Sunday, February 11, 2007

Natural Supplements For A Healthier Heart

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.

About The Author: Visit VitaNet Health Foods at
http://vitanetonline.com/

VitaNet sells high quality vitamins
and herbs at discount prices and name brands like Source
Naturals and Doctors Best. Please link to this site when using
this article.

No comments: