Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
General Heart Health as We Age Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND I have talked about how we can keep both our cholesterol levels and blood pressure healthy as we age. But what if your heart is already healthy? How do you keep your heart healthy as …
Cholesterol as We Age Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Every year you most likely go to your doctor for a physical exam and routine blood work. When you look over your blood work you may notice something called a lipid panel or cholesterol panel. Your doctor …
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:
Sources:
Joint Health written by: Noreen Kodula, Certified Natural Health Professional (CNHP) Joints are the connection between two bones. They allow you to bend your elbows, knees and back, wiggle your hips, turn your head, wave your fingers and give your skeleton its shape. Joints support …
Krill Oil vs Fish Oil Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND One of the most confusing topic’s in the vitamin world is the difference between krill oil and fish oil. I get asked pretty much all the time what exactly is the difference between the 2. …
FATS~THE SKINNY YOU NEED TO KNOW
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
When talking about health, wellness and diet, the subject of fats always seems to scare people. I’ve heard such things as ‘fats are bad’ to ‘I don’t consume any fats because they’ll back me gain weight’. There are so many misconceptions regarding fats out there so let’s explore this dietary group and breakdown the good and bad when it comes to fats.
Let’s start breaking down fats and get more comfortable including them into our diet. Just like anything, there are good and bad fats. It’s the bad fats that we think of when we think that consuming fats will cause weight gain so many tend to gravitate toward a low-fat or even fat-free diet. However, incorporating the right fats, the healthy fats, can have positive effects on our health and well-being.
Healthy fats are helpful for such areas like the skin, joints, heart and circulatory system and even the brain. These are also known as unsaturated fats. According to an article form Harvard Medical School titled ‘Know the Facts About Fats’, these fats have been shown to raise HDL (good cholesterol), reduce inflammation and nourish the brain and may even help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Unhealthy fats are just that…unhealthy and potentially harmful to one’s health. These are the saturated and trans fats. ‘Types of Fats’ from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health advised limiting or greatly reducing the amounts of saturated and trans fats in the diet. This is due to the negative impact they can have on one health. The potential risk factors include, but are not limited to, increased inflammation, increased LDL (bad cholesterol), increased risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attack, and may even contribute to insulin resistance.
Unsaturated Fats are what would be considered healthy fats. In this group you’ll find the good fats that can have a positive impact on one’s health. Some of these include such foods as shellfish, salmon, sardines, seeds, nuts and nut butters. Oils like extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil and avocado oil. They have medium to high smoke point making them ideal to use when cooking.
Saturated Fats are the unhealthy fats that many people justify as being okay in moderation. These are the fats that most people gravitate to and love. These include cheeses, red meat, poultry (with skin) and even bacon. While these do have health benefits like calcium and protein, the fat content may have negative effects on one’s health and wellness.
Trans Fats are the worst of the fats that are consumed. These are the fats that we should all be most aware of as they are the ones to try to avoid. They can be a serious contributing factor to increasing risk of certain health problems. These can include heart problems and weight gain or obesity. This group is made up of such things like processed meats (think deli meats and hot dogs), many processed and prepackaged foods. Many times you’ll see the term partially hydrogenated oils.
A good way to remember the difference between these three types of fats would be UNSATURATED-FAT is UNFILTERED and CLEAN, SATURATED-FAT is SUFFOCATING and UNHEALTHY, and finally TRANS-FAT is HEAVILY PROCESSED (TRANSformed), UNRECOGNIZABLE and ATTACKING (to the cells).
FISH OIL: This is the most common thing we think of when talking about Omega-3s. Fish oil supplies the EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaeonic Acid) that is essential for numerous areas of the body.
BIOMEGA: This is the same type of omega-3 as above, but this is enteric coated. This coating causes the soft gel to dissolve for absorption in the small intestine instead of the stomach. Many people report that this helps to reduce having the fishy taste repeat on them.
KRILL OIL ADVANCED: This is an easy to take soft gel supplies EPA and DHA but also contains Astaxanthin. This is an antioxidant that is believed to support healthy heart, skim, brain and the immune system. It is also said to have anti-inflammatory properties. It is also advised that if someone is allergic (or sensitive) to seafood and/or shellfish to not consume krill oil supplements.
www.health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-choose-and-use-healthy-cooking-oils
www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/know-the-facts-about-fats
www.uclahealth.org/news/eating-healthy-fats-has-many-benefits
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5577766/
www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/dietary-fats
www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/
www.pharmapproach.com/enteric-coating-2/
www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-astaxanthin
www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1172/krill-oil
