Heart problems

David Hutchins said:

[FONT=Arial]In September last I was diagnosed as having 'Atrial Flutter' which is often referred to as an irregular heart Rythm (can be several versions of this) and am currently on a heart drug and warfarin whilst awaiting Cardioversion which means that a small electric shock is given whilst under light anesthetic. This is due to take place on 7 December. The cardiologist did an echo scan of my heart and numerous ECGs and informed me that mechanically, my heart was in very good order, the flows through the various valves excellent and advised me to carry on cycling but not against the watch until it was sorted. He said that it might have been a different story if I had not had such a healthy life style!
He believes that the irregular rhythm is an electrical fault and was probably triggered by high blood pressure which fortunately is now in control due to the isolation of an excess of a natural substance excreted from the liver called angiotensin-2. It has the effect of tightening the blood vessels. My BP was over 200 on the systolic when he checked it but is now 120-130 and 80-90 diastolic. Obviously I want to get back to training, time trialing, work outs in the gym etc as soon as possible after sinus rythm is re-established. The Cardiologist and my Doctor are a bit vague as to what I will be able to do or when which is understandable but I wonder what the expereinces of other cyclists might be in this field?? I am currently 68 years of age going on 22, just to put all of this in context!!!!
Any advice or observations, experience of others (which do not include such advice as stay off main roads!) will be gratefully received.)

David,

I can relate to your situation. 10 years ago after a 6 hour ride with my cycling team I suffered a mild heart attack. I was 32. That summer I completed in 4 triathlons and various club bike races. I thought that I was in the best shape of my life. It took me about a year to gain the confidence to jump back onto the bike. Since that time I've competed in 2 - 3 triathlons a year and continue to race the bike. Monday evenings I do a local crit race and Thursday's a time trial. Although I'm no longer competitive I still enjoy the club rides and races. If I'm on a ride with the club and feel tired I'll drop to the back or turn around and head home. The point is this. I now know my limitations but still need to be part of the bike communitiy. I'd rather pass on trying to climb L'alp-d'uez than sitting on a couch waiting for it to happen. Prior to returning to my training schedule the doctors did a cardiolite stress test and determined that I could continue to train. Begin slow... slow... slow than build up. I now do 3 - 4 hour rides but keep my heartrate in zone 1 and 2. Good Luck.

Roadpro

roadpro said:

David,

I can relate to your situation. 10 years ago after a 6 hour ride with my cycling team I suffered a mild heart attack. I was 32. That summer I completed in 4 triathlons and various club bike races. I thought that I was in the best shape of my life. It took me about a year to gain the confidence to jump back onto the bike. Since that time I've competed in 2 - 3 triathlons a year and continue to race the bike. Monday evenings I do a local crit race and Thursday's a time trial. Although I'm no longer competitive I still enjoy the club rides and races. If I'm on a ride with the club and feel tired I'll drop to the back or turn around and head home. The point is this. I now know my limitations but still need to be part of the bike communitiy. I'd rather pass on trying to climb L'alp-d'uez than sitting on a couch waiting for it to happen. Prior to returning to my training schedule the doctors did a cardiolite stress test and determined that I could continue to train. Begin slow... slow... slow than build up. I now do 3 - 4 hour rides but keep my heartrate in zone 1 and 2. Good Luck.

Roadpro

hello
i was diagnosed with a-fib in june of this year. after all the tests its been determined my heart is strong it just does not beat correct. was put on digoxin and cumadin for a few weeks before a cv could be tried. after about 3 days it went back to a-fib. next was to have an appointment with a elctrophysistist. because of a very low heart rate i could not take a beta blocker to try and get back to correct sinus condition. so a guidant pacemaker was put in place and i started taking a beta blocker. i do not like the drug, it does not help bike riders. so i've had more holter monitor tests to see if a ablation would help my problem. an ablation will correct the high heart rate or tackicardia. its been decided to stay on the drug and delay the ablation. the bike season has ended here so i believe it will be done in the spring.
the beta blocker did not control the heart rate. on one holter test my rate went to 192, thats very high for my age. the second holter test i could not ride the bike because of weather so the heart rate stayed in the more normal rate zone. but i feel once the riding season starts i will have another holter monitor test and ablation will be done. good luck

David Hutchins said:

[FONT=Arial]In September last I was diagnosed as having 'Atrial Flutter' which is often referred to as an irregular heart Rythm (can be several versions of this) and am currently on a heart drug and warfarin whilst awaiting Cardioversion which means that a small electric shock is given whilst under light anesthetic. This is due to take place on 7 December. The cardiologist did an echo scan of my heart and numerous ECGs and informed me that mechanically, my heart was in very good order, the flows through the various valves excellent and advised me to carry on cycling but not against the watch until it was sorted. He said that it might have been a different story if I had not had such a healthy life style!
He believes that the irregular rhythm is an electrical fault and was probably triggered by high blood pressure which fortunately is now in control due to the isolation of an excess of a natural substance excreted from the liver called angiotensin-2. It has the effect of tightening the blood vessels. My BP was over 200 on the systolic when he checked it but is now 120-130 and 80-90 diastolic. Obviously I want to get back to training, time trialing, work outs in the gym etc as soon as possible after sinus rythm is re-established. The Cardiologist and my Doctor are a bit vague as to what I will be able to do or when which is understandable but I wonder what the expereinces of other cyclists might be in this field?? I am currently 68 years of age going on 22, just to put all of this in context!!!!
Any advice or observations, experience of others (which do not include such advice as stay off main roads!) will be gratefully received.)

I'm not a medical doctor first off.
But I am well acquainted with blood pressure and have significant family and personal history with regard to BP and coronary disease.

First off, I have never heard that high/low BP could initiate AF.
My family history shows significant coronary problems : heart attacks/strokes
are very prevalent in prior generations.
My cousin suffer from AF, and he has been advised that this is due to an electrical impulse problem, inherited genertically.
The family history shows that although there is a prevalence of BP problems,
AF is only in one branch of our family.
Therefore, BP is not the reason for the triggering of AF - in this circumstance.

As regards BP - BP normally leads to strokes/heart atttacks.
It is crucial for people to be aware of the dangers in having bad BP.
Systolic should be between 115-120 and diastolic should be between 75-80.
With age - these rates increase : so to have a rate of 120-130 over 80-90,
at 68 years of age is an excellent reading.
Your reading is the same as a healthy person in the 20's.

As regards cycling - I think the best thing for you to do, while the AF is still hanging, is to cycle but not to force your heart rate.
AF is a condition - and as such you don't want to pressurising you heart by
going at 200 beats per minute for hours on end. !
But at the same time - moderate increase in heart rate shouldn't be a problem, for a short spell of time.

My cousin is 43 : he runs marathons with AF.
So don't let the AF hold you back.

I have my doubts about your doctors diagnosis about high BP triggering AF.

I am not a doctor and I could well be wrong but I have never heard about BP triggering AF.
Anyway given that your BP readings are now excellent, the AF issue can easily be treated with your doctor.
It might be worthwhile getting a second opinion, if the BP leading to AF diagnosis, is worrying you.

Thanks to both Roadpro and 'un-named' for your information. Seems to me that we cyclists are not wimps and keep going! Since my problem started I have been out on my bike a few times, the first time I did not take my heart monitor because I just going to have a lazy slow 10 mile ride over to my daughters. Half way up a slow climb I began to feel really weird and light headed and had to stop. After a few minutes I felt OK again so carried on but at about 10 miles an hour! Later on I had started to wind up my speed a bit and it happened again. I got my daughter to drive me home. The Doc still advised me to ride but very slowly. I took my heart monitor the second time and got a shock. On the flat with no wind it was a fairly steady 84. Normally with that level of effort it would have been in the high 50s low 60s. I hit an incline and in the space of a single beat it jumped to 176! I have never seen that number on the clock. I eased right off and it jumped back down to 84 again. As I rode on I guess I got used to it and feeling OK did not worry about it. Then it went to 233! I looked to see if there were any power lines around but no. it was me. I crawled home feeling a bit scared I have to admit. Later on using my i-magic machine in the garage I experimented and found that provided that I kept my power below 120 watts it would stay around the 80-90 mark but above that it would jump in increments of 140, 170, 230. My Cardiologist says that he would not be worried about the 140 or even the 170 but avoid the 230. So that is what I am doing until the cardioversion on 7th December. I'm on warfarin to reduce the likelihood of a stroke, this will stop if the shock treatment works, Irbesartan for the BP which is working well. I could not take Beta Blockers for the same reason as you. My resting pulse is normally arond 45-49. To stabilse the beat I am on Flecainide Acetate. Sounds horrible but I feel better since I started it. That will also stop if the treatment works.
So it is fingers crossed. I guess with heart rate monitors etc we should be able to test and ride hard but stop straight away if there are any warning signs. Hopefully I will be able to rack up the miles again next year.

Thanks for the information. I guess that it was the fact that it was 205/115 when I saw him! He said that there was a possibility that sinus rhyth could come back on its own if I got the pressure down but it has been down now for about a month but the flutter is still there. Well, only 11 days to go now before the Cardioversion so we will see.
It is great to hear that your cousin is still pushing it even though he is still in AF. I have to say that both my doctor and the cardiologist do not seem too concerned about the jumps in rate. At least I can still ride albeit very slowly for now!

limerickman said:

I'm not a medical doctor first off.
But I am well acquainted with blood pressure and have significant family and personal history with regard to BP and coronary disease.

First off, I have never heard that high/low BP could initiate AF.
My family history shows significant coronary problems : heart attacks/strokes
are very prevalent in prior generations.
My cousin suffer from AF, and he has been advised that this is due to an electrical impulse problem, inherited genertically.
The family history shows that although there is a prevalence of BP problems,
AF is only in one branch of our family.
Therefore, BP is not the reason for the triggering of AF - in this circumstance.

As regards BP - BP normally leads to strokes/heart atttacks.
It is crucial for people to be aware of the dangers in having bad BP.
Systolic should be between 115-120 and diastolic should be between 75-80.
With age - these rates increase : so to have a rate of 120-130 over 80-90,
at 68 years of age is an excellent reading.
Your reading is the same as a healthy person in the 20's.

As regards cycling - I think the best thing for you to do, while the AF is still hanging, is to cycle but not to force your heart rate.
AF is a condition - and as such you don't want to pressurising you heart by
going at 200 beats per minute for hours on end. !
But at the same time - moderate increase in heart rate shouldn't be a problem, for a short spell of time.

My cousin is 43 : he runs marathons with AF.
So don't let the AF hold you back.

I have my doubts about your doctors diagnosis about high BP triggering AF.

I am not a doctor and I could well be wrong but I have never heard about BP triggering AF.
Anyway given that your BP readings are now excellent, the AF issue can easily be treated with your doctor.
It might be worthwhile getting a second opinion, if the BP leading to AF diagnosis, is worrying you.

David Hutchins said:

Thanks for the information. I guess that it was the fact that it was 205/115 when I saw him! He said that there was a possibility that sinus rhyth could come back on its own if I got the pressure down but it has been down now for about a month but the flutter is still there. Well, only 11 days to go now before the Cardioversion so we will see.
It is great to hear that your cousin is still pushing it even though he is still in AF. I have to say that both my doctor and the cardiologist do not seem too concerned about the jumps in rate. At least I can still ride albeit very slowly for now!

I presume you know about the diet you need to follow to keep your BP in
check ?

Avoid salt - that's the first step.
Don't not apply salt to any of your foods - salt/sodium blocks arteries/veins and is the biggest cause of high BP.
There is salt preservatives in all foods - so your daily salt requirement is being fulfilled already, without your adding to it.
If you can buy foods that contain no salt preservatives, all the better.

Get as much potassium in to your diet as possible.
Potassium neutralises sodium (salt) : it is crucial you take on board potassium.
Sources of potassium are oranges, vegetables (not onions, they have salt in them).
Basically anything which is grown naturally contains potassium.

Water : try to build in water in to your diet - still water, not carbonated.

Reduce sugar : sugar is thought to contribute to BP problems.
The evidence is not conclusive but too much sugar has the potential to aact like salt, so reduce it.

Weight : you need to monitor your weight as weight is seen as being corralated to BP : more weight, higher BP.

Exercise : 30 mins per day minimum (without stressing your heart !).

Thanks again, yes I know about the effect of salt etc and fortunately it has never been much of an addition to my diet. As I said in an earlier response, the cause has luckily been located.A demon called angiotensin-2 excreted from the liver appears to be the culprit as I have responded immediately to the antidote- Irbesartan which fortunately and I think unusually does not have any known bad side effects only good ones. Apparently it can repair some damage to the kidneys if there is any. I will be happy to take it for life if that is the case. It only needs someone to tell me that it is a performance enhancing drug and I will be in trouble!!!!!

limerickman said:

I presume you know about the diet you need to follow to keep your BP in
check ?

Avoid salt - that's the first step.
Don't not apply salt to any of your foods - salt/sodium blocks arteries/veins and is the biggest cause of high BP.
There is salt preservatives in all foods - so your daily salt requirement is being fulfilled already, without your adding to it.
If you can buy foods that contain no salt preservatives, all the better.

Get as much potassium in to your diet as possible.
Potassium neutralises sodium (salt) : it is crucial you take on board potassium.
Sources of potassium are oranges, vegetables (not onions, they have salt in them).
Basically anything which is grown naturally contains potassium.

Water : try to build in water in to your diet - still water, not carbonated.

Reduce sugar : sugar is thought to contribute to BP problems.
The evidence is not conclusive but too much sugar has the potential to aact like salt, so reduce it.

Weight : you need to monitor your weight as weight is seen as being corralated to BP : more weight, higher BP.

Exercise : 30 mins per day minimum (without stressing your heart !).

David Hutchins said:

[FONT=Arial]In September last I was diagnosed as having 'Atrial Flutter' which is often referred to as an irregular heart Rythm (can be several versions of this) and am currently on a heart drug and warfarin whilst awaiting Cardioversion which means that a small electric shock is given whilst under light anesthetic. This is due to take place on 7 December. The cardiologist did an echo scan of my heart and numerous ECGs and informed me that mechanically, my heart was in very good order, the flows through the various valves excellent and advised me to carry on cycling but not against the watch until it was sorted. He said that it might have been a different story if I had not had such a healthy life style!
He believes that the irregular rhythm is an electrical fault and was probably triggered by high blood pressure which fortunately is now in control due to the isolation of an excess of a natural substance excreted from the liver called angiotensin-2. It has the effect of tightening the blood vessels.
Snip------------------
I am currently 68 years of age going on 22, just to put all of this in context!!!!
Any advice or observations, experience of others (which do not include such advice as stay off main roads!) will be gratefully received.)

Have had 3 electrical cardio reversions, '89 '91, 94. The problem with me was that it turned me into a fat slob because exercise frightened me. Started riding again in February this year after a 40 year rest. Have lost 20 kg (44 lb) and riding as hard as I can go for my level of fitness.
Since last episode have had occasional minutes/hours out of sinus rhythm but always manage to slip back in OK.
On Digoxin, Sotolol and little Asprin.

Last saw Cardio '95 and said go away and do what ever you want to. Assured me that AF will happen again as I get older and that it will occour more often and if unlucky will be permanently on warfrin and out of rhythm. There are many people like this. Problem is that we are living longer.
Read of a new operation to clear up "electrical" based AF. If problem is between cardio nerve attachment at top and sinus node the signal can get into a bit of a multi path routine, echo effect or get lost up a dead end. They determine a strong path and laser the weaker, possibly problematic nerve fibers. Apparently we all have a bundle of nerves here but most people have a clearly defined strong path. Some dont.

The flutter of itself is of no consequence other than feeling alarming. Activity is self regulating. The problem is that the heart chamber is not draining properly and the blood is not swirling around in all the corners. This can lead to blood clots forming in the heart chamber. By making the blood thin with warfrin the clotting is avoided. No problems.

All the best for the reversion, getting off warfrin and back onto a normal diet, and of course back onto the bike and into some savage hill climbing.

Cheers
hugh

Thanks for that Hugh, gives me a lot of confidence. I still ride the bike but am very cautious about the leaps in heart rate. My weight has gone up 3 or 4 lb but I am not a fat slob just yet!!!!!
I will definitely take your advice about keeping it going.
I will let you know how the Version goes.
David

HughMann said:

Have had 3 electrical cardio reversions, '89 '91, 94. The problem with me was that it turned me into a fat slob because exercise frightened me. Started riding again in February this year after a 40 year rest. Have lost 20 kg (44 lb) and riding as hard as I can go for my level of fitness.
Since last episode have had occasional minutes/hours out of sinus rhythm but always manage to slip back in OK.
On Digoxin, Sotolol and little Asprin.

Last saw Cardio '95 and said go away and do what ever you want to. Assured me that AF will happen again as I get older and that it will occour more often and if unlucky will be permanently on warfrin and out of rhythm. There are many people like this. Problem is that we are living longer.
Read of a new operation to clear up "electrical" based AF. If problem is between cardio nerve attachment at top and sinus node the signal can get into a bit of a multi path routine, echo effect or get lost up a dead end. They determine a strong path and laser the weaker, possibly problematic nerve fibers. Apparently we all have a bundle of nerves here but most people have a clearly defined strong path. Some dont.

The flutter of itself is of no consequence other than feeling alarming. Activity is self regulating. The problem is that the heart chamber is not draining properly and the blood is not swirling around in all the corners. This can lead to blood clots forming in the heart chamber. By making the blood thin with warfrin the clotting is avoided. No problems.

All the best for the reversion, getting off warfrin and back onto a normal diet, and of course back onto the bike and into some savage hill climbing.

Cheers
hugh

roadpro said:

David,

I can relate to your situation. 10 years ago after a 6 hour ride with my cycling team I suffered a mild heart attack. I was 32. That summer I completed in 4 triathlons and various club bike races. I thought that I was in the best shape of my life. It took me about a year to gain the confidence to jump back onto the bike. Since that time I've competed in 2 - 3 triathlons a year and continue to race the bike. Monday evenings I do a local crit race and Thursday's a time trial. Although I'm no longer competitive I still enjoy the club rides and races. If I'm on a ride with the club and feel tired I'll drop to the back or turn around and head home. The point is this. I now know my limitations but still need to be part of the bike communitiy. I'd rather pass on trying to climb L'alp-d'uez than sitting on a couch waiting for it to happen. Prior to returning to my training schedule the doctors did a cardiolite stress test and determined that I could continue to train. Begin slow... slow... slow than build up. I now do 3 - 4 hour rides but keep my heartrate in zone 1 and 2. Good Luck.

Roadpro

Hi there,

Just curious as to your condition before you had the heart attack.
What symptoms were apparent and what was the cause? How hard were you training? I've been told by GP that one can push as hard as they wish without worry about damage provided there is no existing underlying problem....

Cheers.

Thanks. I did not have a heart attach as such. My pulse became very irregular and I felt as if I was going to feint. I did nothing about it for four days on account of the fact that I phoned NHS direct and the doctor told me not to worry about it because it was probably due to dehydration, just drink loads of water. After 4 days I went to my doctor and was given an ecg which exposed the atrial flutter. A subsequent echo scan by the cardiologist showed that mechanically my heart was in excellent shape, the valves, flows etc were good. He said that this was down to the cycling and would have been a doifferent story if I had a sedentry lifestyle so do not worry about the cycling. I had ridden a 10 the day before this started but I do not think it has anything to do with it. The cardiologist thinks it was due to sustained high blood pressure which may well be the case. The story to date is that I had what is called cardioversion last week which put it back to normal rhythm. Unfortunately it only worked for 2 days and is now back where it was. I have to see him again this evening and I believe he will suggest cardio ablation which is what Tony Blair had and if it works it is a complete cure and I wil be able to race again.
The moral of the story is, do not leave high blood pressure if it is sustained.

tech.racer said:

Hi there,

Just curious as to your condition before you had the heart attack.
What symptoms were apparent and what was the cause? How hard were you training? I've been told by GP that one can push as hard as they wish without worry about damage provided there is no existing underlying problem....

Cheers.

tech.racer said:

Hi there,

Just curious as to your condition before you had the heart attack.
What symptoms were apparent and what was the cause? How hard were you training? I've been told by GP that one can push as hard as they wish without worry about damage provided there is no existing underlying problem....

Cheers.

Prior to my MI I had no apparent symptoms. When they investigated they found a partially blocked artery. Since I was in good condition they decided to treat with medication. My diet has changed tremendously over the last few years and is very strict. If I want to continue with a active lifestyle I need to monitor all aspects of my life. If heart disease runs in your family I would have a checkup with a doctor. Heart disease was in my family and I ignored it as I was very active and thought I was doing the right things to avoid any problems. Not so. It can affect the best athletes if not monitored. Once a year I have a stress test to ensure that everything is under control. I don't push like I use to but am more active than most individuals. In '05 I'm entered in my first Ironman race.

Cheers,

Roadpro

I have just seen the Cardiologist. My impression was that he is a bit baffled by it. He seems to think that my natural pacemaker may be on the blink. Despite medication I still have a bit of a blood pressure problem that might be at the root of it but I do not think he is very confident about that. Looks like I will be going in for a 24 hour monitoring session! I will keep you posted. It is not such a big deal to have a pacemaker if it does the trick.

roadpro said:

Prior to my MI I had no apparent symptoms. When they investigated they found a partially blocked artery. Since I was in good condition they decided to treat with medication. My diet has changed tremendously over the last few years and is very strict. If I want to continue with a active lifestyle I need to monitor all aspects of my life. If heart disease runs in your family I would have a checkup with a doctor. Heart disease was in my family and I ignored it as I was very active and thought I was doing the right things to avoid any problems. Not so. It can affect the best athletes if not monitored. Once a year I have a stress test to ensure that everything is under control. I don't push like I use to but am more active than most individuals. In '05 I'm entered in my first Ironman race.

Cheers,

Roadpro

roadpro said:

Prior to my MI I had no apparent symptoms. When they investigated they found a partially blocked artery. Since I was in good condition they decided to treat with medication. My diet has changed tremendously over the last few years and is very strict. If I want to continue with a active lifestyle I need to monitor all aspects of my life. If heart disease runs in your family I would have a checkup with a doctor. Heart disease was in my family and I ignored it as I was very active and thought I was doing the right things to avoid any problems. Not so. It can affect the best athletes if not monitored. Once a year I have a stress test to ensure that everything is under control. I don't push like I use to but am more active than most individuals. In '05 I'm entered in my first Ironman race.

Cheers,

Roadpro

Do you think it's strange that you had a high cholesterol level, given your exercise level/frequency? Is cholesterol production hereditary?

Thanks for the info.

tech.racer said:

Do you think it's strange that you had a high cholesterol level, given your exercise level/frequency? Is cholesterol production hereditary?

A large part of cholesterol metabolism is hereditary. Some people can eat right, exercise plenty and not smoke and still have a bad lipid profile. This is often the pattern in people that have heart attacks at a young age. Others can do the opposite and have normal lipids.

Remeber also that there are many other important reasons to eat right & exercise regularly apart from cholesterol!

Not sure I know where all this is heading on the question of Cholesterol. I have never said that I have a problem with it and I do not???

patch70 said:

A large part of cholesterol metabolism is hereditary. Some people can eat right, exercise plenty and not smoke and still have a bad lipid profile. This is often the pattern in people that have heart attacks at a young age. Others can do the opposite and have normal lipids.

Remeber also that there are many other important reasons to eat right & exercise regularly apart from cholesterol!

David Hutchins said:

Not sure I know where all this is heading on the question of Cholesterol. I have never said that I have a problem with it and I do not???

G'day fellow Cybernaughts, while browsing through the different threads I came upon this discussion and thought it very interesting.

Without wishing to throw a spanner in the medical and scientific works so as to speak. May I just tell a factual story about my Father, he died in February 2001 at the age of 105 years, the cause of death as per the death certificate was "Old Age".

In 1996 he was living with me in Australia, this was his usual trip to OZ to get away from the "English Cold Weather" which he had been doing since 1986, he would arrive in OZ in September and go back to the UK in late March each year.

We were walking about in a shopping centre in Brisbane and cholesterol tests were being conducted in a mobile caravan, white coated nurses and a doctor on hand to keep an eye on things.

I had a test and my age was 48 years, the test showed a 9.2 reading which freaked everybody out in the caravan so as to speak, and I was cautioned by the doctor to a have something done about the level immediately. He suggested I talk to my family doctor and get onto medication straight away.

When they tested my Father who was 100 years old he tested at the same level of 9.2, like Father like Son, I guess.

Neither of us have ever taken drugs (medication) for the condition and I certainly do not intend to take drugs to alleviate the condition either, this is worrying for the doctor as he predicts dire troubles for me.

When you see what my Father used to eat, it would make a modern dieticians hair curl with fright. All the Fat of the Meat, Eggs, Butter, Full Cream Milk, Cheese and he loved the dripping from the Sunday Roast which he would eat during the week for his mid morning tea break on two thick slices of toast. All washed down with a mug of tea which contained four spoons of white sugar, his consumption of tea was at least fifteen mugs a day without fail, and if he didn't receive them, he was quite put out, and would let me know in no uncertain terms.

My Father was never overweight, and maintained a good physical shape and mental brightness until he went into hospital just before his death. He rode a cycle until 1986 when he was knocked down by an inatentive driver, he then decided to sell his beloved bike to a youn man around the corner from where he lived on the East End of London. He worked as a docker for 55 years.

This regime of diet and exercise he continued for all his working life and even up till he was 104 years old, where he would walk every day at least four to six kilometres. This diet contravenes all the things that the medical profession and the expert dieticians say is not good for one.

I still ride a cycle and do so every day at least between 45 and 75 kilometres, I stopped racing when I was refused an open licence in 1987 at age 49 years, the explanation was it was for my own protection and that I should race veterans if I still wanted to compete?

My present age is 66 years and I still have the same choletsrol reading but feel absolutely no ill effects, I was advised by my friend and nutritional consultant Dr. EriK Hedendahl not to worry, as the hype about cholestrol is just that. I eat a good diet but my weight is about 10 kilograms over what is was when I was racing, however it is not a real problem as all I need to do, to reduce is ride further and slightly harder.

The biggest killer today is, if you read the cutting edge litrerature, cooking with "Vegetable Oils". If one uses "Coconut Oil" or "Olive Oil" most of the dangerous effects of cooking with the Vegetable Oils would be diminished quite substancially. However the Oil Seed Industry does not want this information to be open public knowledge for the obvious reasons. The destruction of the industry and loss of jobs and money would bring about drastic problems in the country's who produce this product, the USA.

That's my story if anyone is interested, if you require further material I would suggest you get on to the website of Dr. Mercola, an American Doctor who publishes a fortnightly news letter which is a free subscription.

www.dr.mercola.com should do the trick. Have a good day. TBC

There has to be a crossed wire here somewhere, I repeat, I have never mentioned Cholestorol but so many of the messages are talking about it. I do not have that problem. Quite the reverse.

Brian Cotgrove said:

G'day fellow Cybernaughts, while browsing through the different threads I came upon this discussion and thought it very interesting.

Without wishing to throw a spanner in the medical and scientific works so as to speak. May I just tell a factual story about my Father, he died in February 2001 at the age of 105 years, the cause of death as per the death certificate was "Old Age".

In 1996 he was living with me in Australia, this was his usual trip to OZ to get away from the "English Cold Weather" which he had been doing since 1986, he would arrive in OZ in September and go back to the UK in late March each year.

We were walking about in a shopping centre in Brisbane and cholesterol tests were being conducted in a mobile caravan, white coated nurses and a doctor on hand to keep an eye on things.

I had a test and my age was 48 years, the test showed a 9.2 reading which freaked everybody out in the caravan so as to speak, and I was cautioned by the doctor to a have something done about the level immediately. He suggested I talk to my family doctor and get onto medication straight away.

When they tested my Father who was 100 years old he tested at the same level of 9.2, like Father like Son, I guess.

Neither of us have ever taken drugs (medication) for the condition and I certainly do not intend to take drugs to alleviate the condition either, this is worrying for the doctor as he predicts dire troubles for me.

When you see what my Father used to eat, it would make a modern dieticians hair curl with fright. All the Fat of the Meat, Eggs, Butter, Full Cream Milk, Cheese and he loved the dripping from the Sunday Roast which he would eat during the week for his mid morning tea break on two thick slices of toast. All washed down with a mug of tea which contained four spoons of white sugar, his consumption of tea was at least fifteen mugs a day without fail, and if he didn't receive them, he was quite put out, and would let me know in no uncertain terms.

My Father was never overweight, and maintained a good physical shape and mental brightness until he went into hospital just before his death. He rode a cycle until 1986 when he was knocked down by an inatentive driver, he then decided to sell his beloved bike to a youn man around the corner from where he lived on the East End of London. He worked as a docker for 55 years.

This regime of diet and exercise he continued for all his working life and even up till he was 104 years old, where he would walk every day at least four to six kilometres. This diet contravenes all the things that the medical profession and the expert dieticians say is not good for one.

I still ride a cycle and do so every day at least between 45 and 75 kilometres, I stopped racing when I was refused an open licence in 1987 at age 49 years, the explanation was it was for my own protection and that I should race veterans if I still wanted to compete?

My present age is 66 years and I still have the same choletsrol reading but feel absolutely no ill effects, I was advised by my friend and nutritional consultant Dr. EriK Hedendahl not to worry, as the hype about cholestrol is just that. I eat a good diet but my weight is about 10 kilograms over what is was when I was racing, however it is not a real problem as all I need to do, to reduce is ride further and slightly harder.

The biggest killer today is, if you read the cutting edge litrerature, cooking with "Vegetable Oils". If one uses "Coconut Oil" or "Olive Oil" most of the dangerous effects of cooking with the Vegetable Oils would be diminished quite substancially. However the Oil Seed Industry does not want this information to be open public knowledge for the obvious reasons. The destruction of the industry and loss of jobs and money would bring about drastic problems in the country's who produce this product, the USA.

That's my story if anyone is interested, if you require further material I would suggest you get on to the website of Dr. Mercola, an American Doctor who publishes a fortnightly news letter which is a free subscription.

www.dr.mercola.com should do the trick. Have a good day. TBC

David Hutchins said:

There has to be a crossed wire here somewhere, I repeat, I have never mentioned Cholestorol but so many of the messages are talking about it. I do not have that problem. Quite the reverse.

David, not everything has to be about you!