Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in North America. While there are conventional treatments for this health concern, heart supporting supplements can help prevent heart disease by keeping your heart healthy. 

What is Heart Disease?

Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis occur when deposits build up on the inside of the arteries. This leads to a decrease in the flexibility and elasticity of the walls. Deposits can be made of calcium (arteriosclerosis) or fatty substances like cholesterol (atherosclerosis).

Pieces of these deposits cause problems in several ways. They narrow the paths that blood takes around your heart and surrounding vessels, causing the body to exert more effort to maintain circulation and adequate blood flow to tissues. This common and dangerous condition is called high blood pressure. If pieces break off, they will disrupt blood flow, potentially leading to clots or lodge into smaller blood vessels, blocking them entirely and causing a heart attack or stroke. Clots are also culprits of heart attacks and strokes.

How To Prevent Heart Disease: Conventional Treatments, Diet & Supplements

Lifestyle Factors

The most important factor in keeping your vascular system healthy is a healthy lifestyle. It plays a bigger role in heart health than family history, which is encouraging. Reduce heart disease risk through a proper diet, fighting obesity, quitting smoking and incorporating exercise into your life.

Conventional Treatments

Conventional treatment of high cholesterol with lipid-lowering drugs makes only small improvements to your chance of developing heart disease. Plus, these drugs have many side effects. The most troublesome is the increased risk of depression and suicide amongst medicated individuals.

The drugs also deplete vital nutrients for heart health, such as coenzyme Q10. Aspirin or other blood-thinning medication may also be prescribed to decrease the risk of developing blood clots.

Stomach ulcers and abnormal bleeding are side effects of some of these medications. These medications can interact with many natural products. Consult a health professional before starting any new therapy.

Diet & Supplements To Prevent Heart Disease

Dietary changes for heart health include maintaining adequate fibre intake and lowering the fat and cholesterol content of your foods. Drink lots of clear fluids and eat raw fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Include green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, vegetable protein like soybeans and unrefined oils like olive, flax, and sunflower in your daily diet. Foods to avoid are any junk foods, fried foods, processed foods, fast foods, white flour products, white sugar products, red meat, egg yolks, ice cream, salt, coffee, colas and other caffeine sources. Eliminate alcohol, tobacco and highly spiced foods.

Use diet, exercise, and supplements to maintain a healthy weight. Stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, yoga or biofeedback will help to maintain a healthy stress level.