[excerpt] Americans have become lazy, and heart disease has entrenched itself as the No. 1 women-killer for several years.
Doctors are, however, paying attention to how heart disease manifests itself in women, Atkinson said, and have discovered a common link among heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and a host of other autoimmune conditions: Inflammatory reactions.
“We’re learning that the Western lifestyle — rich, fat-laden foods and little exercise — triggers inflammation,” Atkinson said. “We eat foods laden with Omega 6 fats five times more than we should, and that in turn triggers the body to send out cytokines, or the antibodies that fight disease. Then as people gain belly fat, the fat becomes a hormonal organ that does nothing but put out cytokines in the system.
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