Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
MY PLATE~OUR DIET GUIDELINE AND FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT March is National Nutrition Month so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to go back to basics. We all remember when we were growing up and learning about …
Heart Health: The Complete Summary Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I hope this series on heart health has been both informative and interesting! While I took the time in this series to review some rather severe heart conditions I also wanted to do a quick …
Reds Hx… for our heart!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
I wanted to talk about Reds Hx next because it’s really the perfect partner to Greens Hx. Since Reds Hx is so full of heart healthy nutrients I am going to jump right into things with our very first nutrient. The very first heart healthy nutrient is in fact the first nutrient listed! And that is carrot. Studies have found a number of benefits regarding carrot supplements on heart health. These include improving blood pressure and even decreasing aortic root lesions. Carrots have also been found to help with atherosclerosis. Studies also indicate that carrots may help with lipid or in other words our cholesterol profiles. (1) According to WebMD the potassium in carrots may help to regulate our blood pressure. (2) As you can see carrots are good for much more than just being a snack for bunnies.
Moving on down the list the next item we will be talking about is cranberry. Now as I always say cranberry isn’t just for our urinary tract! Studies have found that cranberry has benefits for our blood vessels and can keep them healthy. (3) Other studies have found that cranberry can help to reduce blood clot risk, improve circulation and even lower the risks for heart disease. (4) Lastly studies have found that cranberry extract can help moderate cholesterol levels. (5)
The next item is sour cherry and it may sound familiar. This is because sour cherry is simply another name for tart cherry which is a component in our beets formula that I wrote about. Studies have found a number of benefits to using cherry for our heart. These benefits include a decrease in both LDL and total cholesterol. Additionally cherry has been found to help lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. (6)
The next item, blueberry was also a nutrient found in Greens Hx. As I mentioned previously blueberry has been found to help total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. Blueberries have also been found to help with lowering our blood pressure. (7)
Pomegranate is another powerful nutrient for heart health. In fact studies have found that pomegranate is much stronger than other antioxidants when it comes to protecting cholesterol from oxidation. As a result pomegranate is one of the best antioxidants for slowing atherosclerosis. Studies have also found that pomegranate is amazing at helping lower blood pressure. (8)
Flax seed is another nutrient that is found in both Reds and Greens. As I talked about in my prior blog on Greens flax is good for our blood pressure and even cholesterol levels. (9) Grape seed has also been mentioned numerous times for heart health. And it deserves to be! Studies have found that Grape seed has numerous benefits for our heart including helping our blood pressure. (10) Other studies have found that grape seed is helpful for lowering both total cholesterol as well as LDL. (11)
Japanese Knotweed is a natural source of Resveratrol. Resveratrol is one of my favorite nutrients when it comes to helping with heart health. I couldn’t possibly review all of the benefits that Resveratrol has for heart health in this humble blog. However I can review the most well studied. Studies have found that Resveratrol can help alleviate many of the symptoms of heart failure. Resveratrol has been found in studies to help with blood pressure. Additionally, resveratrol has been found to help with lowering the risk of atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and even help to lower our cholesterol! (12)
Rather than address each antioxidant in Reds Hx separately I’ll be doing an overall review on how they help our heart heath. What are examples of antioxidants? For example 2 well known antioxidants are lutein, and lycopene which comes from sources such as tomatoes, watermelon and even plum! Other examples of antioxidants in Reds include ingredients such as raspberry, green tea, orange, blackberry and even quercetin. In fact Reds Hx is chock full of antioxidants! Studies have found that antioxidants can help slow the development of atherosclerosis as well as help to lower cholesterol. Overall studies have found that antioxidants can help to lower the overall risk of developing cardiovascular disease. (13)
Recent studies on probiotics have found that they may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by helping with certain risk factors such as obesity and even diabetes. Probiotics may also help to regulate cholesterol. Kefir, a powerful source of probiotic has been found to help lower blood pressure. (14)
Overall Reds Hx is an amazing formula. Before we leave heart health I will be doing a summary of all the things that you can do to help maximize your heart health.
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FEBRUARY~LOVE AND HEARTS…THE RECIPES By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT February is an interesting month. Not only is it Valentine’s Day which is always full of love but it’s also heart health awareness month….quite fitting if you ask me. Let’s spend this month together …
PROTEIN (POWDER): THE IMPORTANT NUTRIENT WE ALL KNOW By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Protein is that nutrient that everyone knows and everyone loves. But how well do we know all the proteins available? Let’s navigate through one of our favorite foods and discuss …
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!
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