February is "Heart Health" month. As I wondered why a whole month would be dedicated to our heart, I did a little research. What I found was an amazingly powerful organ deserving of our attention!
Our hearts started beating just 21 days after conception, and they beats about 72 times every minute of our lives, pumping oxygenated blood throughout our bodies. If we live 66 years, our hearts will have beaten about 2.5 billion times without ever taking a pause to rest. Learning this, I was pretty blown away! What a huge job.
I must confess that I've taken my heart a little bit for granted. Unfortunately, we all too often do. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the Western World. Obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol all raise the risk of heart disease. Lifestyle, diet and stress management are vital components in achieving overall health as well as heart health.
Here at the Boise Coop Vitamin Department. your health is very important to us. We have numerous heart- supporting supplements that address the various factors that can lead to heart disease. Of the many supplements we carry to support your heart, here are a few of the most beneficial:
- CoQ10 is an antioxidant that helps strengthen the cardiac muscle. Levels of CoQ10 decline as we age.
- Allicin is found in garlic, and studies have shown that it may help prevent blood clots from forming in coronary arteries.
- Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oil and flax oil, have the ability to decrease dangerous blood fats known as triglycerides by an average of 29 percent. They also bring down inflammation, which contributes to the formation of arterial plaque.
- Vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid complex work synergistically to provide nutritive support for healthy and normal homocysteine levels. (Homocysteine is an amino acid in the blood, and elevated concentrations are thought to increase the risk of heart disease by damaging the lining of blood vessels and enhancing blood clotting.)
