5 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

 

1. FOLLOW A HEART HEALTHY DIET
Following a few simple rules as laid out in our Healthy Heart Diet section can significantly decrease your chances of developing heart disease. A brief summary follows:

A. Limit intake of trans fats and hydrogenated oils found in margarine, fast food, fried food, etc.
B. Limit refined sugar intake from cakes, cookies, candy, etc.
C. Use extra virgin olive oil and garlic in cooking - they can lower cholesterol
D. Add Omega 3 Fatty Acids to your diet - the best source is Fish Oil

2. EXERCISE REGULARLY
Developing a steady exercise program as described in our Exercise for Healthy Heart section can also lower your risk of heart disease. A few quick tips:

A. Try to exercise 3-4 times per week, for at least a half hour at a time.
B. Keep your routine going, and start off slow.
C. Always stretch before and after training.
D. Keep yourself hydrated and rest between sets.

3. LEAD A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
In addition to following a healthy diet and exercise regimen, you should also try to do the following:

A. Stop smoking and avoid second hand smoke - both are major causes of heart disease.
B. Limit your intake of alcohol - excessive alcohol can deplete your body's supply of vitamins and other nutrients.
C. Try to reduce stress and anxiety - they can lead to high blood pressure and other health conditions.
D. Keep your weight within recommended limits - obesity is a leading cause of heart disease.

4. KEEP TABS ON THE (4) BLOOD INDICATORS OF DEVELOPING HEART DISEASE
Make sure you get tested for increased cholesterol, triglycerides(fat), homocysteine and C Reactive Protein levels, and follow the protocols if any one of these indicators is elevated:

A. If your cholesterol is high, you can lower cholesterol naturally with policosanol, guggulipid and other herbal extracts as well as Fish Oil. Remember, only 20% of your cholesterol comes from what you eat, the other 80% is manufactured by your liver. Read more about lowering cholesterol

B. If your triglyceride (fat) levels are too high, lower your carbohydrate and sugar intake. Also, fish oil, Vitamin C, guggulipid and green tea are safe natural ways to lower triglyceride levels. Read more about lowering triglycerides

C. If your homocysteine levels are high, you can easily normalize the situation by including B Vitamins in your diet, particularly Folic Acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Read more about lowering homocysteine

D. If your C Reactive Protein levels are high, this indicates inflammation in the blood. Fish oil, ginger and MSM will help decrease inflammation naturally. Read more about lowering C Reactive Protein 

Source: Healthy Heart Guide online

Healthy Heart Diet

 

In order to maintain your heart health, it is important to follow a healthy heart diet. There are many different foods that you should avoid or limit, and still other foods and nutrients that you should try to include as much as possible.

Changing your eating habits can significantly lower your chances of developing heart disease.

What should you avoid or decrease intake of to lower risk of heart disease?
You should try to stay away from the trans fats and hydrogenated oils found in processed and refined foods. Margarines and spreads have trans fats, as do fried and fast foods. Trans fats and hydrogenated oils are chemically altered, and as such the body is not able to process them and they can be dangerous.

Also, try to reduce your sugar intake from snacks, cakes, candy bars, etc. as these sugars eventually become fat buildup in the body. Also, try to keep your carbohydrate intake at a minimum (pasta, potatoes, breads) as excess carbohydrates stimulate the production of triglycerides (fat) which are one of the four indicators of heart disease.

What should I add to my diet to keep my heart and cardiovascular system in healthy working order?
A heart health diet should include fiber, fruits and vegetables. Green, leafy vegetables and Vitamin C rich fruits are the best, as they can protect you against heart disease with their antioxidant abilities.

Healthy heart recipes should include extra virgin olive oil and garlic - both have been shown to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

Add Omega 3 fatty acids to your diet, especially DHA and EPA found in fish oil. These two important Omega 3 fatty acids are the most therapeutic, and can significantly decrease bad cholesterol(LDL) as well as raise good cholesterol(HDL).

Can I get all of these healthy heart nutrients from my diet?
Unfortunately with today's processing methods, most of the important nutrients in the foods we eat are depleted or removed altogether. So unless you follow a strict healthy heart diet of organic foods harvested in the finest environments which are delivered fresh to your door daily (we didn't think so), it makes sense to supplement all of the important nutrients your body needs to function properly. You can read more about these nutrients

Source: Healthy Heart Guide online

Cardiovascular Disease and Fitness

 

In addition to following a healthy diet and incorporating important heart nutrients, you must also exercise to maintain the health of your heart. Exercise can help you prevent as well as reverse heart disease.

According to the American Heart Association, you should include a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, three to four days a week.

Why is exercise important?
Many studies have proven conclusively that making improvements to and maintaining your physical fitness will significantly lower your risk of developing heart disease and all other illnesses. Put simply, regular exercise keeps your body in a healthy condition, and a healthy body can ward off disease much better than an unconditioned one.

Let's take a look at the various types of exercise and why it can improve your health:

Aerobic Exercise
The word aerobic means "oxygen-producing", and as such aerobic exercise stimulates the production of oxygen. Aerobic exercises include those where you are in motion including walking, running, biking, swimming, etc., exercises which make your heart rate increase for an extended period of time.

When your heart rate increases, this means more blood is being circulated around your body, providing necessary oxygen to your cells and tissues. Regular aerobic exercise is very important for maintaining heart health.

Anaerobic Exercise
Anaerobic exercise comprises short-lived, intense bursts such as sprints and weight lifting. Whereas aerobic exercise is best for cardiovascular strength and endurance, anaerobic exercise is best for muscle strength and flexibility. This will help you maintain your health and avoid injury.

Should you do aerobic or anaerobic exercise?
Although it depends on the time you can allot to exercise each day, we recommend a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise if possible. This way you can improve your cardiovascular health as well as increase your muscle strength. Adding stretching to your routine will also warm up and loosen your muscles so you can avoid injury.

Following are the many benefits of a regular exercise routine. It's easy to see why exercise is so important:

1. Improving cardiovascular efficiency - heart & lung functioning.

2. Improving strength and endurance.

3. Increasing energy levels and metabolism.

4. Relieving stress and tension.

5. Increasing range of motion and flexibility.

Source: Healthy Heart Guide online

Healthy Heart Nutrients

 

There are many natural ingredients that can significantly lower your chances of developing heart disease, as well as help treat any heart conditions you may currently have. By incorporating these nutrients into your diet and exercise regimen, you can improve and maintain your heart health.

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Lowering Cholesterol Levels

Policosanol - a powerful extract from sugar cane wax that has been widely studied. Policosanol has been shown to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL).

Guggulipid - an ancient Indian herb that has been shown to reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and has performed better than modern drugs in several trials.

Green Tea - among its many therapeutic benefits green tea has been shown to lower the amount of LDL's in the blood stream, and aids in the prevention of blood vessel constriction.

Beta Sitosterol - found naturally in soybeans, wheat germ and corn oil, this plant compound has a similar structure to cholesterol and as such can help stop the absorption of cholesterol in the body.

Niacin (Vitamin B3) - can help reduce total cholesterol levels in higher dosages.

Chromium Polyniconate - this organic version of chromium can help lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as raise HDL (good) cholesterol.

Fish Oil - contains Omega 3 fatty acids (DHA & EPA) which can lower LDL cholesterol levels in the body.

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Lowering Triglyceride Levels

Fish Oil - high in Omega 3 fatty acids that have been shown to lower triglycerides in conjunction with Vitamin C and a low carbohydrate diet.

Vitamin C - works in conjunction with fish oil to lower triglyceride levels.

Guggulipid - has been shown to reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Green Tea - can significantly lower triglyceride levels in the blood.

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Lowering Homocysteine Levels

Folic Acid - also known as Vitamin B9, folic acid can help the body produce the enzymes necessary to remove homocysteine from the blood.

Vitamin B6 - along with folic acid and Vitamin B12, helps reduce homocysteine levels.

Vitamin B12 - works with folic acid and Vitamin B6 to assist in homocysteine removal.

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Lowering CRP Levels

Fish Oil - the essential fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to decrease inflammation and in turn CPR levels.

Ginger - Ginger root extract can help reduce inflammation, as it relaxes the muscles surrounding blood vessels and facilitates circulation.

MSM - Methyl Sulfonyl Methane, commonly known as MSM, is a naturally occurring sulfur compound that has strong anti-inflammatory properties. 

Source: Healthy Heart Guide online

Life satisfaction Lead Healthy Heart

Sense of satisfaction in life have an effect on heart health. The higher sense of satisfaction you have, the lower the person's risk of coronary heart disease.

Depression and anxiety are known for a long time is a factor that can trigger heart attacks. Conversely, positive psychology such conditions were satisfied with the effect of living is good for heart health.

Thus the results of research published in the website of The European Heart Journal. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, examined the satisfaction levels of government employees in England 8000-related work, family, sex, living standards, activities, relaxation, and self-image. They were asked to assess the level of satisfaction on a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to scale 7 (very satisfied).

After six years, researchers looked at medical records heart of the respondents to determine whether there is a heart attack-related deaths, nonfatal heart attack, or chest pain (angina).

High levels of life satisfaction was associated with decreased risk of heart disease by 13 percent. Satisfaction at work, family, sex, and self-image is considered important to protect the heart.

Heart Disease Patients Need to Train Leg Muscles

 

A heart attack is not only associated with heart muscle damage alone. Damage to the leg muscles is also associated with the severity of heart attack heart disease so that patients are also advised to exercise the leg muscles.

Various studies have shown, conditions weakened leg muscles is closely related to the severity of symptoms in patients with heart disease. Similarly, on the contrary, a severe heart attack is often followed by a weakening of the muscles in the legs.

Because of weakened, patients who had experienced heart attacks often neglect exercise to train the leg muscles. If anyone wants to practice it, usually get tired and bored and ultimately not used to exercising.

But experts from the University of Leeds revealed, exercise to train the leg muscles are very important for patients with heart disease. The benefit will be felt if one day the disease relapses, symptoms will be milder than if his leg muscles remain weak.

The key lies in the heating, which at times is often overlooked when doing exercise to train the leg muscles. Warm enough in this section will improve oxygenation or oxygen supply, so the muscles will not feel tired.

The benefits of warming evidenced by scientists through scanning by an infrared laser beam and fired into the leg muscles. From the observation, the movements heating proved effective in improving oxygenation and muscle strength so that it can exercise longer.

"Patients complain of chronic heart failure leg stiff so it is not used for sport. The essence of this research to show that with proper warm-up, patients can improve oxygenation in the leg muscles," said Dr Harry Rossiter, who led the study as quoted from Indiavision