Heart Disease Prevention And Vitamins
Eating better and exercising are two great ways to lower the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that taking vitamin and mineral supplements can also lower heart disease risk.
Vitamin C is a wonderful antioxidant that can protect the heart. Antioxidants neutralize highly destructive molecules called free radicals that can damage artery walls and cells. Protecting the walls of your arteries helps keep them free from the damage of plaque accumulation. Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Linus Pauling, estimated a reduction of heart disease by 80% if American adults supplement their diet with 2,000 to 3,000 mg of vitamin C each day. Dr. Pauling thought that since vitamin C deficiency is a common cause of human heart disease, vitamin C supplementation would be an excellent treatment.
The Journal of the American College of Cardiology has also stated that Vitamin C supplements may reduce your risk of heart disease. Similarly, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who had a Vitamin C intake of more than 360 milligrams from diet, supplementation or both had a 30 percent reduction in their risk for heart disease.
Another study by the Harvard School of Public Health, in 2001 found that people who regularly ate fruits and vegetables containing Vitamin C, with an emphasis on green leafy vegetables, lowered their risk of coronary heart disease compared to people who consume lesser amounts of fruits and vegetables. The researchers also found that if we increase consumption of fruits and vegetables by just one serving per day, our risk of coronary heart disease would be reduced by 4%. Those who consumed eight or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day reduced coronary heart disease risk by 20%.
Adding more vitamin C to our diet should be the first thing we do to help prevent heart disease. Here are some sources: Broccoli, Bell Pepper, Cauliflower, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Oranges, Cantaloupe, Strawberries and Papaya.
Whether you get vitamin C naturally, through increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, or through a supplement, just make sure you get a large dose in your diet. Vitamin C is an inexpensive way to maintain a healthy heart.
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A Crash Course On Vitamins & Minerals
The body needs thirteen vitamins and eighteen minerals to maintain good health. Small amounts of these vitamins and minerals are essential to the body's biochemical processes. These vitamins help the body make energy out of food and manufacture hormones, blood cells and nervous system chemicals.
Do You Get Enough Antioxidants For Your Eyes?
Antioxidants can really help your eyes. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that has a strong effect on the retina. Taking vitamin A can help improve night vision. The body converts vitamin A to retinol, which is stored in the liver. Zinc then liberates it from the liver and transports it to the eyes as needed. Vitamin A is found in fish, fish liver oil, eggs and liver.
Vitamin B 12
Do you know how important vitamin B 12 is to a healthy diet? I didn't. Vitamin B 12 helps produce red blood cells. If you are lacking B 12, you may develop anemia. Anemia can lead to permanent brain damage.
About Vitamins
Have you ever stood in the vitamin and supplement aisle at your drug store and wondered just which of these should I be taking? I know I have. From the time I was a child, I was told by my mother and heard on television that all I ever needed to be healthy was three square meals a day. In today's fast-paced world, I can barely manage to eat a healthy dinner. It is too easy to "drive-thru" at a fast food restaurant. We certainly know that french fries and ketchup aren't really healthy vegetables. We need a balanced diet rich in calcium, protein, fats, carbohydrates and fiber. Vitamins and supplements can help us fill in the dietary "gaps" that we miss over the course of a fast-paced day.
Multivitamins - A Ticket To Daily Health
Like many others around the world, I am interested in the benefits of healthy living. Modern technology is helping us to live healthy by recently creating helpful health supplements for the young and old alike.
Nutrition Vitamins
In today's world, there really is no excuse for not eating right and living a healthy life. With the health and nutritional knowledge available today, we know which foods are good for us and which are not. We know what we need to do to live longer and healthier lives. Can you believe that in some African nations, the average person only lives until their mid-30s? We don't live in an impoverished, war-torn nation. We know what we need to do in terms of health, exercise and nutrition to lead a longer, healthier life. We know we need to cut out the fast food, soft drinks, smoking and excessive drinking. Don't be a junk food junkie. Eat right, eat healthy and live longer. Eat low fat foods, drink plenty of water and add a daily vitamin supplement.
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