To understand how coconut oil can help prevent acute myocardial infarction, we must possess the basic knowledge of how a heart disease develop. Acute myocardial infarction is caused by the hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) that happened as a result of plaque formation. Most people say atherosclerosis is caused by too much cholesterol in the blood. This idea call cholesterol hypothesis or lipid from acute myocardial infarction. Presently this idea still is widely spread in popular media by the Soya bean industries, in fact this theory is already obsolete, with the clinical observation and academic research it had been displaced by the response to injury hypothesis. What causes the formation of plaque and atherosclerosis? Generally it is always thought that the vein hardening is usually associated with cholesterol. However, cholesterol does not only stay freely in the blood vessels but can settle abruptly anywhere in the vessel. Cholesterol is used by the body to patch and heal wounds on the wall of blood vessels. In fact cholesterol is not really required for the formation of plaque in the atherosclerosis. Contrary to popular belief, the key component of blood vessel plaque is not cholesterol but protein especially the network of wounds. Several blood vessels that suffer atherosclerosis contain a small amount of cholesterol or none at all. According to response to injury hypothesis, part of the atherosclerosis develop as a result of wound on the inner wall of the blood vessel. Wound can happen due several reasons such as poisoning, free radicals, virus or bacteria. If the cause of the wound is not removed, it will cause further damage and as long as the complication and inflammation continue, the network will continue developing. Blood coagulant protein called platelets circulate freely in the blood. When it meets the wound it will become sticky and stick with one another in the damaged network to facilitate remedy. This is how blood clot is form. Wound from whatever source will trigger the platelet to coagulate and the cells in the blood vessel will release element to stimulate the growth of muscle cells in the wall. A complex combination of network wound, platelet, calcium, cholesterol and triglyceride work together to cure the wound. Therefore from the fiber network, it is clear that not only cholesterol that form the basic element in plaque. Calcium accumulation in plaque caused the hardening of blood vessel and this is the characteristic of atherosclerosis.
Contrary to popular belief, plaque does not only stick to the internal wall along the blood vessel just like mud does in the garden hose. But plaque grow inside the wall of a blood vessel, and it is part of the wall. The wall of a blood vessel is surrounded by a layer of strong muscle fiber coiling around it to prevent the plaque from spreading. Because plaque grow and developed, but it is unable to propagate outwards, it therefore presses inwards and close the vessel passage, narrowing down the bloodstream and restricting the blood flow.
Platelets gather around the wound to form blood clot. It seals the vent of the damage tube. But if the blood is inclined to clot, it will finally obstruct the blood flow. Finally the vessel narrowed down by the plaque will because clog by the blood clot and this in turn will stop the blood flow. If this happen to the coronary vessel it is known as heart attack. If it happened to carotid vessel going to the brain, it will cause stroke. Atherosclerosis cause acute myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular interference.
