Sad News: James Gandolfini "Tony Soprano" Dead at 51

I heard a story about what "Dr Oz" had to say about Gandolfinis demise.
Gandolfini apparently had dined earlier that evening and his dinner included several (the number 6 was mentioned ) mixed Alcoholic drinks(Pin'a Coladas) and he then started with several torchons of foie gras. This was followed by a full meal of fried prawns in an Italian "gravy"
Thus was a full cholesterol load eaten and he later went to the can and apparently strained himself (in a Val Salva procedure trying to "go"). According to Dr Oz, this caused a mass of plaque to dislodge in his aorta and plug up somewhere in his cardiac veinous system . The plug led to a complete starvation of a large part of Mr Gandolfini's heart and he died rather quickly.

Its sad but is there a teaching moment here"

would any previous intervention or the "downing" of an aspirin have made a difference in the outcome?

He was 10 years younger than I and I wonder whether there are things I can do to prevent such events. While Ive only eaten foie gras once and don't see the need to repeat the experience anymore than eating toasted grasshoppers, I do like orange prawns and prawns in lemon sauce at PF Changs (Im addicted to those two) should I down an aspirin each day or before any extra cholesterolly ,meals Iselect (like a big steak). Im aware that I should have properly selected my ancestors and I should have monitored my diet from the time I was 3 years old, I know all that stuff. Im just wondering whether theres any "extra" spot precautions I can take.
My college roommate is the director of emergency medicine at a regional hospital and he has always been a fan of the "reverse the effects of a bad diet, diet". and an aspirin a day (not a baby aspirin but a big , full dose 325 mg pill)

I take 3 aspirin every morning. My sister gave me the same advice as your friend in ER.
I don't know if it will prevent a heart attack but it sure does wonders for my tennis elbow.

I read an article many, many years ago in the "Science Times" section of the New York Times about a study which was conducted in Finland on levels of iron in the blood stream in the form of serum ferritin. The water in Finland is high in iron, so iron levels in the bloodstream are high, and so are fatal cardiac crisis events. The researchers concluded that serum ferritin did serious damage to the heart muscle during any cardiac crisis event. Researchers in the United States speculated that "an aspirin a day" causes slight stomach bleeding, which reduces the serum ferritin levels in a "safe" process which would not damage the heart muscle. If all of that is true, and the Dr. Oz assessment is true, Gandolfini's gluttony killed him, and an aspirin a day would not have saved him.

3 big ones eh?

Im thinking that maybe Mr Gandolfini would still be with us had he adopted this daily regimen.

Of course, "eating to live" and not vice versa is also a good practice, and reversing the effects of a lifestyle of pounding down fatty goose livers with 6 tequila drinks is kind of like "dinner with Hannibal Lecter"

Ive read that about the ferritin as a "marker", and while it undoubtedly occurs, the full chemistry of what aspirin does is not well understood. Many feel that when asirin dissociates in the blood, it can hydrolize the choletsreol and plaques and help "isolate" the reaction surfaces. . Sorta like putting a Teflon surface on the recation surfaces.

Were that true, i doubt that an aspirin a day would have saved Mr. Gandolfini from the consequences of his gluttony.

Don't get me wrong, i'm all in favor of gluttony--however, moderation in all things, including gluttony. I like about three pounds of fettuccine in carbonara sauce at a single sitting--but only about once a year, if that often.

I'm with you on the fettuccine.
Unfortunately I've developed a great recipe and I tend to cook it too often.

My eating sins in the last 10 years have left me way overweight and I've found it impossible to lose the girth.

I think the impact of Gandolfini's death on us 60 year old men is made more terrible by his young age.

We're sitting here going "Am I next?"

I had my pasta splurge for the season (year?) a couple of weeks ago. I look longingly at the bags of pasta, then i go eat some disgusting high-fiber cereal that The Girl conscientiously buys for me. Gandolfini needed more fiber in his diet.

and more heart conscious ancestors.

I LOVE carbonara sauce but it must be made with bacon ENDS, prosciutto and a garkicky cheesy white sauce that has a slight hint of sweetness too. We serve it over Penne pasta (theyre like little cannolis of cheesy bacony goodness)

s my ER dr Buddy says that heart failure and infarctions are a chronic illness that either can be avoided by early life intervention or preventative dietary rules.
(Veggies fruits etc)

Im on a 2 veggie meals a week regimen since I developed my atrial fib.


Member when being in your "60's" was SO FUCKIN OLD that wed make fun of guys like us ?

I was told that, in the future, defib packs will be an option in cars and that "epi shots" of clot busters would be available for personal use .
Going with the idea that heart attacks, if intervention is swift, are a chronic and not always an acute condition,.

Go vegan. Or nearly so at least. No lamb for sure.

2 years of that and return to a healthy diet with mild, not severe, exercise. Military PT ones are the best for as long as mild panting takes.

Food is a Wonder Medicine. Neal Barnard M.D.

I have a theory, fm, which posits that heart disease is not hereditary. What is hereditary is the conformation of the vascular system which is inherited just like the conformation of the nose is. Like noses may be this way or that so also the vascular system. Some have tighter bends and narrower sections than others and thus, as with road systems, are easier to block.

I haven't time to research the matter but if I had I would study exterior appearances of victims of heart trouble from photographs taken at different times to see if there is any correlation between physiognomy and heart disease. Call it phrenology if you like.

If there is a correlation, which I think there will be if the study of the photographs is detailed (think of the funds and the jobs), then those perceived at most risk might be warned early in life, as potential breast cancer victims are being, and can adjust their diet.

I think an intense dislike of the eating process because it wastes valuable time is a good solution although it seems obvious enough that such an application is pretty near impossible for you lot.

I'm following Socrates there. Go-getters have a need to eat but no time for it. It's as bad as having to fill the gas up every now and then. A complete ballache.

If you notice what you are eating your brain has gone to sleep.

Yeah. Life can be so cruel.

Facebook really amplifies the cruelty.

I see my friends from High School and I cringe at the decrepit ones and stare enviously at the well preserved ones

What I meant fm is that you are blaming your ancestors for your own ignorance and indiscipline.

while not all fundamentals of ascending cardiovascular disease are genetic, many more items than mere "plumbing bends and narrows" are congenital.
For example, the actual production of various co-metabolites like cholesterol and fats are pre programmed to a large part from your genic complement. Statistically you certainly must be aware that entire familial groups have genetic markers that can indicate a predisposition for cardiovascular diseases as well as many others.
That's not to say that one is doomed or not based on their gene complement, certainly, eating like Calligula cant have a good effect even upon the most perfect of HDL/LDL ratios. Genetic predisposition does show an effect upon "rough or smooth" veinous structure and predilections toward arterial inflammations.
So, you are correct but even if you have a perfectly bland and healthy diet and yet have the "bad genes" that define you as a high cholesterol candidate, your liver will produce high LDLs almost at a "Set point" that may be unique to your family or your Doggerland Community

Well, that was my attempt at a little humor so why am I not surprised that it went by you.

If it doesn't ruffle too many feathers, I would like to make a comment. I checked thru 15 papers of threads linked by obituaries. The only other threads that came even close to this one was the report of Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson's death. But Gandolfini has far outstripped the other two, who both also received many tsks tsks regarding the possible cause of death.

My husbands brother died at age 49 from a heart attack and his father died at age 52, also heart attack. The elder died mainly because medical science in 1964 didn't have the tools. His brother was 6' 3", slim and walked everywhere (lived in New Orleans and was an English professor at Tulane). His could have been prevented if he had sought treatment, their mother had quintuple by-pass surgery 3 years prior to his brothers death. He had been complaining about symptoms to his colleagues but never sought a doctors opinion. I guess we could castigate his memory for causing his own death, but it's 2013, he died in 1987 and we still miss him.

My Dad suffered his first heart attack at 58. He was the picture of health, ran 12 miles a day, careful with his diet but had rheumatic fever at age 8 (1925) which had damaged his heart. He received a pace maker when he was 59 and lived to be 82. He continued to run until he was 72 and only stopped because of a knee injury caused when a latter he was on, buckled and tore up the cartiledge. So once he recovered from that, he stuck with free weights.

If you think Dr. Oz has all the answers, enjoy.

Because you have never considered the psychology of jokes.