We hear about it from time to time. A super fit person like a body builder or a marathon runner all of a sudden collapses with a massive heart attack. Most recently a popular show, “Biggest Loser” star and trainer Bob Harper. Why? This one shocked many people because he was a “picture of health” and a fitness guru who, you would think, would be the last person to suffer from what they called a “Widowmaker” heart attack that left him unconscious for two days. He had only 6 percent chance of survival. Fortunately, he has recovered and is on his way to restoring his health but the news of his heart attack caused a social media firestorm. Understandably, people wanted answers because it just didn’t make any sense. Wasn’t he healthy? He sure looked healthy. But looks can be deceiving …
We may never fully know what actually caused his heart attack but I seriously doubt the “genetics” spin they have circling around. Genetics don’t clog up your arteries. But let’s humor this theory for just a second. His mother had a heart attack when she was 70. Doctors constantly tell us that even if we are “genetically predisposed” to a particular disease, we can still improve our chances by leading a healthy life. So, if Harper did everything right, wouldn’t his chances of having a heart attack be less? But instead, he suffered from this affliction at a much younger age than his mother. He was only 51. In my opinion, the “genetics” theory falls apart here.
To further illustrate the ridiculousness of “genetics” theory, check this out. This was Britain’s fattest woman. When she died from heart attack, we were told it was due to her genetics. Really now?
But back to Harper…
There was something that he was consuming that was not healthy. Notice that the doctors prescribed him a Mediterranean diet, which is mostly fish, beans, fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats like olive oil and nuts. All good things! But that tells me he wasn’t eating like this before. Another thing Harper mentioned during his recovery is for everyone to check their cholesterol levels. Again, this tells me that his numbers weren’t very good and could also be a clue as to what went wrong.
Also, we don’t know what kind of supplements he was taking. He did promote some of them and people were just beginning to question their safety. But because they are considered supplements not drugs, FDA does not need to evaluate them, which is truly a shame. Not that I would rely on FDA to tell me what’s safe. They’ve dropped the ball many times. But they can at least warn people about harmful side effects.
Being in a constant spotlight can put a lot of pressure to look fit at any cost. Some of these “performance enhancing” products or “diet pills” are very suspect and could have certainly contributed to his health breakdown. During his interview with NBC, Harper listed 25 things people didn’t know about him, one of which was the fact that that he takes the supplements he advertises. While we may not know all the supplements he was consuming, it could be another clue as to what could have gone wrong. All you have to do is take a look at the horrible, heart damaging side effects of some of the weight loss supplements listed on the drugs website.
I’ll quote you some of them:
“Fenfluramine (Pondimin), used in the combination drug fen-phen (fenfluramine/phentermine) was associated with dangerous heart valve side effects and is no longer available due to this side effect. “
“Sibutramine (Meridia) was removed from the U.S. market in 2010, also due to an increased risk of serious heart side effects, including heart attack and stroke.”
Now, I’m not saying he was taking these particular supplements but whatever he was taking may have contributed to his heart problem.
Lets not forget that “Biggest Loser” show contestants confirmed that they were given Adderall and “yellow jackets” that apparently contain Ephedra. To give you a little insight as to what Ephedra is, just click here.
This is an actual description from the website:
“Do not take products that contain ephedra or its active ingredients. Ephedra is LIKELY UNSAFE for adults and children. Ephedra can cause severe life-threatening or disabling conditions in some people. Ephedra use is linked to high blood pressure, heart attacks, muscle disorders, seizures, strokes, irregular heartbeat, loss of consciousness, and death.”
If you look at the Health & Fitness industry, it begs a question. What happened to the Health aspect of it? We have become so obsessed with looking “the part” that we are willing to get there at any cost. We forgot that muscles don’t equal health! And then there’s this obsession with “getting fit quick”, that we are just not willing to be patient and slowly build our healthy bodies. Instead, the Health & Fitness industry is full of supplements, pills, liquid meal replacements, questionable herbs, etc. (Take a look at what Men’s Health just recently published about one man’s devastating experience with supplements. Some of these side effects are irreversible.) Where’s real food? Bottom line is, there’s no shortcut to health. You might just be harming yourself internally while looking super fit on the outside.
Look at the GNC stores for example. Nothing but manufactured and artificial products. General Nutrition Center! What’s their motto? Live well! On what? This? Is this Heath? I don’t think so.
So, why do fit people like Bob Harper have a heart attack? In order to understand why this happens, we need to know what heart attack really is. What is the definition of a heart attack? It is a damage to the heart caused by the interrupted blood flow in the coronary arteries. The flow to the heart is usually blocked by the build up of fat, cholesterol and other substances which together form a plaque.
Here’s an actual description from the US Department of Health & Human Services website.
“Heart attacks most often occur as a result of coronary heart disease (CHD), also called coronary artery disease. CHD is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart.When plaque builds up in the arteries, the condition is called atherosclerosis. The buildup of plaque occurs over many years.”
But before you start vilifying cholesterol, lets understand that cholesterol in the food doesn’t equal cholesterol in the body, so don’t throw away your eggs just yet, ok? Plaque starts building on your arteries for many reasons. One is due to overconsumption of sugar and simple carbs and two, due to lack of consumption of healthy unsaturated fats like nuts, olive oil, fish, avocados, etc.
Reducing added sugar is a must if you want to have a healthy heart. While you need some sugar, you can get plenty of it from nutrient packed fruit and keep your treats to a minimum and only occasionally. With regards to unsaturated fats, it’s extremely important to understand their function. These healthy fats actually scrub your arteries and prevent plaque from building on the walls. This is why it’s important to know your cholesterol numbers. Your HDL levels should be over 40. The higher the better. Another important factor in protecting your arteries is limiting table salt and sodium in general (prepackaged foods are loaded with it!) which actually damages your arteries causing cholesterol to rush there and repair the damage. The more the damage, the more cholesterol will be building on the walls, causing a potential blockage. You do need salt, so please try to stick to sea salt and limit any frozen or prepackaged products.
It can be quite frightening for the general masses to see that something this severe can happen to someone super fit like Harper. But my advice for everyone is to relax and understand that people in the fitness industry are not like everyone else. As a fitness professional, I can tell you that we put ourselves under a lot of pressure to perform and if you are a celebrity, those pressures are exponentially higher. There’s this huge, almost obsessive, desire to push harder, further, faster, more and more. Until when? Indefinitely? What about warning signs of trouble? Harper mentioned he had dizzy spells prior to his heart attack that he ignored. We get addicted to improving our level of fitness, never satisfied, beating ourselves up for not achieving more. Pain? What pain? There’s no pain. As a result, we don’t know how to take a step back and assess the situation before it’s too late. In an effort to improve, we are willing to do almost anything even if it’s unhealthy. Get leaner, push harder, lift heavier, beat your competition, win at any cost. All cost? Have you seen what boxers or MMA fighters do to make weight? It will make you nauseous. Or how about body builders who are way more concerned about all the muscle popping for competition and ignore the fact that their severe dehydration is ruining their internal organs.
Let this be a wake up call to all fitness minded people that we are all mortal and we have our limits. I believe that the Health & Fitness industry needs to do more to educate people who want to be fit and healthy. Health should come first and should never be sacrificed for fitness goals. EVER. Period.