Category: Health

  • Healthy skin = healthy immune system

    Healthy skin = healthy immune system

    Healthy skin = healthy immune system

    The best offense is a good defense

    As the body’s largest organ, skin’s primary role is to maintain a healthy barrier between you and potential harm from the elements, including sun and rain, bacteria and germs, and stress. But are you protecting this important ally of your immune system?

    Skin: A complex system of protection

    The skin comprises three major divisions or layers, including the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis.

    Epidermis

    This layer of your skin is the part you can see and touch. Despite the fact that it can be about as thin as tissue paper, the epidermis itself contains five sublayers. The uppermost sublayer is the stratum corneum, and it’s the first line of immune defense.

    Dermis

    Skin’s middle layer, or dermis, houses collagen that gives your skin strength as well as elastin that provides flexibility. Nerves located here keep you safe by triggering pain or letting you know, for example, when your hand is too close to the stove.

    Hair follicles are rooted in the dermis, as well as oil and sweat glands. They play critical roles in your immune defense. Oil, for example, may help to seal hair follicles so that unfriendly microbes can’t enter deeper layers of the skin. It also helps repel water. Sweat helps you maintain a healthy body temperature.

    Hypodermis

    The hypodermis (also known as the subcutis or subcutaneous layer) is the deepest skin layer and consists primarily of connective tissue and fatty tissue. This layer allows skin to move smoothly over tissue and muscle and to act as a shock absorber. The hypodermis also insulates your body to protect you from the cold.

    Skin’s microbiome

    Given its extensive surface area, skin provides room and board to millions of bacteria. This adds an extra layer of protection, as these bacteria help prevent colonization and invasion by pathogenic microbes.

    Barrier breakdown

    Despite various skin fortifications, barrier function can be compromised—and it might start with simple water loss. H2O deficiency is associated with skin dysfunction, including atopic dermatitis and skin wrinkling. To keep skin healthy, you want to drink plenty of water and minimize transepidermal water loss or the moisture lost from skin cells through evaporation.

    There are a lot of things working against that goal, such as stress and pollution. Certain topicals can also cause a breakdown in barrier function. Common foaming agents such as sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate can strip away valuable moisture and cause skin irritation. Alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol, propanol, and benzyl alcohol may also rob your skin of moisture.

    To lock in moisture, look for skincare helpers that mimic the natural lipids found in your skin. Borage, carrot, and evening primrose oil are rich in fatty acids. Try camelina oil, which is high in vitamin E and a rare plant source of omega-3 fats.

    Article courtesy of Alive Magazine

  • New insights into immune health

    New insights into immune health

    New insights into immune health

    Pandemic lessons on immunity

    Health has never been a more prominent topic or concern than in the era of COVID. But for all of us, supporting our immune system is the cornerstone of our well-being, whether we’re living in a pandemic or not.

    “Health is defined now by most medical establishments as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity,” says naturopathic doctor Brian Davies.

    Immune system redux

    To best support our immune system, it helps to have a sense of how it works. Put simply, its job is to defend against disease-causing microorganisms. It has two main components.

    1. Innate immunity, the immune system we’re born with, consists of physical barriers like our skin as well as cells that attack pathogens that enter the body, responding quickly via effects like fever.
    2. Adaptive immunity is the part of our immune system that learns to react to foreign agents. When it’s exposed to a new germ for the first time, it responds by trying to fight it off; we might get sick, but our immune cells remember the invader and mount a more rapid response when it returns.

    Having a healthy immune system doesn’t mean never getting ill. It’s quite the opposite, in fact. And remember that not all viruses are created equal, as we’ve all learned with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID.

    “Having symptoms such as fever, cough, muscle aches, headache, and the like are indications that your immune system is working to fight off infection, not the infection itself,” says Ashley Stapleton, naturopathic doctor. Nevertheless, the global health crisis may have led to a greater awareness of the importance of taking care of ourselves, a wake-up call of sorts.

    Immune system support

    “When looking at key support for general immune health, a healthy lifestyle is a critical part of supporting our immune systems,” Davies says. Some people who should consider modifications to their lifestyle to better support their immune systems are those who

    • eat highly processed foods
    • don’t sleep well
    • are under excessive emotional or physical stress from injury or overexercise
    • consume excessive amounts of alcohol
    • smoke cigarettes

    All of these factors put excess stress on the body, which is known to suppress innate immunity and dysregulate our adaptive immune system.

    Caring for your immune system

    Here are some other approaches to providing your immune system with support.

    • Cut out sugar
    • Avoid alcohol
    • Get plenty of good sleep
    • Reduce stress

    Supplemental immune support

    Always check with your health care practitioner before trying a new supplement. Supplements that may help support your immune system include:

    • Probiotics
    • Vitamin C
    • Vitamin D
    • Zinc

    Article courtesy of Alive Magazine

  • The Joy of Sleep: LifeSeasons helps you get the rest you need!

    The Joy of Sleep: LifeSeasons helps you get the rest you need!

    National Sleep Awareness Week (March 12-18, 2023) highlights commitment to the vital refreshment of a good night’s sleep. Our bodies accomplish a great deal during sleep: bone, muscle, and tissue are repaired; our immune system is strengthened; memories are stored. Our systems slow down overnight, resetting energy levels for a fresh start.

    LifeSeasons offers a studied, full-body range of care, including support for stress, mind, and mood, all conducive to a productive night’s sleep. They also offer supplements that enhance the natural relaxation that leads to restful sleep.

    All LifeSeasons supplements are 25% OFF through March!

    Rest-ZZZ Sleep Support

    Encourage a healthy, restorative night’s rest with some soothing habits: a cool, darkened room, a warm bath, and a break from your screens. Rest-ZZZ can help by calming your nervous system, promoting your natural sleep cycle, and easing muscle tension, restlessness, and nerve-related sleeplessness.

    Rest-ZZZ Melatonin-Free

    Prefer to skip the melatonin? Rest-ZZZ Melatonin-FREE offers sleep support for those unable to tolerate melatonin. Ease yourself into a restful night’s sleep without feeling groggy or “hung over” the next morning.

    Anxie-T

    Stress challenges all our systems and can certainly interfere with the ability to fall asleep. Anxie-T nurtures a relaxed and calm mind by supporting the body’s natural abililty to respond to stress. This is a great way to start your self care stress relief.

    Magnesium Glycinate

    A better you starts with a better mood — create a routine to prioritize staying cool, calm, and collected. Both you and your sleep will benefit! Magnesium Glycinate aids mood and sleep support, while promoting bone and heart health, and helping to maintain normal blood sugar levels.

    Energy

    We all have those days when it’s just hard to get started. LifeSeasons’ Energy helps overcome tiredness and fatigue with a gentle boost to energy and mood. Natural ingredients such as green tea and cacao supply support for circulation and focus without unwanted jitters.

    Resources:

    https://lifeseasons.com/blog/sleep-stages/

    https://lifeseasons.com/product/rest-zzz/

    https://lifeseasons.com/product/rest-zzz-melatonin-free/

    https://lifeseasons.com/product/anxie-t/

    https://lifeseasons.com/product/magnesium-glycinate/

    https://lifeseasons.com/product/energy-natural-caffeine-supplement/

    https://www.instagram.com/lifeseasons/

  • Tea benefits to support rejuvenation

    Tea benefits to support rejuvenation

    Tea benefits to support rejuvenation

    Harness the power of this simple pleasure

    As a new season approaches, it’s common to turn our minds toward rejuvenation—detoxifying ourselves from what’s not serving us and refocusing on what nurtures us.

    Tea, both true tea—made from the tea plant Camellia sinensis, including green, white, and black teas—and certain herbal infusions, can help in the physical process of detoxification by supporting the body’s metabolic and natural detoxification processes. These teas can also work to detoxify our mental state by helping to clear away stress, anxiety, and emotional blocks that may be weighing us down.

    The value of doing less

    Guided by Jude Wang of Cultivate Tea, we take a deeper look at how tea helps to detoxify and refocus the mind and body to enhance overall well-being. Wang explains that, while certain teas may be particularly helpful to physically detox, sometimes it is more about giving your body the space and time to carry out the self-care that it has been designed to perform.

    “Sometimes detox is about doing less,” says Wang. “These days, detoxing our mind and soul can be so much more important to think about than physical detoxing.” That’s where the ritual of tea comes in.

    Wang points out that our fast-paced, modern culture can often treat tea with a transactional attitude. “We have a tendency to think of it in terms of what it can give to us: tasting notes, health benefits.”

    Wang believes that tea provides the opportunity for a more nuanced experience: a chance to slow down, declutter the mind, acknowledge emotions, and nurture meaningful bonds with others. Time out to tune in.

    The tea experience for mental detoxification

    Sitting down with Wang to share the ritual of tea is a fluid experience that is tailored to the tea being served and the person, or people, he is sharing it with. Wang notes that it doesn’t so much matter how your tea ritual is conducted but rather the spirit in which it’s carried out.

    From experiencing the look and smell of the leaves, watching them unfurl as they steep in the water, exploring the taste and mouthfeel—and how it evolves through multiple steepings—Wang values the meditation that tea provides.

    The power of tea ceremony

    Research shows that tea ceremonies enable participants to share common emotions, capture a sense of personal progression, improve concentration, and increase feelings of mindfulness. Further, the act of preparing and drinking tea has been found to help curb stress and boost psychological well-being.

    Finding meaningful rejuvenation

    Wang suggests that, if you come to tea with an open mind, its power can be transformative and its contribution to daily life invaluable. “It’s something so simple. It’s just tea leaves. But at the same time, it has so much behind it.”

    Article courtesy of Alive Magazine

  • Detox myths, debunked

    Detox myths, debunked

    Detox myths, debunked

    Unburden your body in a toxic world

    Without getting all doom and gloom, the unavoidable truth is that our environment is way more toxic than it was when our great-grandparents grew up. And that’s changing what we need to do to keep our bodies unburdened.

    Toxic burden

    Our food is sprayed with pesticides, our municipal water is chlorinated, and our air and soil are marred by persistent organic pollutants. Many of these compounds are fat soluble, meaning they accumulate in fat cells over time in a process called bioaccumulation. Since we’re all exposed to environmental toxicants, supporting natural detoxification is key for reducing our toxic burden and improving overall well-being.

    What is detoxification?

    Detoxification is the body’s built-in system for minimizing the harmful effect of toxicants, toxins, hormones, pharmaceuticals, and supplements, by transforming them into stable, water-soluble compounds that can be excreted from the body. While intestinal bacteria and body tissues including the skin and kidneys perform local detoxification, most detoxification reactions take place in the liver.

    While it’s true that our food and lifestyle choices can enhance detoxification, we don’t need to do a juice cleanse or embark upon a rigorous fast to do so.

    On the other hand, it’s a misconception that we don’t need to do anything to support the body; many detoxification pathways require essential nutrients we can only get from the diet.

    Support the important routes of elimination

    When the bowels aren’t emptying regularly, we reabsorb our toxins and estrogen through a process called enterohepatic recirculation. Once you’ve ensured your routes of elimination are working well (starting with plenty of fiber, water, and exercise), then you can incorporate targeted food, vitamins, and herbs to enhance natural liver detoxification.

    Food physiology

    What we eat consistently has a more profound impact on detoxification than an annual week-long “detox.” Here are some foods and nutrients to incorporate in your diet.

    • Glutathione: Foods rich in vitamin B6, magnesium, selenium (Brazil nuts), and folate have been shown to restore depleted glutathione levels.
    • Resveratrol: Foods high in resveratrol (grapes, cacao) enhance liver enzyme activity.
    • B vitamins and magnesium: Methylation reactions are important components of detoxification, and they depend upon adequate vitamin B12, vitamin B6 (animal protein), betaine (beets), folate (leafy greens), and magnesium (seeds).
    • Protein: Detoxification also involves the conjugation of toxins with amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Supplement diet gaps with protein powder or specific amino acids including taurine, glycine, arginine, and glutamine.
    • Water: Support bile excretion by ensuring you’re getting enough water.

    Supplements to consider

    Supplements that may help support your body’s natural detoxification include:

    • Spirulina
    • Chlorella
    • Probiotics
    • Dandelion
    • Milk thistle
    • Curcumin

    Always check with your health care practitioner before starting a new supplement.

    Article courtesy of Alive Magazine

  • 8 amazing health benefits of mushrooms

    8 amazing health benefits of mushrooms

    8 amazing health benefits of mushrooms

    A delicious food that is functional too

    Whether added to a salad, soup, or stir-fry, or taken in supplement form, there are a myriad of ways to add mushrooms to your diet—and why not? In addition to mushrooms’ delicious taste, their polyphenol, polysaccharide (a specialized type of carbohydrate), vitamin, and mineral contents can provide you with a bounty of health benefits.

    1. Boost immune system

    Research has shown that mushrooms help to stimulate the activity of microphages—white blood cells within the immune system—to help fight off foreign bodies more effectively. At the same time, anti-inflammatory effects of mushrooms can work to enhance the immune system’s overall efficiency.

    2. Fight inflammation

    Rich in antioxidants, mushrooms offer significant anti-inflammatory effects. Research indicates that eating mushrooms regularly can help reduce inflammation associated with the development of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

    3. Offer anti-cancer properties

    Polysaccharides, contained in mushrooms, have been found to induce apoptosis—cancer cell death. Further, anti-inflammatory effects of mushrooms can help reduce chronic inflammation that can lead to the development of cancer.

    4. May help fight diabetes

    Mushrooms have been found to help lower blood sugar levels. Their bioactive metabolites, such as their polysaccharides and proteins, have been found to work as successful anti-hyperglycemic agents in diabetes treatment studies. Still, more research is needed to discern how mushrooms may be effectively used in the fight against diabetes.

    5. Support gut health

    Mushrooms can help support your gut health in two ways. First, they provide your body with prebiotics—nutrients that act as food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Second, mushrooms, such as cremini mushrooms, provide your system with helpful bacteria that can help populate your gut to improve your digestion and immune responses.

    6. Offer antifungal and antibacterial effects

    Mushrooms possess both antibacterial and antifungal compounds that help them survive, making them a natural source of antibiotics and antifungals that can be utilized by humans. Some mushrooms have been found to offer compounds with considerable activity against bacteria such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis.

    7. Protect the liver

    Some mushroom extracts have been found to provide liver-protecting properties. Study findings suggest that eating mushrooms on a regular basis can alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). These findings are believed to be linked to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of mushrooms.

    8. Reduce allergies

    While mushrooms have been found to stimulate the immune system in certain circumstances, they have also been found to help suppress immune response in other instances—making them potentially beneficial in the battle against allergies. Beta-glucans, which are contained in mushrooms, have been found to help reduce the severity of symptoms in those with ragweed allergies by 52 percent when taken as a supplement.

    Article courtesy of Alive Magazine

  • Put your heart into it

    Put your heart into it

    Put your heart into it

    How our emotions affect our well-being

    More and more is being understood about the ways our hearts, minds, and contexts are interconnected. How we feel affects our health, and so, too, does our environment.

    Reuniting thoughts, feelings, and health

    “I believe it is important for one to realize that our thoughts and emotions, which are heavily connected, can impact our hearts,” explains Ashlene Crichlow, registered provisional psychologist. Whether directly or indirectly, Crichlow says that our thoughts and feelings affect all areas of our lives.

    The health science of emotion

    But how do emotions affect our heart physically? Naturopathic doctor Caroline Meyer says that “when the heart is in a state of coherence, its rhythm regulates and blood pressure lowers. In states of anxiety, worry, and anger, the heart becomes dysregulated, putting excess strain on this organ.”

    How we feel influences disease prevention, injury recovery, and longevity, and the specifics of this increasingly integrative science are compelling. Our feelings, thoughts, and somatic experiences are woven together in an interlinking, intercommunicating network.

    Research shows that our mind-heart-body system affects our immune system and overall well-being. High positive emotions promote healthy BMI and blood pressure, whereas low positive emotions increase the risk of heart disease.

    Heavy, healthy emotions

    “Of course, we have all experienced grief, heartache, sadness, anger, and fear,” affirms Meyer. “These emotional states, although temporary, can create psychological patterns that persist,” she adds, and, in turn, we might need to shift our behavior. Meyer explains that it’s important to attend to difficult emotions, rather than try to push them away.

    Contexts of emotional well-being

    It’s crucial to remember that environment, upbringing, and culture play a significant role in how one sees and interacts with the world.

    Crichlow says, “When an individual has experienced adversity, disconnect, or trauma, they might have a more pessimistic viewpoint and struggle with cognitive distortions that could negatively impact their overall well-being.”

    A helping hand for the heart

    Meyer encourages each one of us to support our well-being by remaining open and curious in our moment-to-moment awareness.

    “This is the key to balance and to health,” she says. “I recommend to all of my patients to check in with their heart, their emotional center, several times per day. Ask ‘How am I feeling?’ and ‘What do I need in this moment, heart?’”

    Should our emotions overwhelm our hearts and minds, Crichlow emphasizes the importance of both carving out time for joyful habits and pastimes as well as connecting with a “trusted mental health professional who can work on things like boundaries, coping, and acceptance that can contribute to one’s level of life satisfaction.”

    Healthy outlets for emotional release

    • Get physical, and use active well-being to uplift mood.
    • Tap into positive stress, which is called “eustress.”
    • Heal your heart with humor.
    • Immerse in nature to support your mental health.
    • Give voice to your emotions through creative expression.
    • Connect with others who make you feel good.
    • Spend time reflecting upon purpose and meaning.
  • 4 healthy food pairs

    4 healthy food pairs

    4 healthy food pairs

    These food duos are happy couples

    Heart health is important to us all. So, too, is good food. Food and heart health make a natural couple. Here are some more happy couples: food duos that, together, provide heart-healthy dividends.

    There are certain foods that, instead of taking a solo adventure to improve our heart health, instead, seem to perform better when set free to mingle. This is called food synergy: where the benefits of two or more foods eaten together can be greater than the sum of their parts. When working in unison, these foods amplify their nutritional benefits.

    Spinach and avocado

    Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale are already nutritional heavy hitters, but if you really want to reap their rewards, make sure to fatten them up. Research shows that consuming foods such as kale, tomatoes, and carrots—good sources of carotenoid antioxidants including lycopene and beta carotene—with a dietary source of fat, such as avocado, can increase how much of these heart-friendly plant compounds we absorb.

    Turmeric and black pepper

    While turmeric is increasingly being studied for its heart-benefitting, lipid-lowering, and anti-inflammatory powers and a big reason why golden milk is trending, we don’t absorb its main bioactive compound, curcumin, into the bloodstream very well. The good news is that a chemical found in black pepper called piperine can greatly bolster our ability to take up curcumin. So, whenever you add the golden spice to curries, soups, sauces, and scrambled eggs, don’t forget to also include a few twists of the pepper grinder.

    Oats and berries

    Sure, a hunk of steak is a good source of iron, but you can also get the mineral from plant-based foods such as oats, beans, lentils, tofu, fortified cereals, and spinach. There’s a catch, though: only 2 to 20 percent of the iron found in plant foods, called non-heme iron, makes its way from your digestive tract into your blood. Mother Nature has provided an assist in the form of vitamin C (ascorbic acid)—present in edibles such as berries, bell pepper, tomatoes, broccoli, and citrus—which converts plant-based iron into a form that is more readily absorbed.

    Tea and lemon

    A recent study discovered that adults who consumed more green or black tea were, on average, more likely to have lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and higher HDL (good) cholesterol than those who didn’t consume tea. It might be that the potent antioxidants, including catechins, in green tea can improve your cholesterol profile. And it turns out you can make green tea even more of an antioxidant powerhouse by adding a squirt of lemon. Citrus juice can increase the amount of antioxidants in green tea that are available for the body to absorb by up to five-fold.

  • Find fitness joy

    Find fitness joy

    Find fitness joy

    You don’t need to choose function over fun

    By round of applause, who’s excited about their daily (or intended daily) workout? Crickets? But do you get excited about beach volleyball, pickleball, dancing, hiking …? Hobbies can be fun and physical!

    Fitness-life balance

    The buzzwords in today’s workplace include “work-life balance.” The phrase refers to the need for workers to have enough personal time outside of work so they are effective, engaged, and motivated workers while at work.

    The same balance is necessary for your workouts to be effective, when considering fitness and your life. In fact, the stakes are perhaps higher when it comes to your workout and fitness choices, because unfocused and disinterested workouts can result in injury.

    Find strength in sport and health in hobby

    It’s a commonly asked question: “What is the best exercise to keep you heathy?”

    Well, what do you think the answer is? CrossFit? Barre class? Yoga? High-intensity interval training? Low-impact steady-state training? The real answer is simple: the best exercise to keep you healthy is the exercise that you’ll actually do!

    There is a well-established and commonly understood connection between exercise and positive mental health. Less studied and understood is the significant positive correlation between positive mental health and exercise adherence. But, sure enough, it works both ways!

    This means that just as some people can spiral downward into negative mental and physical health, they can also lift themselves upward toward positive mental and physical health! The key is to find an activity that you enjoy doing and that still gives you bang for your buck.

    Healthiest hobbies

    Here’s a taste of some fun activities, caloric expenditure, and physical benefits (which, as we know, also carry mental health benefits).

    Gardening

    Gripping, bending, walking, lifting, stretching: gardening has it all, not to mention the mental benefits of taking care of plants, the mental exercise of planning over space and time, vitamin D, and fresh air. And you can burn a similar number of calories as you would at a fitness facility—“… there is a gym outside many a window,” as Sir Richard Thompson, past president of the Royal College of Physicians in London, UK, once said.

    Golf

    Depending on your sex, whether you walk or ride a golf cart, and how many holes you play (not to mention how many balls you have to go looking for), you can burn between 531 and 2,467 calories, on average, per 18 holes. Include hand-eye coordination, core strengthening, and “one-with-nature” benefits, and you’ve got one heck of a healthy hobby!

    Pickleball

    The average 65-year-old burns about 350 calories per 60-minute doubles match. Not only that, but cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, and hand-eye coordination are all challenged in this most enjoyable tennis adaptation.

  • Inflammatory facts about heart health

    Inflammatory facts about heart health

    Inflammatory facts about heart health

    How inflammation affects cardiovascular disease

    When you think of inflammation, you might think of pain. But inflammation is a key contributor to a number of surprising conditions, including cardiovascular disease. Here’s how inflammation works, and what we can do about it.

    How inflammation works

    It is now known that inflammation plays an important role in cardiovascular disease. But how could inflammation be a cause of something that seems as uninflammatory as heart disease?

    According to naturopath and cardiologist Decker Weiss, NMD, FASA, inflammation plays both a general and a specific role. Generally, inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease because inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes increase the risk of developing heart disease.

    Specifically, Weiss says, “… elevated insulin, elevated blood sugar, trans fats, and homocysteine irritate and inflame the endothelium, or the lining of our blood vessels, initiating the process of coronary artery disease.” So, inflammation can both initiate and accelerate heart disease.

    How nutritional heart helpers work

    Think of some of the ways garlic and dark chocolate can help your heart. Inflammation causes endothelial dysfunction, which leads to vascular disease and atherosclerosis.

    Garlic

    may help tamp down inflammation. So, supplementing with garlic could aid in improving endothelial function and vascular elasticity and, thus, play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease.

    Dark chocolate

    may also help reduce inflammation, and it may also improve endothelial function, improving blood vessel function and dilation enough to seriously reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

    Diet, inflammation, and heart disease

    One of the most innovative studies on preventing heart disease started with two things we know—that inflammation causes heart disease and that diet causes inflammation—and asked whether diet could cause heart disease.

    The huge study found that diets that were higher in foods that cause inflammation were associated with a 38 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, 46 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease, and 28 percent higher risk of stroke.

    Inflammatory foods included red meat, processed meat, organ meat, refined carbohydrates, and sweetened beverages.

    Anti-inflammatory foods are heart healthy and include leafy green vegetables, dark yellow vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and tea.

    Supplements to consider

    Always check with your health care practitioner before trying out a new supplement. The following supplements have anti-inflammatory properties and may have a positive effect in preventing heart disease:

    • omega-3s
    • hawthorn
    • curcumin
    • ginkgo
    • olive leaf extract
    • pine bark extract
    • grapeseed extract
    • green tea
    • ginger
    • vitamins C and D
    • quercetin

    Foods for heart health

    FoodHeart-health benefitsNutrients
    soymay help significantly lower LDL (bad) cholesterolisoflavones
    nuts and seedsmay contribute to lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides and may help lower the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseasefiber; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats
    extra-virgin olive oilcan help reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and improve cholesterolmonounsaturated fats; phenolic compounds
    flaxseedmay help lower blood pressureomega-3 EFAs; lignans