The wellbeing of your heart, as well as your entire cardiovascular system, is crucial for health in both the short term and long term. Here, we take a brief look at the fundamental principles for heart health, and discuss four of the best supplements for nurturing your heart health.
What Makes For Good Heart Health?
Heart health is important for many reasons. The heart is crucial, as it pumps a constant and steady stream of blood, oxygen, hormones and other substances throughout the body. The beauty of the heart is that it does so for your entire lifetime. It’s important to make sound health choices that reduce the risk of heart disease. Heart disease is not inevitable, but is preventable.
There are tried and true lifestyle patterns that contribute to heart health, and prevent heart disease. Regular physical activity reduces the bodily factors that contribute to heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. Moreso, a healthy diet that is not restrictive but contains a variety of healthy proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is also fundamental for long-term heart health. Avoiding smoking is also important.
Four Super Helpful Supplements for Your Heart
Vitamins and nutrients contribute to healthy heart and cardiovascular function. Supplementing a healthy diet with the right nutrient supplements can make a significant contribution to the health of your heart. Some of these supplements are most effective when combined because of the nature of their chemistry in the human body.
Omega-3 fatty acids are derived from fish and other sources. These fatty acids are very heart-healthy because they lower the body’s production of triglycerides. High bodily levels of triglycerides correlate with increased risk of heart disease, arterial disease, and stroke. Many studies have confirmed the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids including improved heart function, and decreased hospitalization due to cardiovascular reasons.
Vitamin D is instrumental for heart health because it helps regulate blood pressure. However, it cannot do its job unless magnesium is present as well, because magnesium is necessary for the body to turn vitamin D into its active form. Supplementing with both vitamin D and magnesium can foster healthy blood pressure, and reduce risk of heart complications due to blood pressure that is above normal levels. Magnesium also benefits cardiovascular health by preventing hardening of the arteries, and it also helps support healthy heart rhythm.
Vitamin B6 is perhaps the most important B vitamin for heart health. Vitamin B6 promotes the ideal absorption of magnesium. When taken alongside magnesium and other heart-healthy vitamins, vitamin B6 can be extremely beneficial for the heart.
L-carnitine is an amino acid which the body needs in order to transport fats into the mitochondria of cells, where energy is produced. This is very important, because adequate energy production allows the heart to function strongly. Studies show that L-carnitine helps the heart in a few ways. It can improve heart function and reduce angina symptoms. L-carnitine could also improve oxygenation of the heart, which is especially helpful for those who have previously experienced heart failure.
Heart health is primarily the result of sound lifestyle patterns, but the supplements discussed above can also be of great assistance. Consider how these could be of help to you. Talk to your healthcare provider before taking any supplement for the first time.