Courtesy of Dr. Michael Murray
Your heart is truly amazing. In an average lifetime, the heart will beat 2.5 billion times and pump 100 billion gallons of blood! These numbers should fill you with awe and inspire you to support your heart’s health. A key target to improve heart function is the lining of all blood vessels from the heart to the smallest capillary. This lining is composed of endothelial cells and if all of these cells in the body were laid out flat, it would cover nearly an entire soccer field. In addition to its barrier function, the endothelium is one of the body’s primary internal medicine chests. It produces and is packed full of compounds that are critical to healing and influencing inflammation, blood flow, blood pressure, and immune function. The endothelium is only one cell thick and if it is damaged it loses it's proper structure and function. The term “heart disease” most often actually refers to the vascular disease known as atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. One of the hallmark features of atherosclerosis is disruption of endothelial function. Virtually all of the compounds that you have ever heard of that provide benefits to the heart and vascular system impact endothelial cell function. That is true whether it is the Mediterranean Diet, fish oils, dark chocolate, olive oil, nuts and seeds, grape seed extract, arginine, or coenzyme Q10, and any other “heart” supplement. February is Heart Health Awareness Month and it is a great time to stock up on your favorite heart health supplements.
To further help you, here are a few of my recommended supplements to support endothelial, heart, and vascular health:
Ideal Sea Salt. Too much sodium is bad for heart health. And an easy way to lower sodium intake is to avoid prepared foods and table salt - use my Ideal Sea Salt instead. It has over 1,000 five star reviews on iHerb.
Magnesium Citrate Powder. The average intake of magnesium by healthy adults in the United States is about half the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 350 mg for men and 300 mg for women. To ensure sufficient levels, a good daily magnesium dosage is 150 to 300 mg. Take it at night and it will help you get a good night’s sleep.
RxOmega3 Ultra Strength is my favorite fish oil for its purity, potency, and the fact that it uses a proprietary Enteripure process to target delivery of the fish oil to the small intestine. And that means no fishy aftertaste or burping.
Grape Seed Extract provide flavonoids that improve the flexibility and elasticity of blood vessels. Four very well designed double-blind clinical trials that show that within the first month of supplementation with 300 mg of grape seed extract it is able to help normalize blood pressure in those with mild to moderate hypertension.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is one of the most important dietary supplements for heart function, especially in people with any heart issue or someone over 50 years old. Take 100 to 300 mg per day depending upon your need and body size.
Nattokinase is protein-digesting enzyme from fermented soybeans that reduces blood viscosity and improves blood flow. It is a natural clot buster!
And if you need help with supporting normal cholesterol or blood pressure levels, take Berberine at a dosage of 500 mg two to three times daily before meals.
For more information on heart health, click here to download my free book Cholesterol and Heart Health, What the Drug Companies Won’t Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn’t Know. You will learn the truth about high cholesterol, statins and natural alternatives. And what really causes the damage to our arteries.
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