Heart Health: Studies Show Healthy Ways and Nutrients to Boost It

GLENDALE, Calif. - July 13, 2015 - PRLog -- As the heart is basically a muscle, its strength can be greatly increased with regular exercise and physical activity. One example is a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association where researchers followed the exercise activity of 10,224 men and 3,120 women for eight years.

The interesting thing they learned is that higher levels of physical fitness can prolong people’s lives overall, mostly due to lowered rates of cardiovascular (heart) disease and cancer.

Brisk walking is an excellent choice of exercise (one of the best), and so is stair climbing, calisthenics, bicycling, swimming and various team sports. These are all very beneficial when done regularly. If you’re just beginning an exercise program, take it slowly at first and build it up gradually.

There are some unique heart-loving foods and supplements that have proven themselves winners for increasing the health of the heart and blood vessels. These include fish, fish oil capsules, garlic, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Co-enzyme Q10.

Eating fish and/or taking fish oil supplements is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is a special type of fat that he body cannot make by itself and is as vital to the health as vitamins. In the Netherlands, eating a mere one ounce of fish daily was associated with 50% fewer deaths from coronary heart disease -- in other words, it cut the risk in half.

Garlic is a favorite plant for lowering cholesterol. It also inhibits blood clotting and reduces blood pressure (Preventive Medicine, 1987, vol. 16). The best way to benefit from garlic is to eat it raw or cooked on a frequent basis. It is also beneficial in supplement form.

Vitamin E and C are powerful antioxidant vitamins. An “anti” oxidant is a compound that protects tissues from the damage caused by oxygen – the normal actions of digestion and metabolism can produce this excess oxygen. One study of 11,178 people, aged 67 to 105 years old (from the New England Journal of Medicine), found very good results from combining vitamins E and C.

Those who were taking vitamin E supplements at the beginning of the study had a 34% lower risk of death from heart disease than those who were not. The combination of vitamins E and C together created a total risk reduction of 53%.

Coenzyme Q10 is another uniquely potent antioxidant. It is also known as ubiquinone. It comes from "ubiquitous" which means "found everywhere" as it is found in every cell in the body. CoQ10 was first used by the Japanese to strengthen the heart muscle. Heart patients who have supplemented with CoQ10 have had positive results, particularly in protecting the heart from insufficient blood flow.

Keep your heart happily humming along by doing a variety of enjoyable exercises and adding some heart-loving foods and supplements to your diet.

This health news is shared with you by Nutrition Breakthroughs, provider of natural health articles and effective natural remedies since 2001. Nutrition Breakthroughs makes the original calcium and magnesium based natural sleep aid Sleep Minerals II (http://www.nutritionbreakthroughs.com/html/sleep_remedy_for_insomnia_help.html).