Heart Healthy Supplements

Niacin for a Healthy Heart

2011-01-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Lower Your Cholesterol with Niacin

Niacin, or Vitamin B3, has been used as a supplement for years to prevent and treat heart disease. It has been scientifically proven to raise your good cholesterol (HDL). HDL cholesterol helps sweep up low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides in your bloodstream.

Prescription Versus Over the Counter Niacin

Recently pharmacitcal companies have jumped on the bandwagon by creating prescription Niacin. There is absolutely no difference between these labels and the much cheaper over the counter Niacin supplements. When using Niacin to lower cholesterol it's best to use slow release niacin. Do not use "Flush Free" Niacin supplements for your heart because the ingredient is actually Inositol, which is chemically similar to Niacin, but does not have beneficial effects on blood cholesterol!

Niacin Versus Other Prescription Medicines

Niacin is a natural vitamin found in foods we eat everyday. For this reason, it is generally considered safe. One of the only side effects in some people is flushing, but this is harmless. Chemically designed prescription cholesterol medicines have long been criticized for there potentially harmful side effects. Why put something like that it your body when you can safely use the natural power of Niacin?

Miraculous Magnesium

2010-12-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Magnesium and You Body

Magnesium plays a significant role in over 200 processes in the human body. It's one of the most vital nutrients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, it is often the most neglected. If potassium in the yin, then magnesium is the yang. You see, potassium allows your muscles to contract, whereas magnesium allows your muscles to relax. Ever had a twitching muscle? It's most likely a lack of one these two minerals. Remember, your heart is a muscle and you most definitely don't want that twitching. An important note is that your body cannot properly use potassium if it does not have enough magnesium. So, a deficiency in magnesium is a two-fold problem.

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

FATIGUE & LOW ENERGY
NERVOUSNESS & INSOMNIA
Bad PMS & OSTEOPOROSIS
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
HEADACHES, DIABETES
ASTHMA
MUSCLE SPASMS

Causes of Magnesium Deficiency

- coffee
- sugar
- mental stress
- alcohol
- cola type soda
- high sodium diet
- tobacco
- medical drugs of all types
- high perspiration
- low thyroid
- diabetes
- diuretics
- chronic pain
- a high carbohydrate diet
- a high calcium diet

Magnesium Supplementation

The average person must get 450 mg of magnesium in their diet, but most get less than half of this. Nuts, Legumes, and green vegetables contains good sources of the mineral, but it is still hard to get the right amount in the modern diet. Magnesium can be safely supplemented as long as one doesn't have kidney problems. As always, consult your doctor if you are unsure. Unfortunately, the magnesium supplements on the shelf of your local drugstore most likely contain magnesium oxide, which is cheap to manufacture, but very poorly absorbed by the body. From my experience and recommendations from the FDA, magnesium citrate is the best form of magnesium for supplementation. It's very well absorbed and can alleviate symptoms of magnesium deficiency. It's important to keep supplementation consistent for good health as it can help prevent many problems, especially with the heart.

The Importance of Potassium for a Healthy Heart and Body

2010-12-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Role of Potassium for Heart Function

Potassium is one of many nutrients that plays an important role in maintaining a healthy heart. In fact, it can considered the most important. This element allows our muscles to contract and our heart is the most important muscle. The potassium that we obtain from our diet is crucial in keeping our hearts beating. Also, a diet that is lower in potassium than sodium often results in high blood pressure, which is a dangerous condition to be in. The combination of these effects on your body correlates to a higher risk of heart attack and/or stroke. Taking this into account, we must pay strict attention to consuming enough potassium.

Potassium and Your Diet

So, one of the leading causes of heart disease is lack of potassium in one's diet. Why is this the case? The modern diet often contains high amounts of protein, fats, sugars, and salt, which contain very little to no potassium. In order to obtain potassium we must eat enough fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. The recommended amount of potassium is 3500 mg a day. This should be considered a minimum amount, unless one is on a potassium restricted diet. The problem is, most people only consume about half of this on a daily basis. The bottom line is: EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES! You may be thinking, "Well, that's not a supplement." Unfortunately, potassium supplements you buy from the drug store are limited to 99 mg a tablet, but for good reason. Consuming too much supplemental potassium at once can cause serious health issues in some people, therefore the FDA as restricted supplements to a very low level. However there is a work around to getting more potassium in your diet if you aren't one of those who are restricted: Salt substitutes.

Salt Substitutes

Before I begin, I must stress that you not use salt substitutes if you have any type of kidney disease. Please consult your doctor if you are unsure. Your kidneys are responsible for excreting excess minerals, so if they are not functioning 100 percent you risk retaining too much potassium. Most people can use salt substitutes with absolutely no risk. Salt substitutes aren't considered supplements, so they aren't restricted to 99 mg by the FDA. In fact, the serving size of the average salt substitute is typically 1/4 teaspoon and 650 mg of potassium. As you can see, this is a wonderful source of potassium to add to your diet! Another plus is by adding this, you are also lowering your sodium intake. A double whammy for a healthier heart. Keep in mind, that even healthy people can overdo the use of this. Use a maximum of a few servings of a day to reduce the risk of getting to much. Like many things, balance is key.

Loss of Potassium

There are many things that can cause a loss of potassium. This in addition to not getting enough can result in a very serious situation. Here is a list of potassium excreting agents:

Tobacco use
Alcohol use
Drug use
Caffiene use
Exercise and sweating (keep doing this!)
Stress
GI problems
Diuretics

As you can see, there is a reason why people who have a combination of any of the above, combined with poor potassium intake, often develop heart disease. For the sake of your life, cut out smoking and moderate the use of alcohol and caffeine. They are all powerful at stimulating the release of potassium from our bodies.

Conclusion

Along with maintaining a good intake of potassium, it is of utmost importance that we also pay attention to those things that draw it from our bodies. If there is one nutrient that is most important to our survival it is potassium.