Clear Arteries for a Healthy Heart
Dr. Jen Corbeil, ND
Open, elastic arteries are crucial for a healthy heart. Because it is essentially a muscle (though fantastically intricate), the heart depends on other organs for its nourishment and energy and on our blood vessels to transport these. Atherosclerosis – the hardening and narrowing of artery (and vein) walls – occurs over time as our bodies invoke an inflammatory response to repair damaged blood vessels. These “patch jobs” eventually form plaques which can lead to coronary artery disease.
Prevent inflammation and keep your arteries clear with these guidelines:
- A whole foods-based diet, with plenty of colourful veggies and fruits will provide anti-oxidants to prevent damage to vessel walls in the first place. Choose free-range animal products whenever possible (animals fed grass are anti-inflammatory) and wild fish, nuts and seeds for heart-healthy fats.
- Avoid fried foods, margarines and too many polyunsaturated vegetable oils, like canola, soy and corn. These are the real inflammatory culprits behind atherosclerosis; not cholesterol as once thought. Cholesterol deposits are your body’s attempts to repair damage to artery walls – the firefighters, not the fire!
- Keep calcium levels in check – too much can contribute to atherosclerotic plaques, while too little can lead to irregular muscle (i.e. heart) contraction and nerve conduction. Magnesium and Vitamin K2 play important roles in proper calcium metabolism
- Magnesium balances calcium’s contractile functions by helping to dilate vessels and normalize heartbeat and blood pressure. Equally important, magnesium helps to keep calcium in the blood and out of arterial plaques. Found in whole grains, nuts and seeds and many vegetables, magnesium is often deficient in modern diets. It’s especially important to up your intake if you consume a lot of dairy products, which are high in calcium but low in magnesium.
- Vitamin K2, found in the fat of certain grass-fed animal products and the soybean ferment natto, has only recently gained attention for its remarkable ability to direct calcium into bones and out of arterial deposits (even already existing ones).
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Clear Arteries for a Healthy Heart
Dr. Jen Corbeil, ND
Naturopathic Doctor
Open, elastic arteries are crucial for a healthy heart. Because it is essentially a muscle (though fantastically intricate), the heart depends on other organs for its nourishment and energy and on our blood vessels to transport these. Atherosclerosis – the hardening and narrowing of artery (and vein) walls – occurs over time as our bodies invoke an inflammatory response to repair damaged blood vessels. These “patch jobs” eventually form plaques which can lead to coronary artery disease.
Prevent inflammation and keep your arteries clear with these guidelines:
- A whole foods-based diet, with plenty of colourful veggies and fruits will provide anti-oxidants to prevent damage to vessel walls in the first place. Choose free-range animal products whenever possible (animals fed grass are anti-inflammatory) and wild fish, nuts and seeds for heart-healthy fats.
- Avoid fried foods, margarines and too many polyunsaturated vegetable oils, like canola, soy and corn. These are the real inflammatory culprits behind atherosclerosis; not cholesterol as once thought. Cholesterol deposits are your body’s attempts to repair damage to artery walls – the firefighters, not the fire!
- Keep calcium levels in check – too much can contribute to atherosclerotic plaques, while too little can lead to irregular muscle (i.e. heart) contraction and nerve conduction. Magnesium and Vitamin K2 play important roles in proper calcium metabolism
- Magnesium balances calcium’s contractile functions by helping to dilate vessels and normalize heartbeat and blood pressure. Equally important, magnesium helps to keep calcium in the blood and out of arterial plaques. Found in whole grains, nuts and seeds and many vegetables, magnesium is often deficient in modern diets. It’s especially important to up your intake if you consume a lot of dairy products, which are high in calcium but low in magnesium.
- Vitamin K2, found in the fat of certain grass-fed animal products and the soybean ferment natto, has only recently gained attention for its remarkable ability to direct calcium into bones and out of arterial deposits (even already existing ones).
