for 3.5 years. There was a 35% reduced risk of = sudden death. And finally, in the CHAOS study in England , 2002 patients = with atherosclerosis were given 400-800 iu of vitamin E for 200 days. There = was a 47% reduced risk of myocardial infarction.

In 1997 a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical = Association, showed that 1000 mg of vitamin C, plus 800 iu of vitamin E, (17 and 26 = times the RDA), directly prevent damage to arteries caused by high-fat = food. An editorial in the same journal stated that "The era of nutrient = supplements to support health and reduce illness is here to stay." =

In April 1998, after 57 years of denial the RDA Committee = of the National Academy of Sciences finally admitted that the American diet = does not contain sufficient nutrients for normal health, and recommended that = almost all Americans take vitamin supplements. And finally in June 2002, = after over 100 years of denial, the Journal of the American Medical Association = recommends daily vitamin supplements for Americans, tailored to the patient's medical profile, = vitamin tests and lifestyle.

At the Colgan Institute we have been doing this since 1984. = Our Daily Supplement Pak formulas are designed by our computer matrix = program that formulates for all our private clients, using all the variables and physiological data from our testing procedures. We then provide our = private clients with their individual supplement program. To develop the = Daily Supplement Paks, we then set the computer program to design formulas for = a specific set of variables to match, for example, an average women over = 50 (Womens 50+ Pak), a 30+ active lifestyle suburban man and woman (Men's and Women's Active Paks) or a top competitive athlete (Athletes = Pak). Our Add-On Paks were then designed by giving the computer a set of = variables with particular problems (prostate, arthritis, vision, brain anti-aging, = etc).

The specific nutrients that are directly involved in a = healthy heart are:

Vitamin E (natural not synthetic): 400 - 1600 iu per = day

Beta Carotene (natural not synthetic): 15 - 50 mg per = day

Vitamin C: 1 - 4 grams per day

Omega-3 essential fats: 10 - 40 grams per day

As always these nutrients should only be taken in conjunction with a = complete supplement program. Individual nutrients do not work on their own, = and for best effects you must take all nutrients together. The amounts = above would be the total amounts for the day. There are no known toxic side-effects for these nutrients in this = range.

American Heart Association, 19^th Forum, 12^th January = 1992.

Verlangiari, J Am Coll Nutr, 1992;11:130-137.

New Engl J Med, 1993;328:1444-1456.

JAMA, 1997;278:1662-1686.

JAMA, 1997;277:1398-1399.

New Engl J Med, 9 Apr 1998.

JAMA, 2002;287:3127-3129.