by imavexadmin | Dec 26, 2018 | Today's Information
Probiotics help the heart and blood vessels. The probiotic bacteria we have in our gut directly relate to the health of our blood vessels and heart. Our best health means maintaining a flourishing “inner garden” of microbes in our entire digestive tract from top to bottom. This is done by taking in the beneficial live organisms which occur in many foods, especially fermented ones such as sauerkraut, kefir and brine-cured olives. These beneficial organisms are contained in several Asian foods not commonly included in the western diet including kimchi, natto, miso, tempeh, and kombucha. More conveniently they are concentrated in probiotic capsules. Our oral organisms are also critical in this process and can be maintained while using certain types of toothpaste and mouthwash.
Ingesting prebiotics improves the scaffolding on our inner garden thrives. Bananas, asparagus, onions, and apples are good sources. Prebiotic fiber supplements help conveniently achieve this goal.
We noted the following excellent review of the recent science on this important factor in our health:
Komaroff AL. The Microbiome and Risk of Atherosclerosis. JAMA. 2018;319(23):2381-2382.
by imavexadmin | Dec 26, 2018 | Today's Information
Optimal omega 3 fat intake is critical to heart health.
The lining of our blood vessels is known as the endothelium. Because we have miles and miles of blood vessels transporting blood to every part of our body, the surface area of this thin interior lining is enormous. Image the floor space in a 14,000 square foot house or 3 times the area of the end zone of a football field.
The endothelium is a thin membrane serving as the traffic cop regulating what gets in and out of the blood vessel wall.
Omega 3 fatty acids are a major building block of these membranes. Poorly constructed or deficiently maintained endothelium leads to harmful substances entering the vessel wall causing injury to the muscle layer of the artery. High blood pressure and eventually artery-blocking plaque follows.
We see that maintaining optimal omega 3 intake leads to healthy blood vessels.
Sources include fatty fish including salmon, mackerel, sardines and albacore tuna. Walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds also provide some omega 3’s. If adequate amounts of these don’t fit into your nutrition program, consider a concentrated source such as fish oil, krill and EPA/DHA supplements.
The best way presently available to assure our goal is achieved is to measure our omega 3 index and keep it less that 4.
