Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Greens Hx….for our heart? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Greens Hx is probably one of the most popular products at Invite! Everyone knows how amazing Greens Hx is for our liver, immune system, detox and even energy! What most people may not know is that …
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”
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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 …
COCOA HX: THE DELICIOUS SUPERFOOD By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT When it comes to enjoying something indulgent and decadent, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is CHOCOLATE. It’s comforting as it takes us back to our childhood and brings …
The Benefits of Beets Hx
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Everyone has heard about beets. Beet powder, beet chews and even beet juice! It’s everywhere you look! But what really are the benefits of using beet supplements? Why is the tart cherry in the Beets Hx? And perhaps most interesting of all questions is why use a powder and not the pills or chews that are available?
Beets are amazing for our heart health. Beets are high in a compound known as nitrates. (1) What this means is that according to studies beets are able to increase nitric oxide in the body. By increasing nitric oxide studies have found that beet root can significantly decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This is important since high blood pressure is a risk factor for many heart conditions. In addition to nitrates beets contain antioxidants that studies have found to be useful in fighting against atherosclerosis, which as we know is another risk factor for many heart related conditions. (2) Studies have also found that nitric oxide may improve cardiovascular health especially in older adults. While more research on this topic is needed what has been done so far is promising to say the least. (3) Studies have also found that the nitric oxide released from beets can help with lowering blood pressure in those with kidney disease. (4) Other studies have found that the nitric oxide in beets can help with the heart’s performance during exercise. (5) Lastly the nitric oxide in beets has been found in studies to help heart health in those with heart failure. (6) As you can see the nitric oxide in beets is very beneficial to our heart health.
Let’s move on for a moment from nitric oxide. In addition to the nitric oxide in beets there are antioxidants. Studies have found that the antioxidants in beets have anti-inflammatory properties that help decrease risk factors for cardiovascular disease. (1) One antioxidant found in beets that is currently being studied is a type called betalain. These have been found to help keep LDL from being oxidized. (7) It has also been found to lower the LDL as well as blood pressure. (8)
While it has been interesting to break down beets into their parts let’s take a look at some studies on just beets. Studies have found that using beets may help to lower blood pressure. (9) Studies have found beets to help lower cholesterol levels. (10) According to the Cleveland clinic beets are amazing for helping with high blood pressure and for those with heart disease. (11)
Beets Hx also includes tart cherry as well as the beetroot. Now I know what you’re thinking – tart cherry isn’t that for joints? Well yes it is! However studies have also found that tart cherry is good at helping to lower blood pressure as well as cholesterol. (12) Other studies indicate that tart cherry can help with blood pressure and cholesterol especially in older adults. (13) WebMD agrees that tart cherry is a great supplement that can help increase circulation as well as decrease inflammation, both of which are risk factors for many chronic heart conditions. (14)
Now I know I normally don’t take the time to talk about powders or pills but I wanted to do it in this blog in particular because beet supplements are currently so popular. Just watching a few minutes of TV will show you how many different delivery methods are available for beet supplements. So why a powder instead of a pill? Well for one there’s a limit to how much you can fit in a pill and still be able to swallow it. For many things that we take this is fine. However for some nutrients such as beets or whey protein you would have to take an inconvenient number of pills in order to get a therapeutic dose. Additionally, with powders they absorb right away thus they go to work very fast. (15) How about those gummies? Well to start with I want to ask a question. Do you think glorified candy is a good way to take any supplements? I personally prefer supplements that don’t double as candy. Many chewables have added ingredients such as sugar to “make it taste yummy”. That is one problem. The other problem is similar to pills in that there’s a limit to how much of a supplement you can fit. Just like with pills it’s just not reasonable to take enough to get a therapeutic dose. When you compare just these qualities of powders compared to chewables and pills it’s easy to understand why Invite uses a powder form for its beets. How can you use Beets Hx you might be asking yourself? Can I mix it in a smoothie? Absolutely yes! For heart health I recommend a smoothie with 1 scoop beets, 1 scoop Ribose Complex, 1 scoop of Whey or Plant protein and water or milk of choice. Another great choice is to make a smoothie with 1 scoop Beets Hx, 2 scoops of Cocoa Hx with 1 scoop protein and water or milk of choice. Beets Hx can also be mixed into yogurt or even applesauce. And don’t forget Beets Hx can be easily added to water.
Overall Beets Hx is a fantastic product for our heart health. It is one of those products that I frequently recommend for heart health.
Our next topic will be arrhythmia’s including atrial fibrillation and tachycardia!
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