Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
The mineral magnesium is responsible for over 300 functions within the body, but it is especially important for proper heart functioning and healthy blood pressure levels. Learn more about this important nutrient and which form might be best for you from Amanda Williams, MPH.
When it comes to taking care of your health, it can be hard to know where to start. Tune into this episode to hear Amanda Williams, MPH offer recommendations for the basic nutrients you need to add to your daily routine today.
triglycerides
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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In Part 1 of this episode, I discussed what triglycerides are, how they become elevated and some of the damage they can do, especially in the heart. I also discussed how they can relate to fatty liver disease, which is a lot more common than you think. Today, we’re going to discuss other ways that triglycerides can impact the body.†
Extremely high triglycerides can cause severe inflammation of the pancreas, which is known as pancreatitis. That’s not a comfortable condition. In pancreatitis, you get pain in the stomach area and it can radiate around to your back. It can cause severe nausea and vomiting and can also make your abdomen feel tender and swollen. There are a lot of symptoms that go along with pancreatitis. The problem is that if this happens too frequently, it can be connected to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. You never want inflammation in an organ if you can help it.†
According to the American Health Association, young people with high triglyceride levels have a four times greater risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke than people with normal triglycerides.†
High triglycerides often accompany other conditions, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, kidney disease and hypothyroidism. Your thyroid is a master gland that controls your metabolism. When it’s not functioning well, you tend to get inflamed. Your good cholesterol drops, your bad cholesterol goes up and your triglycerides go up. You also frequently have fatigue and it’s hard to focus and concentrate on things.†
A healthy lifestyle is the best way to help lower your triglyceride levels. That’s the key. If you’re overweight or you’re sedentary, that’s strongly associated with developing hypertriglyceridemia. This is because you’re not burning the calories from your food.†
It’s important to exercise regularly. If you can do about 30 minutes a day for most days of the week, that can help burn triglycerides.†
You should also avoid sugary foods and refined carbohydrates. This includes anything made from white flour, like white bread or pasta. Avoid high fructose corn syrup. This might be the worst thing because you’re mixing glucose with fructose, which seems to have a worse effect on people than just having either of those on their own.†
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You should choose healthier fats. Red meat is not the best thing for your blood fats. Fish is much better because it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids and also has a lot of other healthy things in it such as the mineral magnesium and the amino acid taurine. These nutrients are good for your heart, brain and eyes.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. continues his discussion on triglycerides. He explains how this fat can impact the health of the pancreas and also provides recommendations of foods to eat and foods to avoid in order to support healthy triglyceride levels. Stay tuned for Part 3 of this episode, coming soon!†
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Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.
Triglycerides are a lipid found in the body that help ensure that your body gets the energy it needs between meals. But if you have too much of this fat, it can impact your heart, liver, pancreas and more. Learn more about how this can affect your health from Jerry Hickey, Ph.
The micromineral chromium is needed for healthy blood sugar, energy production and more, but this nutrient is frequently overlooked. Learn why it’s important to ensure you have enough of this mineral within your body.
folate
InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey, Ph.
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Folate is a B-vitamin. It’s a water-soluble vitamin. It’s sometimes referred to as Vitamin B9. It’s really important to have sufficient folate, but not everybody does, sometimes because of eating habits, genetic issues or age.†
The active form of folate is called methyltetrahydrofolate. It’s needed to make normal, healthy cells. Folate is ubiquitous in vegetables and green leafy things, so it’s named after foliage.†
Without folate, you could develop very large red blood cells, also known as megaloblastic anemia. This can prevent the red blood cells from getting into the blood vessels, which also means oxygen is not flowing through your body as well. That leads to shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness.†
Your folate status is really influenced by genetic variations in the metabolism of the nutrient. There’s an enzyme called MTHFR and about 50% of people have a problem with it. This makes it harder for them to take synthetic folate often found in low quality supplements or the folate in vegetables and convert it into the active form. You can make up for that, to a degree, by taking a powerful folate or folic acid supplement or by eating more vegetables.†
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If you lack folate, you get an elevated level of homocysteine. Homocysteine is a byproduct of protein metabolism and the body can handle homocysteine when it’s at a level of 12 or less. Once it gets over 12, it becomes toxic. Methyltetrahydrofolate is the vitamin that lowers homocysteine. If your homocysteine is elevated, you have a higher risk of developing heart disease or suffering from a stroke. You also have a higher risk of developing cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or a hip fracture.†
If you’re low in folate long term, you can develop heart disease. A review of 80 human clinical trials showed that even moderately elevated levels of homocysteine in your blood increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This can also lead to clogged blood vessels and coronary heart disease. It makes it hard for blood to flow because the blood vessels are squeezing, so your blood pressure can also go up. Having a little bit of methyltetrahydrofolate can help support normal homocysteine levels in the body.†
This nutrient also plays a role in brain health. Your risk of Alzheimer’s disease may increase if you lack folate. We know that folate is important for brain development in babies, but studies are now showing that it is important for the brain throughout your entire lifespan, especially when you’re elderly.†
In this episode, Jerry Hickey, Ph. discusses the important role the active form of folate plays within the body. He explains the relationship between this nutrient and homocysteine and discusses how these substances both impact the health of your body.†
Key Topics:
Thank you for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at InViteⓇ Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.