High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and ever increasing stress are all factors related to the leading cause of death for both men and women, heart disease. Luckily, heart disease is a problem you can do something about. By taking nutritional supplements, making changes in the food we eat, exercising most days of the week, drinking in moderation, and eliminating tobacco use, we can prevent or lessen the effects of heart disease.
After choosing to live a healthier life, it may seem very overwhelming. However, lots of people feel this way. As a result the American Heart Association is urging people to prevent heart disease by identifying their individual risk factors. Each risk factor indicates whether or not you may develop a certain health condition. In heart disease prevention, there are two types of risk factors, those you can control, and those that you can’t control. Risk factors that you can control include: diet, exercise, and the supplements that you take, whereas risk factors that you can’t control consist of age, race, gender, and your family’s history of heart disease.
There are a few, specific supplements that should be taken to increase your health and lower your chances of developing heart disease. You should take a quality heart formula multivitamin, garlic, and a fish oil supplement that provides Omega-3 fatty acids. CoQ10 is also a good way to give complete heart health support. The heart formula multivitamin will provide your heart with the exact nutrients needed to prevent heart disease.
Since the human heart cannot function without adequate amount of vitamins and minerals, it is logical that a multivitamin specifically formulated for heart health would work best. The cells and tissues that make up the heart must have vitamins C, A, and E, and also B1, B6, B12, and folic acid in order to function. These B vitamins are very important because they help to lower homocysteine levels, which is a potential cardiac risk factor. Healthy hearts also need a daily amount of magnesium in order to function correctly. They also need alpha lipoic acid, which is a fatty acid that provides protection against high cholesterol and blood pressure. Along with magnesium and alpha lipoic acid, lutein and lycopene keep our arteries free from buildup, which can later lead to heart attacks or strokes. Unlike other multivitamins, which contain herbs and other nutrients that can interfere with prescription medications, a heart formula consisting of the above vitamins, minerals, and nutrients will work with medications to treat heart disease and provide the nutrition that our hearts need.
Garlic supplements have a very long and successful history of preventing premature death from heart attacks. Garlic can also help lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, naturally and effectively. The best garlic supplements contain allicin, which is a compound that lowers harmfully high cholesterol levels. Since allicin is very stable when dry, a properly prepared garlic supplement preserves allicins health producing action until the garlic mixes with the fluids of the intestinal tract. A supplement prepared with enteric coating can also help prevent against garlic breath. In order for a garlic supplement to be the most effective, it must be made from fresh garlic, enterically coated, and provide a daily dose of at least 4,000 mcg allicin. By taking this once daily supplement that delivers 4,000 mcg of allicin, you can significantly and effectively lower your high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Not all fish oil supplements are made the same, some can be harmful, but rest assured there are companies out there who supply fish oil supplements which are naturally loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids and certified free of harmful contaminants and heavy metals. This Omega-3 is a powerful nutrient that is known to prevent heart disease and protect the heart. Research has proven that Omega-3 can reduce the risk of arrhythmias, lower the levels of triglycerides, slow atherosclerosis, and keep blood pressure levels low. With just 600-1800 mg of fish oil, you can get all of the above heart disease prevention. However, you must make sure the fish oil supplement that you take is free from contaminants and is guaranteed fresh. The manufacturer of the fish oil supplement should be able to provide documentation of purity in their product. The supplement should contain no detectable dioxin, which is a widely used toxic preservative, DDT (a toxic insecticide), PCBs, or heavy metals such as mercury or lead. Before you buy any fish oil supplement, ask the clerk if you can open the bottle and smell the contents. A fishy smelling fish oil supplement means it may contain heavy metals and could be rancid, which is not going to help your heart at all. It may actually hurt it.
CoQ10 is part of our energy producing system by working directly with our mitochondria in each cell. The mitochondria generate 95% of the energy that the body requires and are more abundant in places that require more energy. Because of this fact, the heart has a large number of mitochondria in its cells, each needing CoQ10 to help them produce the most energy that they can. Because CoQ10 levels can become dangerously depleted by medications for high cholesterol levels, it is important to take at least 100 mg – 400 mg of CoQ10 each day. Otherwise, the good that the medications are doing to lower cholesterol levels will be negated by the lack of CoQ10 levels. Even if you have already been diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), CoQ10 can still help you by slowing down the destruction that occurs. CoQ10 is also known for healing the heart muscles damaged by heart attacks.
There are some types of CoQ10 products that are better than others. The quality of manufacturing has a lot do with which CoQ10 product is best. Make sure to take a CoQ10 supplement that has been used in research conducted by a prestigious university, which the supplement will tell you right on its label. The main requirements for a good CoQ10 are: it must be easily absorbed during digestion, it must reach the mitochondria in the cell, it must be proven effective in studies, and it must be safe and free of impurities. Although CoQ10 is recommended for people with moderate or high risk factors of heart disease, people with low risk factors can take CoQ10 ever day to reduce their risk of cancer, prevent gum disease, and help certain nerve cells work more effectively. By following all of the above recommendations, you can help to keep your heart healthy and strong. All the supplements suggested in this article can be found at your local health food store or Internet health food store.
Darrell Miller
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http://www.DrAieta.com/ Dr. Frank Aieta is a Naturopathic Physician with a private practice in West Hartford Connecticut. He is an expert in the treatment of chronic disease through the use of natural medicine. Dr. Aieta specializes in acupuncture, clinical nutrition, physical medicine, botanical medicine, homeopathic medicine and the use of bio-identical hormones.
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