Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Nattokinase! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND What the heck is Nattokinase? Where does it come from? What exactly does it do? Is it just for heart health or does it do anything else for us? These are just some of the questions that people have about …
What is Angina? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Angina or heart/chest pain is one of the first signs that many experience when they have heart disease. However there are other conditions that mimic angina. One of these is anxiety. Angina and anxiety share many symptoms …
Purples Hx and the Heart!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
I wanted to take the time to talk about one of the most under rated products at Invite health. What product is this you ask? Why its Purples Hx! Purples Hx is an amazing combination of antioxidants and amino acids that are very good for our heart. Inside of Purples Hx there is the fruit blend, vegetable blend, Acai powder, Goji berry, Mangosteen and even a heart health blend! Let’s go through these categories one at a time.
Let’s start with the fruit blend. Purples Hx is full of fruits that contain anthocyanin. These are antioxidants that we typically see in purple fruits and vegetables. (1) Anthocyanins have been found to have a number of benefits. In this blog I’m going to focus on the cardiovascular benefits. Studies have found them to help lower the risk of blood clots. Other studies have found that they can help to open up the blood vessels thus helping with concerns such as blood pressure and circulation. Additionally studies have found that they can help improve cholesterol. Lastly overall in general studies have found that anthocyanins help with our heart health. (2) Bilberry one of the fruits in Purples Hx has been studied and found to help heart health. (3) Blueberry, another fruit in Purples Hx has also been found to help heart health. (4) Overall there are 10 different fruits that are in Purples Hx that are very good for our heart. While I won’t go into details regarding all of the individual fruits I will say that they are powerhouses when it comes to containing anthocyanins.
Let’s move on to the vegetable blend. If you look at the label you will see one of my favorites, beet root powder! No formula for our heart health or for circulation in general could ever be complete without beets. Beets have been found to be amazing in their ability to support heart health. (5)For more information on this amazing supplement please check out my product spotlight on Beets Hx. Interestingly not all thing that are purple contain anthocyanins. While beets are purple this is due to Betalain not anthocyanins. (6) Now I’m sure you noticed the carrots next to the beets. I bet your first thought was but carrots are orange! Well yes they are! However carrots also come in yellow, red, white and purple! (7) Now as I stated previously about the purple fruits the anthocyanins that are in purple vegetables are very good for our heart. (2) I would also like to add on to that that carrots of all colors have been found to be good for our heart health. (7)
The next item in Purples Hx is the Acai powder. Everyone has most likely heard about acai. But why is it so popular these days? Studies have found acai to be helpful for cholesterol, high blood pressure and to even help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Acai also has minerals such as magnesium which is important for heart health. (8)
Goji berry is another berry in the Purples Hx. Now I know goji berries are great for you. But I’m going to tell you guys a secret. I don’t actually think they taste all that great. I mean honestly at first glance they look like raisins which as we all know are amazing. But do they taste like yummy raisins?? Nope! And that is why I am so happy to see them included in the Purples Hx. You get all the benefits without having to eat them. If you like goji berries feel free to enjoy them. Just know you can get all the benefits without having to eat them. Studies have fond goji berries to be good for our heart health. For example they have been found to help with lowering cholesterol and in lowering our risk of cardiovascular disease in the elderly. (9)
Mangosteen has been found in studies to help lower C-reactive protein levels by 47%! (10) High C- reactive protein is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis which itself is a risk factor for many different heart disorders. (11)
Lastly, we have the heart blend which consists of L Carnitine, Betaine and Taurine. Studies have found that the use of L carnitine after a heart attack can reduce the risk of heart failure and arrhythmias. Additionally, L Carnitine appears to lower the risk of cardiac death. (12) Betaine has been found to help lower homocysteine, which is a very strong predictor of heart disease. (13) Taurine is an amazing nutrient for our heart. I could write a whole blog just on taurine alone! However, as this blog is already rather lengthy, I will simply say that taurine has been found to help with lowering our blood pressure. (14).
Overall Purples Hx is an amazing supplement for our heart health! Our next topic will be Angina or what is colloquially known as “chest pain”
Sources:
Mitral Valve Prolapse Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Our next topic is one that will draw heavily upon the anatomy blog that I wrote a while ago. This topic is mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Do you recall how the heart was divided into left and …
ALLIE’S WEIGHT LOSS TIPS AND TRICKS By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT As we get into January, the hot topic always seems to be weight loss, as it’s probably one of the moth popular resolutions made…and also one that always seems to be one …
Omega 3s and the Heart!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Omega 3s are something that everyone has heard of. In fact many nutritionists including myself consider them to be essential to a healthy daily vitamin regimen. But many people I talk to ask a few simple questions and the first is usually why they are so important to our health? What are they and where do they come from? And just how do they help keep the heart healthy? Before I start to answer these questions I want to remind everyone that omega 3s are much more than just a heart supplement. In fact in our series on joints omega 3s were a frequent recommendation.
Let’s start with the simple question of why omegas 3s are so important. Well to start off they are very versatile in what they can be used to help with. Then there is the simple fact that the standard American diet is typically very low in omegas 3s. In fact studies have found that over 2/3s of US adults and 95% of US children do not consume enough omega 3s to meet their nutritional needs based on US dietary guidelines. (1) What this means is that most people are not getting enough omega 3s in their diet and can benefit from a supplement. But just what are omega 3s? They are a type of fat consisting of ALA, DHA and EPA. These fats are considered to be essential in our diet because they are essential for certain functions in our body and are important to keep us healthy yet they can’t be made by the body itself. In other words they can only be obtained by getting them in our diet. (2) Omega 3s are typically found in fish and other seafood. They are also found in nuts and seeds. Lastly certain fortified foods contain omega 3s. (3) Fish Oil, Krill Oil Advanced and Flax Seed are all supplements that contain omega 3s.
Everyone knows that omega 3s are good for our cholesterol. According to the Mayo clinic there is strong evidence that omega 3s reduce triglyceride levels in the blood. Additionally according to the Mayo clinic omega 3s can improve HDL or the good cholesterol. (4) Studies have found that omega 3s can help to lower triglycerides by between 25-34%. (5) Even for people with very high triglycerides studies have found that omega 3s can help to lower them. (6) Overall studies have concluded that omega 3s are helpful for triglycerides. (7) Due to the fact studies have found that omega 3s are helpful for both HDL and triglycerides I personally always recommend them for helping with cholesterol concerns.
In addition to helping with cholesterol studies have found that omega 3s can help to reduce the risk of blood clots. This appears to be due to the fact that omega 3s can affect platelet activity causing them to be less reactive. (8) This is important because blood clots can have series consequences. Omega 3s such as fish oil have also been found to be helpful when dealing with arrhythmias. According to Harvard those with a higher than average omega 3 level in their blood were approximately 30% less likely than those with low levels to develop AFib. (9)
Omega 3s have also been found in studies to help with blood pressure. According to the Mayo clinic omega 3s are very helpful for those with moderate to severe high blood pressure. (10) According to a study by the Cleveland heart lab omega 3s were able to help those with hypertension to either lower their medication or in some cases even avoid having to take medication at all. (11)
Omega 3s have also been found in studies to help patients with coronary heart disease. Other studies have found that omega 3s have a beneficial effect on the risks of having cardiovascular death, heart attack and even coronary artery disease. (12)
Overall in my clinical experience I find that omega 3s are an amazing supplement to add on to any protocol for heart health. Now one concern that comes up frequently when I discuss omegas is the smell and taste. A handy tip that works for me personally is to always refrigerate your omegas and take them with food. While they don’t technically need to be kept this way I find that this way prevents any odor.
In our next blog we will be talking about Mitral Valve Prolapse or MVP!
Sources: