Heart Health: Ask Dr. Zipes

Heart Health: Ask Dr. Zipes

March 2005
Volume IV, Number 9

Walnuts, Welts, and Cholesterol

Reader: In the Nov./Dec. issue of The Saturday Evening Post, walnuts were mentioned to lower total and LDL cholesterol. Eating raw walnuts makes my tongue develop welts, so I avoid them. However, we sauté all vegetables and meat in olive oil or walnut oil. Will walnut oil be beneficial for me? My total cholesterol is 240, HDL 49, and LDL 120.

Dr. Zipes: Walnuts and walnut oil are good sources of two essential unsaturated fatty acids, alphalinolenic acid and linoleic acid, along with plant protein and other important vitamins and minerals. In various studies they have been shown to reduce triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and elevate HDL (good) cholesterol. However, your total cholesterol is too high and your LDL is also. Dietary changes alone may be insufficient to reduce your lipids to the normal range. You should check with your doctor about further evaluation and whether you should be taking a medication to reduce those values further if they do not return to a normal range. If you like eating walnuts, one suggestion is to soak them in water for 3-4 hours, discard the water, and repeat the process several times. That procedure may rid the walnuts of their toxic effect on your tongue.

Exercise Triggers Heart Problem

Reader: I am 70 years old and have been cardioverted for atrial fibrillation three times. Each time I physically exert myself, the atrial fibrillation recurs. I have been probed, prodded, x-rayed, and tested in every fashion, and the doctors cannot come up with any reason why the atrial fibrillation restarts. Do you have any suggestions for next steps I can take?

Dr. Zipes: There is a type of atrial fibrillation precipitated by physical activity, which appears to be what you have. You don't describe any drugs you have tried, but sometimes drugs that block the adrenaline effect of exercise, called beta blockers, can be effective, since it is thought that the adrenaline action on the heart may be the cause. Other drugs can be tried also. A more aggressive approach is what is called catheter ablation, which is an invasive procedure, somewhat resembling a heart catheterization, during which the area in the heart causing the atrial fibrillation is located and isolated or destroyed by energy delivered over the catheter. Success rates for a cure vary, but are in the range of 65 to 90 percent, depending on the type of atrial fibrillation and the experience of the doctors. I would suggest that you contact a doctor expert in heart rhythm problems, namely an electrophysiologist, for a complete evaluation and explanation of the various options open to you.