When working optimally, blood vessels grow in the right place at the right time — not too many, not too few — to keep us healthy. But when the system fails, illness and disease can swiftly set in.
The process our body uses to grow new blood vessels is called angiogenesis. This process is much more sophisticated and significant than merely a means of transporting blood from A to B; it is a complex system that works to repair and regenerate blood vessels.
Faulty angiogenesis — either excessive or insufficient blood vessel growth — is a common factor in many cancers, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. It can take part responsibility for uncontrolled endometriosis, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. And it plays a part in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the over-65s, alopecia, obesity and erectile dysfunction.
Even beer and cheese can help to keep your heart healthy and keep blood vessels growing at the right time in the right place, claims Harvard Expert Dr Li. (Stock image)
When working optimally, blood vessels grow in the right place at the right time to keep us healthy. But, when the system fails, illness and disease can swiftly set in. (stock image)
I have been part of the discovery that abnormal angiogenesis is involved in the formation of Alzheimer’s. We now know that blood vessels in Alzheimer’s-affected brains do not improve blood flow but release toxins that kill brain cells. That’s why it’s so important to try to keep this particular defence system happy and include items in your diet such as soya, green tea, coffee, tomatoes, red wine, beer and even hard cheese, which we now know contain important compounds to support it.
When this defence system is healthy and strong, it can support the growth of the new blood vessels that keep your heart and brain healthy (repairing damage and bypassing any blockages). It also generates microscopic new capillaries to send the extra nutrients wherever they are needed in the body (to repair wounds, for instance).
If angiogenesis is struggling, new blood vessels don’t grow. This is the failing mechanism behind heart problems, baldness (hair follicles require new blood vessels for their nutrition) and circulatory conditions such as erectile dysfunction.
However, that process can also work in reverse. We are beginning to understand that certain diseases progress and accelerate by hijacking angiogenesis.
Many cancers will try to hoodwink the angiogenesis process into providing blood vessels to feed their tumours. It’s the same with the fatty plaque that can build up in major blood vessels, leading to heart disease. We now know this plaque cunningly calls for a supply of rogue blood vessels to feed its growth. With AMD, doctors now know that unwanted angiogenesis can cause the formation of abnormal tangles of blood vessels which can permanently destroy vision.
In both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, inflammation in the joints leads to the formation of rogue new blood vessels that release destructive enzymes. These destroy your cartilage and cause crippling joint pain.
When angiogenesis is working optimally, your body recognises the difference between ‘good’ blood vessels and ‘bad’, stepping in to cut off the rogue blood vessels. That is why foods that support this system are so vital.
Certain foods (grains, seeds, capers, onions, chillies, plums and apples) contain compounds that support the body’s ability to form ‘good’ blood vessels, and other foods (almonds, anchovies, cherry tomatoes, salmon, blueberries) contain compounds that destroy the ‘bad’ blood vessels that might be feeding tumours or blood plaques.
There has been much research into angiogenetic drugs to boost the formation of blood vessels, but there is always a risk that supporting ‘good’ blood vessels might also inadvertently support the ‘bad’ ones too.
But the good news is the natural compounds in food appear to be much more sophisticated. Unlike drug intervention, they will not overstimulate the rogue angiogenesis or shrink the helpful blood vessels.
Food works in harmony with the body — a food that starves a cancer won’t starve the heart of its necessary blood supply and angiogenesis-stimulating foods don’t appear to cause rogue blood vessels to overgrow.
Yes, you really can eat to starve cancer, grow vessels to feed your heart and stave off other deadly diseases to live a longer, healthier life.