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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MACA ROOT: THE LIBIDO BOOSTER By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Maca Root is a very interesting nutrient that many people aren’t familiar with but is incredibly versatile. It can be found in a powder, in a capsule form (Maca Root) or even as …
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 …
Greens Hx part 2
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
In our last blog we were talking about how one of our most popular supplements can be beneficial for our heart. This supplement was Greens Hx and we will be continuing this exciting topic today! So let’s start off with talking about citrus bioflavonoids. To being just what are citrus bioflavonoids? Bioflavonoids are compounds that are found in different fruits, vegetables, chocolate and even tea and coffee! Bio flavonoids are flavonoids that are beneficial to our health in some way. As you can probably grasp from the name citrus bioflavonoids come from citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and even grapefruit. (1) Studies have found that citrus bioflavonoids have a number of benefits for heart health and even circulation. For example studies have found that they can help to modulate lipid metabolism, improve cardiovascular outcomes and even suppress inflammation. In fact they have been found to help protect against cardiovascular disease and even offer vascular protection via a number of pathways. Please take a look at the picture below. (2)
The next item has long been considered to be a superfood in its own right. And that is the amazing blueberry. To start studies have found that the antioxidants in blueberries can help to lower the levels of oxidized LDL. (3) One study found that blueberries can “significantly lower the oxidation of LDL”. (4) In one study in just 8 weeks it was found that those consuming blueberries had between a 4-6% decrease in blood pressure! (5) Other studies have also found that blueberries can help to lower blood pressure and even reduce arterial stiffness. (6) Lastly studies have found that blue berry intake is associated with a decreased risk of myocardial Infarction in both younger and middle aged women. (7)
The next item is something you might expect to find in a popular song not a blog on how Greens Hx is good for heart health. That is parsley! Props if you know the song it’s in. Anyoo moving on studies have found that flavonoid intake, such as those in parsley is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. (8) Parsley, which is very high in certain B vitamins may also be helpful in lowering homocysteine which is a well-known marker of cardiovascular disease. (9) In one study the B vitamins found in parsley were associated with a lowered risk of stroke, coronary heart disease and heart failure! (10) Studies have also found that parsley can help to lower cholesterol levels. (11)
Alfalfa is the next item in Greens Hx. What does WebMD have to say about alfalfa? Well according to WebMD alfalfa can help to lower LDL cholesterol by reducing the rate of absorption of cholesterol in the intestines. WebMD also says that alfalfa is full of nutrients that are good for our heart. (12) Studies have found that alfalfa is helpful in protecting us from damage caused by nicotine use. (13) One interesting study on alfalfa found that over just 2 months of use there was an improvement in cholesterol levels. (14)
Rosemary may be another surprise when it comes to promoting heart health. In fact one study found that rosemary reduced the risk of heart failure following a heart attack. (15) Studies have also found that rosemary may inhibit the production of lipids and even lower our blood pressure. (16)
Bilberry has a number of benefits when it comes to heart health. Studies have found that bilberry can help to lower LDL and total cholesterol. (17) Other studies have found evidence that strongly supports the conclusion that bilberry helps to normalize blood pressure. (18) In one study that was just 8 weeks long people who used bilberry saw improvements in areas such as platelet function, blood pressure and even HDL levels! (19) According to Mount Sinai studies have found that bilberry may help to strengthen blood vessels and even improve our circulation. (20)
Lastly I wanted to mention stevia. While most people probably think of stevia as just a sweetener it is much more than that. Studies have found that stevia can help to lower total cholesterol, LDL and even triglycerides. (21) And then there are its benefits for things outside of heart health. Overall as you can see Greens Hx is an amazing formula not just for our liver and detox but for our overall heart health too. As w slowly approach the end of this exciting look at heart health I hope that it has been both educational and perhaps a little fun too! My last blog on this topic before I do a summary will be regarding cardiomegaly or an enlarged heart.
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