Heart and Circulation Boosters

Coronary Heart Disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. Each year, more than 500,000 Americans die of heart disease caused by CHD. Blocked arteries, faulty heart valves, high blood pressure, and poor circulation all take their toll in the form of strokes and heart attacks.

Use these supplements wisely, and with luck, you will never wind up as a statistic.

Folic Acid
The U.S. Government advises every woman of childbearing age to consume folic acid to avoid neural tube defects.

In addition to being essential during pregnancy, folic acid is also needed to keep homocysteine (an amino acid by-product) levels in the blood from rising, thus providing excellent support for the cardiovascular system.

Clinical trials have shown that folic acid significantly lowered homocysteine levels by 25 percent and that the addition of vitamin B12 lowered levels an additional 7 percent.

Moreover, homocysteine levels in the U.S. population have fallen sick the FDA mandated in 1998 that all enriched grain products in the U.S. contain ug of folic acid per 100g.

Garlic
In the 1980's, research began to demonstrate the amazing value of garlic in the protection of the heart and circulatory system.

Several hundred published research papers show that garlic can lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, and make the blood less sticky, thus reducing the risk of clots.

A regular intake of garlic not only protects the heart and circulation and boosts their function, but also protects against food poisoning, other bacterial and fungal infections, and even has some cancer-fighting properties.

Sulfur-rich compounds released when garlic is crushed not only produce it characteristic smell but also most of its therapeutic benefits. For this reason, supplements that are deodorized or made solely of extracted garlic oil are not as effective as either the whole bulb or the standardized whole extract.

Ginkgo Biloba
The potent natural chemicals in ginkgo extract have the unique ability to improve circulation to the brain, at the same time reducing the stickiness of blood.

Research shows that ginkgo is highly effective in improving short-term memory loss in the elderly. Even people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease can benefit from ginkgo biloba.

There is no evidence that the plant is in any way a treatment for Alzheimer's, but given in the early stages of the illness it appears to delay the worsening of symptoms by many months.

Research conducted by Professor Ian Hindmarch, of the Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit at the University of Surrey, in England, surveyed the impact of ginkgo on a group of volunteers who were young, healthy, and had no memory problems.

The results demonstrated that ginkgo improved concentration, psychomotor skills, and memory in the group taking 120mg of extract daily.

As a general circulatory stimulant, ginkgo is helpful in the treatment of Raynaud's disease, chilblains, and tinnitus.

Horse chestnut
Although traditionally horse chestnut was used for its cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties, its most important use is in the treatment of peripheral circulatory disorders.

Aescin, the most powerful of its constituents, acts specifically as a tonic to vein walls, making this an excellent remedy for the relief of varicose veins, fluid retention, and hemorrhoids. Local application is excellent for reducing swelling after an injury.

Lycopene
According to Dr. Venket Rao, from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, in Canada, "Population studies have recently shown that women consuming high levels of tomatoes and tomato products rich in lycopene are less likely to suffer from breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers".

These are the most common cancers in women and the principle cause of cancer-related deaths. Although lycopene is similar to the other carotenoids such as beta-carotene, the unique way in which it works together with vitamin C makes it a most powerful protective antioxidant.

Professor Truscott from Keele University, England, speculates that lycopene may slow the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of poor vision and eventually blindness, in the elderly.

Selenium
Selenium is the essential link in the activation of an antioxidant enzyme called glutathione peroxidase. Without sufficient selenium, the enzyme cannot do it's job as a heart-protector and cancer preventer. Selenium is also essential for the normal thyroid function.

A large number of studies show that an abundant intake of selenium reduces the risk of fatty deposits in the arteries and damage to the heart muscle, as well as the risk of breast and prostate cancers.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E protects the actual membrane of each individual cell in the body, and that includes protecting fat-soluble tissues such as LDL: the dangerous type of cholesterol.

It is generally believed that only damaged LDL cells have the ability to cause arterial and heart problems; by protecting the cholesterol cells, vitamin E also protects the heart and blood vessels.

The list of benefits covers virtually all inflammatory conditions, but the certain advantages of consuming extra virgin vitamin E come from its cardiovascular activity.

It is also useful in the treatment of osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, infertility and menopause.

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 By David Mitchell


Article Source: Heart and Circulation Boosters