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How To Improve Your Cardiovascular Health With Vitamins
Did you know that heart attack, stroke, and related disorders
kill more Americans than any other disease combined in the
United States? Over 1 million Americans died in 1990 from
cardiovascular disease which could be prevented with diet,
vitamins, exercise, and stress reduction techniques.
Arteriosclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries, is the
leading cause of heart attack and stroke in the world. When
fat and cholesterol build up around the heart and on the inner
walls of the arteries arteriosclerosis occurs. Then your arteries
start to narrow from fat and cholesterol build up, blood flow
slows down and blood pressure increases. When arteries narrow
the risk of blood clots increase and depending on where the
clot ends up can cause a stroke or heart attack. Arteriosclerosis
usually goes un-noticed until it reaches an advanced stage
and most people don’t even realize they have it till it’s
too late. Prevention should be our first goal.
Third world countries experience less heart disease than America
and other modern countries due to its population’s high volume
of processed foods consumed on a daily basis. Studies have
shown that an increase in sugar, refined flour, and simple
carbohydrates are contributing factors in heart disease. Other
risk factors include cigarette smoking, high blood pressure,
diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and a family history
of heart disease.
Dietary changes are the first step in prevention of arteriosclerosis.
Follow a diet low in animal fat and refined sugars and add
fiber to your diet in supplement form or by eating more whole
grains and vegetables is a good start. Foods good for the
heart are whole grains, almonds, fresh fruit and vegetables,
legumes, skinless turkey, chicken and fish, brown rice, garlic,
onions, olive oil, sprouts, asparagus, apples, bananas, beans,
buck wheat, seeds, whey powder, and yogurt are all great for
the heart. Try to avoid caffeine which includes soda pop and
coffee. Avoid alcohol, red meat, refined carbohydrates and
white flour. Try to limit your dairy intake, milk is high
in fat. Homogenized dairy products contain an enzyme called
xanthine oxidase believed to cause arteriosclerosis.
There are some vitamin supplements that might help as well.
Choline, Inositol, and lecithin act as an emulsifier which
can help prevent plaque build up on arteries. Chromium can
help lower blood sugar and in some studies have been linked
to reduced risk of heart disease. Chromium may help boost
HDL cholesterol and aid in lowering LDL cholesterol. High
blood sugar can make the fats in your blood stream stickier
and increase buildup on the arteries, maintaining a good blood
sugar level can reduce your risk of heart disease. Coenzyme
Q10 helps with oxygen transport and helps oxygenate the heart,
this may prevent additional heart damage. Coenzyme Q10 can
help the body break down fatty acids and convert them to energy.
Those lacking in coenzyme q10 normally have heart problems.
Also, essential fatty acids such as omega-3 fish oil can help
prevent hardening of the arteries and help prevent blood from
clumping together and may help the assimilation of fat soluble
vitamins. Germanium is a less commonly spoke of mineral is
shown to lower high blood pressure and improve circulation
in the body. Calcium and magnesium can aid in the contraction
and relaxation of muscles through out the body including the
heart. Calcium and magnesium are essential for proper heart
function which helps maintain a normal heart rhythm and blood
pressure. Individuals with high blood pressure have been linked
to low calcium/magnesium levels in the body. Vitamin C and
bioflavonoids can help strengthen blood vessels, help prevent
high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, repair arterial walls,
and has been attributed to the reversing of heart disease.
Vitamin E and selenium are well known for their beneficial
effects as an antioxidant as well as the benefits to the heart.
Some herbs known to benefit the cardiovascular system are
hawthorn berries, garlic, cayenne, ginkgo, rosemary tea, and
Chinese mushrooms. These herbs a great for the cardiovascular
system which have been shown to lower cholesterol, improve
circulation, relax blood vessels, and act as a natural blood
thinner.
Exercise is very important in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular
system. Daily aerobic exercise is something everybody should
consider to help prevent arteriosclerosis. Exercise a minimum
of 3 days a week for no less than 30 minutes each day to help
prevent cardiovascular disease.
Stress is a factor in heart disease and steps should be taken
to reduce stress in your life as much as possible. Stress
causes the adrenal glands to release adrenalin which causes
the heart to work harder and your whole cardiovascular system
to tighten up. Keeping your body as stress free as possible
every day is a good step in the right direction but wanting
to be stress free and actually being stress free can be next
to impossible. By changing your diet, taking vitamin supplements,
exercising regularly, practicing stress reduction techniques,
and seeing your health care practitioner on a regular basis
is a good step towards the prevention or heart disease and
arteriosclerosis. The above mentioned vitamin supplements
can be found at your local or online vitamin store.
Please visit VitaNet Health Foods, VitaNet sells high quality
vitamins
and herbs to boost cardiovascular health. Please link to this
site when using this article.
