Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
The Confusing World of Heart Arrhythmias Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Arrhythmia is a word that you may have heard of but may not know what it means. So what exactly is an arrhythmia? Basically an arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. In general we can …
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!
Sources:
IMMUNITY MULTI: THE MUST HAVE WINTER MULTIVITAMIN By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT As kids growing up, most of us took a daily multi, probably chewable. We looked forward to taking these every morning before heading off to school, many of us picking our …
Congestive Heart Failure Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Our next topic is something that may seem uncommon but is actually more common than you would think. This is congestive heart failure. When people refer to having a “weak heart” they are referring to congestive heart …
Boosting Energy and Supporting Heart Health all with Ribose Complex
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
One of my favorite products for heart health is called Ribose Complex. This is an amazing and complete formula for keeping our heart healthy. Ribose Complex contains D-Ribose, Alcar, Malic Acid, DMG, Rhodiola, Coq10, Bromelain, Protease and Stevia.
Let’s start with D-Ribose. What exactly is D-Ribose or Ribose? Ribose is a type of sugar that is a part of ATP, which is the energy molecule our cells. What this basically means is that Ribose helps boost the energy in our cells. In fact studies have found that Ribose helps boost energy in the heart for those with coronary artery disease. Other studies have found that Ribose helps to increase the hearts energy after a heart attack. Ribose has also been found to improve heart function in those with congestive heart failure. Other studies have found Ribose can help the chambers of the heart to have enhanced function aka the heart works better. Lastly studies have found that Ribose improves overall heart function in those with heart disease.
Alcar is an amazing supplement you may have heard of for memory and brain health. But did you know it is also good for our heart health? Several studies show that L-Carnitine can help improve symptoms of poor circulation including peripheral vascular disease. Studies also show it can help with symptoms of angina. L-Carnitine has also been found to help decrease our risk of a second heart attack or the risk of heart failure after a first heart attack. Lastly, it has been found to help improve overall heart function in those with heart failure.
Our next item is called Malic acid. Studies have found Malic acid to be very protective of the heart when there is poor circulation. Sometimes when circulation is restored there can be damage to the cells. This is called reperfusion injury. Studies have found that Malic acid is very helpful in this situation. Other studies have found that Malic acid can be very helpful for heart disease.
DMG is another important ingredient in Ribose complex. DMG has been found to help improve heart function. Other studies have found that DMG can help with our cholesterol, triglycerides and even homocysteine.
The next item is a well-known herb called Rhodiola Rosea or just Rhodiola. Studies have found that Rhodiola is very helpful in improving heart health when there is reperfusion injury due to poor circulation or even when there is damage due to a heart attack. Rhodiola has also been found to help with arrhythmia as well as lowering blood fat. It has also been shown to lower the risk of blood clots. If you have listened to our radio show then you will know that this is a favorite of both Dr. Amanda Williams and Dr. Claire Arcidiacono!
Coq10 is one of the most recommended products for heart health. Studies have found that that those who started taking Coq10 within 3 days of a heart attack are less likely to have another heart attack or even experience chest pain. For those who have congestive heart failure according to studies Coq10 may help with the symptoms. Several studies indicate that Coq10 may help lower high blood pressure. Other studies indicate Coq10 can help recovery after having heart surgery. I could go on and on but I think you can tell that Coq10 is a winner when it comes to heart health. In my clinical experience it is very helpful in people who are looking to help keep their heart healthy.
The next 2 items are Bromelain and Protease. These are both proteolytic enzymes. This type of enzyme in general may be helpful for the heart because they have an ability to fight against clots. You can image them acting like packman eating up the clots.
Lastly we have Stevia. Interestingly stevia is very good for our heart. Stevia is interesting because studies show it is good at lowering LDL and increasing HDL! Any item that helps with our cholesterol is important for our overall heart health.
Overall, I find Ribose Complex to be an amazing formula for overall heart health. It is important to keep our heart healthy before we have a problem. Very often we get calls that start with “I have a family history of heart disease”. In that case I reach for Ribose Complex first since it contains so many ingredients to help our heart. Additionally, since it is a powder it is very easy to use. It can be mixed in water, juice and even smoothies! Don’t make smoothies? That’s fine! It can also be used in things such as applesauce or even yogurt.
Our next topic will be congestive heart failure, also known as a “weak heart”
Sources
1. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/ribose-uses-and-risks
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/d-ribose#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
5. https://blog.davincilabs.com/blog/what-is-dmg-and-7-common-uses
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8898776/
10. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/stevia-side-effects