Take aim at your heart with targeted supplements

You’ve seen the stats on heart disease. Despite a variety of medical and scientific breakthroughs, poor cardiovascular health is killing Americans.

Once heart health deteriorates, Western medicine has a vast tool kit to draw from: beta blockers and other drugs, stents, surgery, etc. But they all come with a long list of side effects and potential dangers.

What works best is a proactive approach. That’s because it’s easier to avoid illness than it is to cure it. Moreover, good cardio health can be maintained — even regained — just by adopting a few good habits, a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. And, natural, targeted supplements can be an effective part of that solution.

Blood vessels — your river of life

The Western diet and the sedentary lifestyle that goes along with it contributes to poor cardio health. And one of the worst contributors is oxidative stress.

For example, when free radicals, from toxins, unhealthy foods or other sources, encounter LDL cholesterol, they oxidize it — essentially making the cholesterol “rancid.”

Cholesterol and other lipids are essential to cell health. They provide a host of essential functions as a selective barrier for incoming and outgoing messages, as well as nutrients and other critical molecules involved in normal cell function. When the cell membrane is damaged, communication and function deteriorate.

Another mechanism involved in cardiovascular health is the protein known as galectin-3, which is found circulating in the bloodstream. Many studies have shown that when it comes to cardio health, maintaining healthy galectin-3 levels is a must.

Then, there’s calcium, shown to be a two-edged sword when it comes to cardiovascular health. Calcium is not always absorbed by your bones. If rogue calcium stays in your blood stream, it can contribute to build up in your arteries. For this reason, excessive calcium supplementation is discouraged.

Hearty supplement solutions

So what can you do to win the battle for better heart health? There are several solutions you can try…

Antioxidant Support: Antioxidants founds in foods, such as brightly colored fruits and vegetables, are shown to provide effective cardiovascular benefits. This is most likely due to their high levels of polyphenols and other phytonutrients. Additionally, nutrients such as vitamin C, beta carotene, and vitamin E are well known antioxidants that help counter the effects of oxidative stress.

Calcium Metabolism: Making proper use of the calcium in your body is important. People suffering from osteoporosis and arterial calcification often lack vitamin K. Vitamin K helps calcium go where it can do the most good in your body — like to your bones. Beneficial bacteria in your gut helps make vitamin K. Encourage a thriving gut microbiome. Do that by eating fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, and raw sauerkraut. Leafy greens are also a good vitamin K source. Vitamin D, which has long been associated with bone mineralization, can help. So can magnesium, critical for healthy calcium metabolism.

Galectin-3: Maintaining healthy galectin-3 levels is easy using a safe, well-tested natural supplement made from the citrus peel — modified citrus pectin (MCP). The usual pectin used as an additive for thickening jam and jelly has large molecules too big to enter the circulation. The molecules in modified citrus pectin are easily absorbed in the GI tract, and better able to enter into circulation where they bind to and remove heavy toxic metals. Healthy levels of galectin-3 promote cardiovascular health.

Other useful supplements that are cardio-protective include garlic, hibiscus, Hawthorne berry, and CoQ10.

Food and exercise

The Mediterranean diet is widely recognized as a heart healthy food plan.  It includes fresh veggies, fruits, lean protein, nuts and seeds, wild caught fatty fish such as wild Alaskan salmon and sardines, and olive oil. Nix the sugar, fruit juice, white flour products, trans fats and other processed foods.

Exercise, as always, is essential, and can be as simple as a daily brisk walk. A regular practice of stress reduction techniques, like meditation, yoga, or chi gong  have lasting physiological and psychological impact. They also reduce harmful stress hormones. Add in the targeted natural supplements discussed above, and you have the recipe for maintaining robust cardiovascular health.

Editor’s note: We’re just beginning to get the big picture about heart disease. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and the American Heart Association admit the connection between your body’s master hormone and heart disease is a strong one. To learn more about avoiding heart disease, not to mention cancer and diabetes, because of this one common denominator, click here.