Medical Advisory Panel Q&A Transcript

Dr. Klodas

What is soy protein?
"Soy is a vegetarian source of protein. Plant-based sources of protein in general are preferred because they don't have the "hangers-on" of animal-based sources of protein such as cholesterol and saturated fat."

How may soymilk affect my cholesterol level?
"Soy, in adequate amounts, which is 25 grams per day, has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and has been linked to lower rates of heart disease...You are what you eat. It's a phrase that's been commonly used, but there's nothing more true. What we put in is what comes out."

How may the ingredients in 8th Continent soymilk reduce the risks of high blood pressure and stroke?
"It's low in sodium, it's high in potassium so those are both things that are great for blood pressure control--and with improved blood pressure control, rates of stroke are reduced. And again, the soy protein has an effect on cholesterol if you consume enough soy protein during the day."

Why 8th Continent soymilk?
"8th Continent is a great brand of soymilk because it tastes great which I think is one of the great barriers people have in terms of trying soy as an alternative to non-vegetarian sources of protein. So it's got to taste good and I think 8th Continent has done that very, very well."

What is the biggest health issue we face?
"The biggest obstacle for women is a lack of appreciation that this is their disease...Ask a group of women what is their #1 health concern, they will say it's cancer. Heart disease takes the life of one woman every minute in this country. Those are deplorable statistics."

What do you make with 8th Continent soymilk?
"I do use soymilk. I use it in smoothies. My children also enjoy drinking it on its own. They consider it a bit of a treat...My favorite is Light Vanilla...You can pour it over fruit like strawberries, bananas and other fruit."

What are the first steps to a healthy heart?
"The first, is you need to realize that heart disease is the #1 killer and disabler in this country for both men and women. If you're going to really impact your longevity, taking steps to educate yourself about heart disease and what your risks are is absolutely number one. Number two is to learn your numbers—what are your cholesterol, your LDL, HDL, triglycerides, what is your blood sugar, what's your weight? And how can you improve those numbers?"

Dr. Watson

What should women of all ages know?
"One thing I wish every woman over 50 knew about heart health is how to assess your risk. How to just go to their doctor and find out, what is my baseline risk? There's a number of really great studies that show modifying risk factors improves outcomes. People live longer, they live better, they have fewer strokes, less dementia. They live really, really well. And another thing I wish people, maybe at the age of thirty knew, was that, if you make it to age 50 with optimal risk factors, those people live a long time—well into their 90's—without heart attacks or strokes...It's never too late to make changes. It's also never too early."

Why is it harder to diagnose heart disease in women?
"Heart disease, blockages of the arteries, tends to develop differently in men and women. In men, it's much more common to have a really tight stynosis (sp) with a big blood clot on top of it, so that blood flow stops suddenly. And that man will come in with very severe, crushing chest pain. It's impossible to miss. In women, the disease tends to develop much more diffusely, through the entire arterial traft (sp) that supplies blood to the heart. And so women tend to get pain that's a little more stuttering and a little more subtle. So it may be pain that's felt when they get upset emotionally, rather than when they're jogging. And it may be pain that's felt mainly in the stomach and not in the chest at all. ...And unfortunately, we learned about what the symptoms of a heart attack were, based on men. And therefore, we still think of those as the classic heart attacks. We tend to call it now, "atypical" chest pain when a woman comes in with these symptoms. My thinking is though, more women are having heart attacks, more women are dying, shouldn't we call those the "typical" symptoms now instead of the atypical symptoms? Because those are the symptoms women have."

How is 8th Continent different?
"8th Continent, the first time my family tried it, they immediately tasted the difference. For instance, I had been trying to get my kids to convert to soy for a long time, and it wasn't until they tried 8th Continent, that they actually wanted to do it. So I feel there's a taste difference with 8th Continent, so as long as the health benefits are the same, that's where we're going."

Are women of color at greater risk?
"A lot of populations of color are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease than others. Some of that has to do with the risk factors that are present. For instance, in African Americans, high blood pressure is such a prominent risk factor. But other factors are unknown. They may have to do with genetics. Maybe the environment. Maybe lifestyle. There's a number of things that go into putting someone at risk. We haven't figured out everything that's involved, but its clear that certain populations are at higher risk for heart attacks and stroke than others."

How do you get 25 grams of soy daily?
"We use soy in a lot of things you'd normally use milk or cream for. For instance, my kids, their favorite breakfast is now Lite Chocolate Soy with Cheerios or Rice Krispies. They think they're getting a treat, and it's actually a very lowfat, very healthy food. It's actually not that difficult to get 25 grams of soy protein into your life. My kids love to eat the edamame, which are soybeans, which are raw, that's their snack. We use soymilk in place of regular milk. I put tofu in certain dinners that would have another form of protein, that might be higher fat, you can substitute tofu for that. It's not that difficult to get it in if you try."

How do you feel being on the 8th Continent Medical Advisory Panel?
"Being on the 8th Continent Medical Advisory Board has been a great experience. Because the company really cares how to make their product healthful. It's not just about selling, or making money, it's also about heart health, and that's a unique and wonderful thing for a company to think about. And so when we get together, we talk about, does this amount of sugar sound okay?> Does this amount of fat sound okay? What about this? Things that can really make a difference in health, so I really enjoyed being on the 8th Continent Advisory Board."

Who is most affected by heart disease?
"Heart disease does not discriminate. It affects men and women equally. In fact, because there are more older women in this country, than there are older men, there are more deaths each year from heart disease in women than there are men. In a large number of cases, this is a preventable disease. There's a lot we can do, and a lot of the things that we ask people to do are not hard. They're not painful or difficult to do. So we can actually make good impacts on their lives."

How does stress play a role in heart disease?
"Stress is toxic. There's no question. But we do have to think about the two types of stress. There are certain stressors that are activating. They say, "Hey, I better get in gear, get this project done." But then, there are other stressors that are just overwhelming and just really toxic to the body. And I think, what people don't realize is over a long term, stress can affect every organ in the body. It can help lead to heart disease, stroke, cancer. A number of different things."

Kathy Kastan

Heart Bypass Survivor
President of WomenHeart


What was your personal experience with heart disease?
"When I was about 41 years old I started having symptoms when I would exercise and I attributed the symptoms to stressors in my life and turning 40. Kind of like a lot of other women would do, I thought maybe this is because I have three kids, and I had just moved, and my mother had just passed away. But I’d have symptoms such as shortness of breath when I’d run. I’d have symptoms of left arm pain when I’d be in my masters swim class. So these were things that went on for almost a year and I just ignored them basically--went on my merry way until I was on a bike ride with some girlfriends and then those symptoms came together."

What were your initial heart symptoms?
"I had shortness of breath. I had pain in my left arm. I had pain in my left shoulder. I was very nauseated. I became very pasty and pale. And my girlfriends all three were nurses. One was a cardiac nurse and she said, ‘We’re going back home’. I called my husband who is a physician and he said, ‘Well, I don’t think you can have cardiovascular disease, honey, but go see a cardiologist’."

Did you ever have the typical heart symptoms?
"So the next week, I was in Colorado in the altitude. I crossed the street after posting some letters to my kids, and this time I did have the classic Hollywood heart attack symptoms--front to back chest pain, down my arm, into my jaw. I collapsed on the ground. I was very nauseated, pasty pale, profusely sweating, and I’m thinking, okay, this is the strangest mitral valve prolapse I’ve ever heard of because I feel like I’m dying and I’m having a heart attack."

What can women learn about heart disease from your experience?
"Over half of the women in this country have different symptoms than the classic Hollywood heart attack symptoms. So for instance, when I had my situation I started having shortness of breath. Well, I’m asthmatic so I assumed it was my asthma. Other women will report gastrointestinal problems or stomach ache. Some women will have pain down on the shoulder on the left side. They won’t necessarily have the elephant on the chest, you know, that makes them feel that they are having a massive heart attack. So it’s very important for women to be cognizant of what their body is telling them and if there are any changes at all, then report their symptoms to their physician."

What about stress and heart health?
"Women and stress, there’s a natural combination there. Because we’re so busy taking care of everybody else and we forget about ourselves. And that’s why it is so important that we take care of ourselves. Put ourselves at a different level in our priority list. Instead of at the bottom, closer to the top. And it takes work. I have to work at it every single day. I have to say, okay Kathy, I know I’d rather sleep another 15 minutes, but I need to get up, go exercise, I need to go take care of my dogs, I need to do whatever, but then I’m going to make sure I need to go eat my lunch. I eat my breakfast. I eat a good dinner. And you know all those kinds of things really help."

What information should I bring to my doctor?
"I would make sure that a woman goes into her doctor armed with information. She knows her numbers, her cholesterol numbers, not just the total. The LDL as well as the HDL. She also must know what her blood pressure is. She needs to know what her risk factors are. And all of those risk factors need to be discussed with her healthcare provider. So, as a patient she needs to be proactive with her healthcare. Women have to be their own best healthcare advocates because these days doctors only spend an average of fifteen minutes per patient."

What do you and others at WomenHeart say about exercise?
"I don’t care if it is gardening to start with. Or taking a walk around your block. The American Heart Association recommends thirty minutes a day of moderate level exercise. If you have never exercised, that’s okay. Start small. Start with short increments of time and build your way up. You’ll be amazed. And all of the doctors I work with at WomenHeart say small steps lead to huge health gains."

How did your heart event change your eating habits?
"My diet, I’m really cognizant of lowering saturated fats, trans fats. I was never a label reader before I had my heart event. Now I read all the labels. 8th Continent soymilk is a great product. It can help you lower your cholesterol and reduce your chances of having high blood pressure or risk of stroke. Also, it’s great in any foods that you normally would use a milk product in. And that’s what I do at home. I do that with my family at home, with making pancakes, or if I’m doing oatmeal I’ll put a little soymilk in it and they don’t even know it’s there."

What advice do you give other women?
"People know what they are supposed to do. It’s doing it that’s the hard part."