Carbohydrate coronary heart disease prevention

With regard to the development of coronary heart disease, one must consider a variety of extragenital effects of estrogens which could be of importance in the prevention of the atherosclerotic process. Thus, estrogens influence blood hpid levels, thyroid and adrenal function, the reticuloendothehal system (RES), calcium, phosphate and carbohydrate metabohsm [98], and the vascular connective tissue [99]. 

The onset of coronary heart disease is directly correlated with blood cholesterol levels, and the first step in disease prevention is to lower those levels. It turns out that only about 25% of our blood cholesterol comes from what we eat the remaining 75% (about 1000 mg each day) is made, or biosynthesized, by our bodies from dietary fats and carbohydrates. Thus, any effective plan for lowering our cholesterol level means limiting the amount that our bodies biosynthesize, which in turn means understanding and controlling the chemical reactions that make up the metabolic pathway for cholesterol biosynthesis. 

Since on the other hand overweight is indirectly one of the risk factors of atherosclerosis, especially of heart infarction, it is of advantage to recommend a moderate intake of carbohydrates for the dietary prevention of coronary heart disease. This should be taken into consideration even if it would lack the final proof e.g. by epidemiological investigations for the importance of certain sugars in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic disease. 

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