Lower LDL Cholesterol and the Risk for a Heart Disease.

Lower LDL Cholesterol and the Risk for a Heart Disease

High levels of LDL may not manifest symptoms. Hence, it may come as a shock to you if have your cholesterol level checked and your doctor tells you that your LDL cholesterol is so high. You should not live in fear because there are actually effective means to lower LDL cholesterol. You just need to stick with what your doctor advice you and you are going to be alright. There are many treatment methods to lower LDL cholesterol, but it can be accomplished even without medications. Cholesterol supplements are developed to help you lower your LDL cholesterol naturally.

Cholesterol should not be treated as an enemy. Our body makes cholesterol because it is a vital substance for many life processes. The body produces the amounts that are required to make hormones, cell membranes, protect our nerves and for other purposes. The excess levels of cholesterol come from our diet. Since cholesterol is needed only at certain amounts, exceeding those levels will the body may find it difficult to excrete it thereby causing health problems.

Lower LDL Cholesterol and Live Healthy

Cholesterol is needed for good health, but lower LDL cholesterol is the key to better health. Too much LDL cholesterol increases your risk for a heart disease and stroke. In fact, elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are directly linked to the development of atherosclerosis. Excess LDL cholesterol circulating in the blood would be deposited in the walls of the arteries over time. Buildup of cholesterol narrows that passageways of blood and thus blood pressure increases. Over time, the plaque (hardened cholesterol) may totally block the arteries and if the blocked artery supplies blood to the heart and brain, stroke occurs.

People with lower LDL cholesterol are protected from heart diseases. Without doubt, lower LDFL cholesterol is ideal. Lower LDL cholesterol allows the body to clear LDL from the blood faster. Body cells normally take up LDL cholesterol hence the levels of LDL in the blood is controlled. But wit excessive levels, the bodys ways to excrete LDL cholesterol would be overwhelmed. Apparently, the body needs assistance in eliminating excess LDL cholesterol as well the risk for heart diseases

How Does Vasacor Lower LDL Cholesterol?

The best way to lower LDL cholesterol is to lower it naturally. Vasacor cholesterol supplement is designed to lower LDL cholesterol naturally. If you are one of those people who have been diagnosed with high LDL cholesterol or you just want to protect your heart, Vasacor is right for you. The active ingredients contained in Vasacor works with the natural processes of the body to lower LDL cholesterol and maintain it at healthy levels. More importantly, Vasacor is safe and does not cause any adverse side effects. Now, you dont need to worry about future increase of LDL levels nor the risk for heart disease.

Using Pomegranate In The Fight Against Heart Disease

Heart disease claims the lives of nearly 900,000 Americans each year, caused largely by a diet of processed junk food, excess calories, obesity and smoking. Many people are under the false impression that heart disease is inevitable and once diagnosed can only be controlled by a low fat diet and a cocktail of prescription drugs.

This belief has been fostered by a medical profession that makes large profits by perpetuating patients in a never ending cycle of disease progression. Nature has provided powerful tools that can effectively prevent and treat heart disease by correcting the root cause of the affliction.

Inflammation Initiates Heart Disease
Systemic inflammation is one of the primary metabolic processes underlying heart disease as it causes instability in the delicate inner endothelial lining of the coronary arteries. Chronic inflammation causes elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein and studies have shown that the protein is an important marker for heart disease risk.

The flames of inflammation are fanned by a processed diet high in hydrogenated fats and refined carbohydrates. This in turn generates excess triglycerides and oxidized LDL cholesterol in the blood and promotes fat storage in the adipocytes around the abdomen. Metabolically active fat cells secrete chemical messengers known as cytokines, C-reactive protein and the hormone cortisol. This is a protective action evolved by our body to handle short term damage and stress that becomes destructive when levels are chronically elevated.

Vitamin C Lowers Inflammation Markers
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient known to prevent scurvy. Evolutionary scientists know that in our distant past, we were able to synthesize the vitamin internally but lost the capability likely due to plentiful supply from our diet. The importance of vitamin C to our health was highlighted by the work of Nobel Prize winning researcher Linus Pauling who showed the nutrient could be combined with the amino acids lysine and proline to create a powerful agent capable of removing arterial plaque.

The results of a study conducted by the University of California Berkeley and published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine demonstrate the power of vitamin C to lower inflammation by moderating levels of C-reactive protein. Study participants supplemented with 1000 mg a day of vitamin C and were able to reduce C-reactive protein levels by 34%. Vitamin C provides a significant reduction in C-reactive protein levels that translate to lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack.

Pomegranate Improves Blood Flow to the Heart
Blood flow to the heart becomes slowly constricted over time as our arteries stiffen and become thicker due to increased blood pressure and metabolic imbalance from high blood sugar and insulin resistance. Arterial hardening is recognized as a significant cause of heart disease as the muscles that line the endothelial wall constrict meaning the heart has to pump harder to force blood to all parts of the body. Eventually hardened arteries lead to heart failure and death.

Pomegranate has been shown to reverse the signs of arterial stiffening as it relaxes the endothelial muscles that control blood flow to the heart. The results of a study published in the journal Clinical Nutrition shows that after 3 months of supplementation with pomegranate extract, arterial wall thickness decreased by 35% and dangerous LDL cholesterol oxidation was reduced by 90%.

Nature has provided us with powerful nutrients which we can use to prevent the ravages of heart disease. Combined with proper diet and physical activity, vitamin C and pomegranate can help us to live long and productive lives.

Drinking Red Wine Is Good For Your Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Brain And More…

Red wine benefits are numerous and plentiful. Red wine benefits are generally good for you, but it is important to know the specifics of these benefits because you can then employ them to serve your body better. Further research and studies have also shown that the red wine benefits are abundant, however it should also be importantly noted that in order to make use of the benefits red wine provides, a healthy lifestyle must also be maintained in conjunction with drinking red wine.

Although red wine is not considered a cure all and certainly not a replacement for visiting your doctor, you can find some widely agreed upon benefits to drinking red wine. There are a great many benefits that red wine brings, such as its ability to help lower LDL or bad cholesterol with the body ; this is a proven fact. It is commonly said that wine can be good for our health, but it is important to understand what the specifics are of these benefits in order for us to ensure that we make best of them.

One example of this is that not many people are actually aware that this applies only to red wine and that only red wine offers these benefits, because of the certain flavnoids in the red wine that is not available in white wine. This however does not necessarily mean that white wine is completely unhealthy, rather it is the red wine benefits that we particularly look for when looking for benefits from wine. However, it is important to remember that these benefits are based upon moderation rather than heavy or binge drinking.

The red wine you buy does not have to be the expensive ones if your budget doesn’t allow for it as there are a great many bottles of red wine for sale that are nominally priced which will give you options and not necessarily make your move to enjoying the red wine benefits an expensive undertaking, what is critical is that you maintain a good healthy diet along with drinking red wine. When it comes to drinking red wine for its health benefits, Cabernet sauvignon is the clear leader of the flavoid pack. If you want to reap the benefits of something such as wine, then you should also be eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and getting lots of regular exercise.

What are the benefits of drinking red wine:

Red wine benefits include cancer prevention.
The anti-aging property function which keeps your arteries healthy and aids in boosting the immune system.
Red wine benefits has been shown to help prevent heart disease.
Many other red wine benefits include the lowering of your bad cholesterol in the body.

It is well known that red wines are a rich source of flavonoids, especially of flavonols. Plenty of research and studies have shown us that the red wine benefits are plentiful, but it is also important to realize that you have to maintain an otherwise healthy lifestyle at the same time. As a matter of fact, most authorities consider that the red wine benefits are lost if wine is consumed to excess. With all of the recent news on the health benefits of red wine, there is more reason than ever to indulge in a glass each day.

While you sip your favorite red wine imagine all the benefits and then thank your lucky stars. More so if you are member of a wine club. Wine Clubs are a subscriptions in which members receive 2 bottles of wine each month, delivered to your door. Wine clubs are a great way to get to sample different types of wines picked by people who know about quality, vintages and what the labels mean.

Benefits Becoming Aware Of Heart Disease Information

Heart plays an important role in our body that mainly circulates the blood to and from bodys millions of cells, systems, tissues and so on. At present, people have started to face different types of heart disease and it is important for them to know about heart health information in a detailed manner. Generally, heart disease refers to a problem that occurs in any parts of your cardiovascular system including heart and blood vessels all through your body.

Spread the News to Everyone

Many people suffer from this deadly disease and the majority will be those who have a family lineage of heart disease. It is the responsibility of every individual to know about the deadly heart disease information as they can convey the precautionary steps to the public.

Reversing Heart Disease

Moreover, heart disease is one of the key reasons for early death in the present world and this news might sound depressing for many people. Basically, the gradual clogging, hardening and damage caused in the interior walls of your blood vessels would gradually create sudden heart attacks and strokes. As a result, the body will suffer from poor circulation to the extremities including brain and other organs.

High cholesterol Leads to Heart Attacks

Few scientific reports have estimated that high cholesterol levels are the main cause for the Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). In order to control the heart diseases, medical authorities have taken steps to maintain your LDL cholesterol to be below 100. More than 1.5 million people have suffered from heart attacks this year with about 1 million people lost their life due to this deadly disease.

Essential Tips to Be Followed by the People

It is essential to intake proper diet and follow the guidelines prescribed by the medical authorities. Smoking and drinking forms the major cause for heart disease as it easily damages the lungs and heart to a great extent. If people want to survive in the world, then they should check that they dont get addicted to any bad habits such as drinking alcohol, drugs, tobacco products and much more. Also, people can make a quick search over the web regarding the topic heart health information and gain more knowledge than ever before.

If you are still confused in getting the source, there are many websites that offer heart disease information and also the symptoms of the deadly disease.

Heart Disease And Cholesterol

For years, the medical community has held that a high level of cholesterol causes heart disease. While few will dispute this belief, there are other factors that may lead to severe and even fatal heart conditions.

Conducted by medical experts, the Framingham Heart Study determined that high blood cholesterol is a contributing factor of CHD, or coronary heart disease. These study results showed that people with higher levels of cholesterol were more likely to develop coronary heart disease. On the other hand, it is unusual for people with low cholesterol to suffer from CHD.

This connection between high blood cholesterol and heart disease was also confirmed by another group of experts, whose studies showed that lowering the total LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) level could actually reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. A recent series of cholesterol trials using statin drugs suggested that lowering both total and LDL cholesterol levels could greatly reduce the chance of experiencing heart attack, angioplasty (a surgical bypass) or death due to a coronary heart disease-related cause.

In addition to high cholesterol levels, there are other risk factors that can increase the risk of developing heart disease. Even though some risk factors can be lowered with diet, medication or lifestyle changes, others cannot be altered. The more combined risk factors you have, the higher your chance will be of experiencing heart disease.

The greatest unchangeable risk factors are as follows:

* Your age. The greatest risks are faced by women over 55 and men over 45

* Family medical history. If you have parents or a sibling who died from heart disease at the ages stated above, you face a higher risk

Fortunately, some risk factors can be changed:

* Cholesterol. Limit your high total cholesterol and your high LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Lower your levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol

* Reduce your blood pressure

* Stop smoking

* Diabetes (diabetics face a higher risk of developing heart disease)

* Little or no physical activity

* Lose excess weight

If you have one or more of these high-risk factors, see your physician to find out how you can take action and reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack.

Some experts believe that high blood cholesterol and heart disease are indeed connected. On the other hand, there are those who hold that too much animal fat resulting in high cholesterol is the contributing factor to heart disease. These experts argue that there may or may not be “good” and “bad” cholesterols. They also believe that factors such as physical activity, mental stress and a change in body weight may influence the levels of the blood cholesterol, and that high blood cholesterol is a simply reflection of an unhealthy lifestyle, but not dangerous.

Experts may disagree on the factors of cholesterol and heart disease. The one thing everyone agrees on, however, is that we all need to reduce the risks and increase our quality of life.

Heart Disease Diet

Heart disease signs and symptoms vary depending on which form of heart disease is present, but experts agree that proper nutrition and regular exercise are an important part of treating and preventing cardiovascular disease. Whole grains are an important part of a heart healthy diet. Remember the more processed a grain is the less nutritious it is. Stick with foods as close as possible to their original source. Processed flours and grains do not add anything to the diet but increase your blood glucose levels. When it comes to the saturated and trans fats in our diet it is important to limit their intake as much as possible. Choose fats that have two grams or less saturated fat per tablespoon. This is a good rule of thumb for limiting the fats in your diet.

Bad diet and heart disease has very obvious causality. The food such as salty or sugary snacks, fast food and red meat which consists of a majority of high-fat processed foods all consider as a bad diet. Unfortunately, junk food has become less expensive than good food like fruits and vegetables. Excess weight leads to greater chances of developing other conditions that lead to heart disease. One indicator of a healthy weight is a BMI of less that 25. A ten percent reduction in weight can lower your blood pressure. Good heart disease prevention may also mean controlling the blood pressure and having LDL cholesterol at low levels. The best way to attain these goals is by making appropriate changes to diet and even by taking medications if so recommended by the doctor. Clearly, having low blood sugar levels will consider as heart disease prevention.

There are many ways in limiting our consumption of fats and cholesterol. We can cut down on eggs intake to three or less a week. Use low-fat or skim milk instead. Avoid whipped toppings and cream substitutes as they may contain coconut oil which is more saturated than butter. Also avoid frying and stewing meat as these cooking methods increase fat content. Eat more cottage cheese, farmer cheese, pot cheese, ricotta or yogurt instead of hard processed cheese. Their food supply came directly from nature, what they could grow, harvest or hunt. Each culture had a source of animal protein, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and sometimes fruit.

Diet is one thing, which a person has to maintain, in order to prevent heart disease and stroke. To prevent heart disease from getting worsening, you need to follow a strict and healthy diet. First of all, realize the major risk factors of heart disease. Fluctuation in blood pressure level, cholesterol level, diabetes, smoking and alcohol consumption may cause heart problems. A moderate intake of alcohol (no more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women) could reduce risk of heart disease in men over age of 40 and women over age of 50. Some types of alcohol contain antioxidant and do help in increasing HDL cholesterol and clear LDL cholesterol. However, high intake of alcohol increase blood pressure, so it is not recommendable to take alcohol to improve your heart.

Almonds and Cholesterol – Are Almonds a Heart-Healthy Snack

Almonds and Cholesterol: Are Almonds Really a Heart-Healthy Snack?

It seems that many people are experiencing confusion over almonds and if they should or shouldn’t be included as part of a heart healthy diet. On one hand, almonds are reported to lower bad LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, almonds are a calorie-dense food that’s also high in fat.

Numerous studies, including one by the British Journal of Medicine, has shown convincing evidence that regular almond consumption helps lower bad LDL cholesterol. And not just any LDL, but it’s been shown to reduce the small dense LDL particles that do the most damage to your arterial walls and puts you at a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

So what about the question of almonds being high in fat? Over 60% of the fat content in almonds is monounsaturated fats. (This is the same type of fat that is found in olive oil.) Monounsaturated fat is widely accepted to be a key ingredient to reducing the risk of heart disease and part of a heart-healthy diet.

But the health benefits of almonds doesn’t stop with having healthy natural fat and it’s ability to lower low-density lipoproteins. Almonds pack an antioxidant punch with it’s high levels of Vitamin E. And with over 60 mg of magnesium in a quarter-cup of almonds, that’s just more good news for your heart. You see, magnesium has been shown to help improve blood flow and make things ‘easy’ on your veins and arteries. (Translation: Less stress and work for your heart.)

Concerned about adding too many calories if you start eating almonds? Truth is, almonds have been shown to be beneficial at helping aid weight loss. But if you are just a little too ‘scared’ to add more calories, do this…

Substitute almonds for other foods vs. adding almonds to your existing diet. In fact, it’s been estimated by some researchers based on date from a Nurses Health Study that replacing carbohydrates with healthy nuts like almonds may low the risk of heart disease by as much as 30%. The risk may be lowered as much as 45% if you substitute nuts with saturated fats like those founds in meat and dairy.

Looking for some ways to add almonds to your diet? Try these…

– Add almonds to your salad instead of meat or croutons
– Add to your morning cereals (hot or cold)
– Add to yogurt for a tasty crunch
– Add sliced almonds to vegetable dish (great with green beans)
– Eat with a sandwich as a crunchy substitute for chips
– Two words: Almond butter!

And not surprising, eating almond as a “whole food” is optimal for maximum health benefits. The antioxidant punch mentioned previously is more than doubled when the skins are combined with the meat of the almond, compared to either one separately.

Mango Fruit Has Antioxidant Can Prevent Breast Cancer

Breast carcinoma is one of the most common carcinoma in women and its mortality is quite high. Healthy eating habits can prevent breast cancer. One of the absolute best foods to eat, not just for breast cancer prevention but for general vitality Mango.

Mango is one of the familiar delicious fruit, Many people are very like it. but few people know that it contain high nutrients. Research found that women eat more mangoes play a role in preventing breast cancer. Mango has antioxidant to prevent colon cancer and breast cancer. The researchers studied the polyphenols in mango, In particular bio-active ingredients tannins. Plant Polyphenols is a kind of important physiological activity material. Plant polyphenols consist of a number of plant-derived phenolic compounds, including polyphenols. Tannin is a kind of polyphenol, Tannin is a plant polyphenol. TANNIN is a kind of chemical substance existing in the skin, stem, and seeds, even in the barrels used for the aging of wine. It could combine protein in solution to form sediment so as to improve abiological stabilization of the solution. Clinical tests have proved that polyphenols are effective in reducing the absorption of LDL cholesterol (also known as “bad” cholesterol) from food and maintaining good cardiovascular health.

Their main advantage is that they protect against numerous diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. The study found that cell division cycle has been broken due to polyphenols. This may be a mechanism prevent or inhibit cancer cells. The study found that polyphenol extracts of mango have a role in preventing breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, leukemia and prostate cancer. Tannin in addition to detoxification, bleeding, anti-oxidation, anti-cancer effects can play, adhere to long-term eat Mango can inhibit bladder cancer, kidney, liver. The study found that the mango will not kill normal cells, it is estimated there will not harm the body. Mango fruit contains sugar, protein, crude fiber, vitamin A composition is particularly high, Mango is a nutrient-rich fruits, eat more also has effects in the beautification of the skin, cancer, prevent high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, prevent constipation, cough. Extract from mango leaves
Can inhibit septic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and inhibit the influenza virus. At the same time, sweet potato, tomato, caltrop, water chestnuts, legumes also can prevent breast cancer food.

Natural Heart Disease Risk Reduction, Weight Loss

You can group cardiovascular disease into diverse groups.Some of these elements are not variant, like the inherited factors, as well as the factors connected to age and gender. There are other elements which are just as noteworthy, and perhaps more self-destructive, and these factors can interpose in the process of ameliorating your health.I am here accosting lifestyle factors, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, a lack of exercise and obesity, as well as others..

Prior to starting up any diet or exercise syllabus, and I demand to be clear here, everyone needs to consult a physician, in order to ensure their capacities for physical exertion, and set up demarcations thereto.In addition, in order to find a fitting diet for your body type, I must accent the importance of the advice of a nutritionist. So, the message is established, think of your wellness now, do not forget to see your doctor. We are approaching obesity as a disease, as played off to a aesthetic circumstance, it is a global problem with people today. The presence of obesity leads in a more size able chance of heart disease or stroke, even given the absence of other risk elements. Obesity pressures the heart to run harder, as well as being identified in affiliation to coronary disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.

What can a person do, to counterbalance the position, when obesity is existing situation?As previously mentioned we should cover obesity as a disease and as one of the components that step-up the number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases. The same as any other disease, the original step towards remedy is the admittance of illness, look for medical care. After this gear up your life for a heartily diet, in conjunction with a daily routine of physical exercises that will render physical well being and augmented emotional balance on a daily basis.

And what is the solution? The first course of action is to combat risk factors with all plausible exertion.

I recommend following these 4 tips put forward by Isabel De Los Rios.

1. Quit Smoking. The practice of tobacco for smoking has been celebrated as a fundamental factor in heart disease, to a large extent due to chemical additives (not that I am suggesting the use of tobacco).The peril of a heart attack in a smoker is two times steeper than in a non-smoker. The presence of passive inhalation of tobacco also exposes individuals to a higher relative incidence of cardiovascular disease.There is evidence that smoking increases the levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and depresses HDL (good cholesterol), accelerating the onset of atherosclerosis. That is, smoking is also directly contributing for the accumulation of fat in the walls of coronary arteries, bearing on the heart and blood vessels. The evidence has demonstrated that a person who is already inclined to high rates of cholesterol is increasing his/her risk of heart disease by smoking.

2. Walk, walk, walk. If getting time for a integrated exercise curriculum is just too much of a challenge right now, just start by walking. I have known many people who Have strengthened and reversed their severe heart conditions by getting outside and walking. If you can, find a scenic route there’s nothing more quieting than the outdoors. (I highly advocate whistling and singing while you walk. It creates for happy thoughts).

3. Calm down. By this I mean, do not stress about matters you do not Have to, or have command over.The most affirmative thing I did, other than eat healthy food, was to relax, and increase the playfulness.

4. Don’t start, again, don’t start a low fat diet.You can exacerbate a bad condition with misguided effort.Get rid of the saturated fats (hydrogenated oil and the like problematic oil in French fries and donuts) and eat heart-healthy fat, like coconut oil, olive oil, walnuts and whole eggs. And at the risk of sounding redundant, before you begin any program, consult your dietitian, and your MD. Good health! For further information on our programs, please Visit Us @ EliKen Health,.

Heart Health And Clean Arteries- Part 1

One of the most important health issues I stress to my patients is creating, or maintaining, heart health. The best ways to ensure heart health and its all-important job of developing nourishing blood to every part of your body is to prevent plaque buildup and reduced blood flow in arteries. Diet, exercise, lifestyle changes, and certain supplements can work together to accomplish this goal!

In this first of a two-part series, I would like to explain to you a little about what coronary artery disease and blocked arteries can mean. Then well talk about the proactive things you can do to avoid these conditions naturally without drugs or surgery.

Part II will deal with a controversial subject chelation therapy. Chelation methods of detoxing arteries with natural supplements have been an alternative medicine approach to arterial plaque for several years now.

First I would like to give you a little background on coronary artery disease and arterial blockages, how they develop and how you can prevent them with diet, exercise and supplements and cut your risk for heart attack, stroke, drugs and by passes!

Coronary Artery Disease and Blocked Arteries

Many people do not realize they have coronary artery disease, or arterial plaque build-up, until they wind up in an emergency room with an attack of angina (heart pain), or a heart attack! Both can be caused by the arteries of the heart not getting enough blood, usually from plaque buildup.

It was previously thought that a high saturated fat diet was the primary cause of arterial plaque. However, the French Paradox came along and taught us that oxidation has a lot more to do with cholesterol turning into those arterial plaques and blockages.

You see, the French people eat a pretty high saturated fat diet but they also drink a lot of red wine! This led to the discovery of a very important chemical in red wine called resveratrol. This is a powerful anti-oxidant which helps keep cholesterol lipids in blood from oxidizing into those arterial clogging plaques. Cholesterol undergoes oxidation first before it hardens into plaque. Ensuring that we get enough anti-oxidants in our diet to prevent oxidation, then, is key!

Who Is At Risk?

As I tell my patients, there is no hard and fast picture of the person who will develop coronary artery disease. It depends on a few factors such as:

1. Do you eat an unhealthy diet low in vitamins/antioxidants?
2. Do you smoke?
3. Do you exercise regularly?

Prevent Blocked Arteries and Heart Disease

As I advise my patients, keeping your arteries flowing freely with low risk of heart disease involves a three-fold approach on your part. However, that effort will reward you with enough heart health and stamina to live your life to the fullest into old age! Lets look at what this entails:

Diet Arterial disease is not all about how much saturated fat you eat. Although I do recommend limiting saturated animal fat to 25-30 grams a day, I think it more important to prevent these fats from oxidizing and turning into plaque. Diets rich in anti-oxidants and polyphenols help dissolve saturated fats and stop oxidation. These include red wine, green apples, olive oil, oolong/green/white teas, Omega-3 rich nuts, coconut oils, apple cider vinegar. Add high fiber foods like beans, peas, whole grains, to absorb saturated fats and remove them through elimination before they enter the bloodstream as lipids.

Exercise Interval aerobic exercise, walking, running, bicycling, elliptical, stair stepper, treadmill, jumping rope, your choice. Interval exercise is warming up slowly for 10 minutes and then going at your capacity for 1-2 minutes then slowing down to a resting pace for 3 minutes and repeating for a set of 6 intervals. If you havent done aerobic exercise for a long while, do a slower warm-up, and try for half your capacity for 1 minute for 2 weeks. Slowly increase every week and build a higher capacity. This helps your heart adjust to sudden demanding loads. It also builds good HDL and lowers LDL (bad) choleserol and burns body fat. Also, 20 minutes 3 x a week of weight training. This creates muscle and burns fat even at rest.

Supplements 1,000 mg/daily Omega-3 fish and krill oils boost HDL and lower LDL cholesterol; 1-2 gm/daily of Vitamin C builds collagen which strengthens arterial walls. CoQ-10, 100 mg, is a crucial anti-oxidant that works with Vitamin E to attach to LDL cholesterol and prevent oxidation. As we age CoQ10 levels decrease so it is important to supplement them. Other powerful anti-oxidants include resveratrol (found in red wine, dark red grapes and berries), pomegranate juice, and green tea. Niacin (and other B vitamins) is also effective at reducing LDL and boosting HDL cholesterol, 1-3 gm/day. Chelation supplements which contain EDTA, and antioxidants, which well talk about in more detail in Part II.

Smoking Quit! Smokers are at much higher risk of developing arterial plaque because of the toxins in cigarette smoke which contribute to oxidation damage in your body.

There you have the basics of what I recommend to keep your arteries free from obstructing plaques and keep your heart from suffering serious, if not life-threatening, consequences.

Part II of this series on heart health deals with the pros and cons of removing existing arterial plaque from your arteries called chelation therapy which uses ingredients so safe theyre even in baby food! Meet me here next issue and learn about this drugless, surgery-free way to clean arteries and protect your heart!

Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Institute For Healthy Aging