September 18, 2026

Heart Health As We Age (part 1)

Heart Health As We Age (part 1)

Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND

Keeping our hearts healthy as we age is an important part of healthy aging. However heart health is a huge topic that can take forever to go over! For the sake of this blog I will focus on blood pressure, cholesterol and overall heart health. It’s a lot to cover so let’s get into it, shall we?

Let’s start with blood pressure since high blood pressure is so common. In fact I am sure if you do not have high blood pressure yourself then you know someone who does have it. Now how do we even define high blood pressure (HBP)? HBP occurs when your blood pressure is higher than is normal. There are 6 blood pressure categories. These are normal, elevated, Stage 1, Stage 2, severe hypertension and hypertensive emergency. Blood pressure is a combination of systolic or top number and diastolic or bottom number. The systolic number is the pressure blood exerts on the vessels when the heart is actively pumping. The diastolic is the pressure that blood exerts on the vessels when the heart is at rest. Blood pressure is placed into the different categories based on these numbers. Please see the following chart for the breakdown of the categories and how different blood pressure readings are shorted into categories. (1)

Blood Pressure Categories

BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORY	SYSTOLIC mm Hg (top/upper number)	and/or	DIASTOLIC mm Hg (bottom/lower number)
NORMAL	LESS THAN 120	and	LESS THAN 80
ELEVATED	120 – 129	and	LESS THAN 80
STAGE 1 HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure)	130 – 139	or	80 – 89
STAGE 2 HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure)	140 OR HIGHER	or	90 OR HIGHER
SEVERE HYPERTENSION (If you don’t have symptoms*, call your health care professional.)	HIGHER THAN 180	and/or	HIGHER THAN 120
HYPERTENSIVE EMERGENCY (If you have any of these symptoms*, call 911.)	HIGHER THAN 180	and/or	HIGHER THAN 120

*symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking

There are basically 2 categories of risk factors for HBP. These include those risks that are modifiable (such as diet) and those that can’t be changed such as age. Even though you can’t actually change these risk factors it’s still important to be aware of them. One risk factor that is related to who you are is your family history of HBP. If your parents or a close family member has HBP you are more likely to develop it as well. Age is another risk factor. Since we don’t have a time turner to turn back time we will all get older. Typically your risk of HBP increases as you age. Other risk factors include gender, prior to age 64 men have a higher risk of HBP, however after age 65 women actually have a higher risk of HBP. Certain racial and ethnic groups such as Black, Hispanic and Asian adults also have a higher risk of HBP. Lastly kidney disease may cause HBP (just as an aside HBP can also cause kidney damage!). (2)

Now those are the risk factors you can’t change. However there are quite a few risk factors that you can change. Diet is one factor that comes up all the time! In my clinical experience the more processed foods and take out you eat the greater your risk of developing HBP. Part of the reason for this fact is that these foods tend to be higher in salt, sugar, statured and Trans fats and even just overall higher in calories. All of these factors can increase your risk of HBP. Diets of this nature can also increase your overall weight. Being overweight and obese can also increase your risk of HBP and other types of heart disease. Being overweight/obese can also increase your risk of diabetes, which is another risk for HBP! But it’s not just what you eat that can increase your risk of HBP! It’s what you drink too! I bet I know what you’re thinking, I know Dr. Claire Soda is bad for me! It’s got all those chemicals! And while yes that is true I am actually talking about drinking too much alcohol. In fact in addition to increasing our blood pressure too much alcohol can lead to heart problems such as heart failure, stroke and even arrhythmia! Smoking and Tabaco use can also increase our blood pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea can also increase HBP risk. Another risk factor that may take you by surprise is lack of activity. Another risk factor that can be affected by diet, weight and life style is high cholesterol. In fact more than half of those with HBP have high cholesterol. Certain heart defects and kidney disease as well as stress can all increase your risk of HBP. (2)

Typically HBP has very few symptoms. This is why it’s important to get regular checkups. Symptoms of HBP can include headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, changes in vision and difficulty speaking. It’s important to contact your doctor if you notice any of these symptoms. (3) That being said there’s so much to do to help with blood pressure! To finish up this part of heart health as we age I will do a quick review of nutrients that I typically suggest to those who are concerned about blood pressure. In part 2 of heart health as we age we will venture into the world of high cholesterol!

Suggestions:

Life style changes – there are certain life style concerns that can increase blood pressure. Eliminating these can help with our blood pressure. These include losing weight and increasing our activity. Changing our diet to include more fruits and vegetables is also helpful. Stopping smoking and reducing alcohol intake are also some life style changes that can help blood pressure. (4)
Treat any underlying health concerns – for example check out my series on diabetes!
Magnesium has been found to be very helpful in reducing blood pressure. (5) Magnesium is found in our Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium Citrate, Bioavail Magnesium Complex and even in our Cardio Hx!
Beets are an amazing power house when it comes to health! One of their many benefits is to help with blood pressure. Studies have found that beets can and do lower blood pressure! (6) Please see Invite’s Beets Hx for this amazing nutrient!
Hawthorne is a well-known nutrient when it comes to heart health. Thus it should come as no surprise that studies find it is helpful when normalizing blood pressure! (7) Please see Invite’s Cardio Hx and our Normo-tensive formulas!
Grape Seed is another nutrient that is helpful in a number of areas. Once again it is no surprise that this powerful antioxidant has been found to help with our blood pressure. (8) Please see Invite’s Grape Seed Extract!
Celery seed may come as a surprise to some people but it has been found to help with many health concerns such as blood pressure. (9) Please see Invite’s Normo-tensive
Omega 3s will be one nutrient that will be coming up quite frequently in our conversation on heart health. One of the first things that I reach for when talking about blood pressure is a good source of Omega 3s. In addition to its many benefits studies have shown that Omega 3s are a strong help in helping normalizing blood pressure. (10) Please see Invite’s Fish Oil and Krill Oil Advanced!
CoQ10 is another amazing nutrient when it comes to our heart. Studies have found numerous benefits for CoQ10 for heart health. These benefits include helping with blood pressure, signs of heart failure, enlarged heart and it can even help with ischemic heart disease or poor circulation to the heart. See Invite’s CoQ10 Ubiquinol in 60 mg and 120mg! And don’t forget the Oral q10 and Ribose complex. (11)
Olive Leaf has been found in studies to help lower blood pressure. (12) Please see Invite’s Olive Leaf extract for this amazing nutrient!