Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
The Wonders of Veins Hx! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND For our product spotlight I wanted to pick one of my favorites for circulation. This formula is called Veins Hx! Veins Hx is a formula made of a combination of vitamins and extracts that studies …
Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) and Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), also known as Poor Circulation! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Anyone who has ever had to stand for long periods of time knows what it feel like when you start moving around. That tired, cramping and overall …
Olive Leaf Extract for the Heart!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Now I know I said I’d be highlighting some unexpected products when it comes to heart health and this blog is certainly a unique take on a common supplement! This supplement is Olive Leaf! As I’ve said in the past I like to recommend supplements that have many benefits and olive leaf fits the bill!
One of the ways that studies have found olive leaf helps heart health is by its affects on cholesterol. Olive leaf has been found to help prevent LDL from building up in the arteries. This is important because the buildup of LDL in the arteries can cause an increase in blood pressure and even increase the risk of developing heart disease. (1) Olive leaf has also been shown in studies to lower the actual LDL numbers. (2) So what can we take away from this? Basically olive leaf can lower our LDL cholesterol and even help prevent the LDL from building up in our arteries. Having high cholesterol is something that I’m personally seeing in younger people all the time. According to these studies for anyone with high cholesterol olive leaf can be a great addition to a protocol.
Other studies using olive leaf have found it to be helpful in restoring a normal heartbeat in those who experience arrhythmia or in laymen terms irregular heartbeats. (3) Additionally, olive leaf has been found in studies to help lower blood pressure. (4) This is important because an increase in our blood pressure is a risk factor for many different health concerns such as heart attack and even stroke. One pathway that studies have found that olive leaf is able to lower blood pressure is by helping to relax the muscles in the arteries so that they open wider. (5) Think of your arteries like a straw and your about to drink a milk shake. A more narrow straw requires more pressure or force to get the milk shake to go through it then a nice wide open straw would.
Olive leaf is also helpful in protecting our heart by helping to reduce some of the risk factors for heart disease. Newer studies have found that olive leaf can help with reducing the risk of obesity. Newer studies have also found that using olive leaf can help to reduce the risk of insulin resistance which as we learned in the diabetes blog is a risk factor for both diabetes and heart disease. (6) Studies have found olive leaf to be what “cardio protective” is. What this basically means is that olive leaf protects the heart from being damaged from stressors such as oxidative stress. (7)
Overall, I find olive leaf helpful for the heart because as the studies have shown us, it helps with lowering the LDL cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, helping with normalizing arrhythmia and even helps stop the LDL from clumping together. As I have said it also helps with some of the risk factors for developing heart disease and high blood pressure.
Olive leaf does many things for our health in addition to helping our heart. One common use is to boost our immune system. Olive leaf has been found to increase white blood cells which are an important part of how we fight infections. Olive leaf has been found in studies to be antibacterial, antiviral and even helps against the fun guys I mean fungus! (8) One of the most common infections I use olive leaf to help with is in those who suffer from chronic UTIs or yeast infections. Why is it my favorite for these? Because as studies show it is fantastic at increasing white blood cells and helps kill off the “bad guys”. (8)
New studies using olive leaf to help with brain health are very promising. In fact the antioxidant effects of olive leaf have been shown in new studies to may help with the loss of dopamine neurons found in Parkinson’s disease. Studies are also finding that the main antioxidant in olive leaf may be able to provide protection against Alzheimer’s disease! (9)
To wrap things up olive leaf is great for heart health, weight management, diabetes, our immune system and is an overall powerful antioxidant. Find olive leaf in Invite’s Olive Leaf Extract, Normo-tensive and in our Renalaid formula.
Our next blog will be about peripheral artery disease (PAD) or as it is colloquially known as “poor circulation”.
Blood Pressure Basics! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Blood pressure is something that we all have. Keeping our blood pressure healthy is a concern that affects people of all ages. While it may be easy to write off high blood pressure as just something that …
Collagen for the Heart? Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I mentioned that I would be reviewing a few supplements for the heart that you normally don’t associate with heart health. The first such supplement is collagen! Collagen is an important building …
RESVERATROL: THE ANTI-AGING POWERHOUSE
By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT
Anti-aging means something different to everyone. Some of us associate anti-aging with skin care and physically looking younger than we are, while others think of maintaining a healthy heart and healthy brain function with anti-aging. So, with a variety of areas of anti-aging, is there one thing that is good for everyone? The answer is YES, and it’s one of my go-to supplements….RESVERATROL.
Why does Resveratrol sound so familiar? It’s because it is the component that makes red wine “healthy”. Resveratrol comes from the skin of the red grapes, which is how it is in red wine, through the crushing process. While the resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant, and alcohol consumption also has many negatives, so it’s not the best way to get Resveratrol. You can also get the same effect from eating whole, red grapes. However, you’d need to eat A LOT of grapes (or wine) which also isn’t good. While fruit is an important part of a healthy diet, too much of a good thing isn’t good. So, the alternative is to incorporate Resveratrol into a solid supplement regimen.
Resveratrol works on a cellular level to help protect one from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance of free-radicals and antioxidants. According to an article from Medical News Today titled ‘How Does Oxidative Stress Affect the Body?’ , oxidative stress may be a contributing factor in such issues as, but not limited to, increased inflammation, heart disease and Alzheimer’s/Dementia. Resveratrol has been studied and shows that the natural phenols can help maintain healthy cells.
Due the benefits that Resveratrol has on the cells in the body, it can also be beneficial for the skin. This is mainly due to its effects on collagen and photo aging. Photo aging is defined by Yale Medicine and dermatologists as “the damage the sun does to the skin by several names, including photo aging, photo damage, solar damage or sun damage. It happens when ultraviolet (UV) light hits skin unprotected by sunscreen, causing DNA changes at a cellular level”. This can cause such issues as wrinkles, dark spots/freckles and broken capillaries, just to name a few.
‘Resveratrol as a Factor Preventing Skin Aging and Affecting its Rejuvenation’ from The National Library of Medicine-National Center for Biotechnology Information, discusses the effect resveratrol can have on promoting collagen production… This can help to rejuvenate not just the skin, but damaged cells throughout the body.
As you can see, Resveratrol has been highly research and studied for its effectiveness on many aspects of health and the aging process. Whether it’s protecting the heart or brain from oxidative stress, or protecting the skin form UV damage, Resveratrol is something that should be part of anyone’s healthy lifestyle.
Try our Resveratrol Max Hx which is our concentrated “super” Resveratrol supplying 98% trans-Resveratrol. We also have our classic Resveratrol which is much less concentrated supplying 25% trans-resveratrol, making it a great option for those on certain medications such as blood thinners.
PRO TIP: take your choice of Resveratrol at bedtime for maximum benefits!
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265635#can-wine-improve-health
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324863
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283756654_A_convenient_mechanism_for_scavengingthe_free_radical__activity_of_resveratrol
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9326919/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/resveratrol-the-hype-continues-201202034189
