The vitamin you didn’t know could help prevent heart attack

High blood pressure and heart disease are my family’s legacy. Not the legacy I really want though…

Since so many people in my family have suffered from heart problems, had heart attacks, had open heart surgery or died due to cardiac complications, I’ve learned to be aware of my risk factors at all times and do everything I can to make sure I don’t add to my family’s heart-disease legacy.

I exercise regularly and I eat right. I also pay attention to my blood pressure, cholesterol levels and weight.

And just to be on the safe side, I do one more important thing.

Something that’s been scientifically proven to not only significantly lower your risk of ever having a heart attack, but also protect your heart from the damage that can occur if you’re living with high blood pressure or diabetes.

Here are the details…

Make your blood vessels young again

Analyzing the bloodwork of patients who had suffered a heart attack has revealed a common problem — low levels of vitamin D.

Yet, no one knew what the link was between heart problems and the “sunshine vitamin” since vitamin D3 is normally associated with bone health.

It took Ohio University scientists and their state-of-the-art nanosensors to connect the dots. The sensors, which are about 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, were used to discover exactly how vitamin D3 affects the endothelial cells that line your heart and blood vessels.

And the results will make you want to bask in the sun.

Not only does vitamin D3 increase the level of nitric oxide in your blood to regulate blood flow and lower your blood pressure, but it also lowers the levels of oxidative stress in your cardiovascular system (damage caused by free radicals that accelerates the age of your cells).

Put simply, D3 helps turn back the clock and keep your veins, arteries, and heart young.

To top it off, according to the scientists, the vitamin can actually reverse the damage to your cardiovascular system that happens when you have diseases like high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (or hardening of your arteries) and even diabetes — damage that leads to a heart attack.

So, just taking a vitamin that is super healthy for you can save your life by stopping a heart attack before it starts.

Protecting your heart

To get more D3 and grab all of those heart-protecting benefits, you could simply spend more time in the sun. However, most of us just don’t have time to get enough naturally.

That’s why it’s a good idea to take at least 5,000 IUs of a quality vitamin D3 supplement each day.

In addition to taking D3, it’s important to optimize your heart health through regular physical activity and a diet of non-processed foods with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and wise supplementation.

Other vitamins and nutrient studied for their support of a healthy cardiovascular system include:

• Vitamin K2 — Vitamin K2 is an almost-unknown vitamin, but it’s an extremely important one when it comes to the health of your heart and blood vessels. It acts as a shuttle service, helping calcium go where it’s supposed to… your bones, not the walls of your arteries.
• Nitric oxide — Just like we talked about with vitamin D, nitric oxide is vital to opening arteries for healthy blood flow.
• Nattokinase — Fibrin is a protein your body makes when it has been damaged to stop the bleeding — a good thing, right? The problem occurs however when your body isn’t able to dissolve the clot once the bleeding stops. Nattokinase solves this issue and helps safely and naturally dissolve fibrin quickly — which allows your blood to flow smoothly.
• CoQ10 — There may be no other nutrient that has been studied as much for its ability to improve your heart health than CoQ10. In fact, more than 300 studies have demonstrated the cardiovascular health benefits of the supplement, including its ability to help your heart cells, normalize your blood pressure, improve your memory and reduce free radical damage.

If you have a family history of cardiac problems, like me, or are already living with high blood pressure or diabetes, protect yourself with diet and exercise and by taking vitamin D3. And other heart-healthy supplements can certainly help optimize the health of your heart and blood vessels.