Vitamin D for Heart Health
Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Low vitamin D levels lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, intima-media thickness, and coronary calcification.
Cellular vitamin D receptors are found to affect inflammation, suggesting vitamin D may not only impact risk factors contributing to heart disease but may also directly impact on heart disease.
How much vitamin D do you need?
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) develops Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), which are broken down into Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Adequate Intake (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL).
We use these established DRIs to know how to of a nutrient to include in our diet daily for optimal health.
The FNB recommends 600 IU of vitamin D daily for men and women between the ages of 19-71 years-old.
What happens if you get too little vitamin D?
A study conducted at the University of Copenhagen reviewed data from studies with more than 10,000 participants comparing those with low vitamin D levels (less than 15 ng/mL) versus the highest levels (more than 50 ng/mL). Those with low levels were 64% more likely to have a heart attack, 40% more likely to develop ischemic heart disease, had a 57% increased risk of early death, and 81% more likely to die from heart disease.
What happens if you get too much vitamin D?
The UL for vitamin D is set at 4,000 IUs per day. Intakes above this level are connected to elevated serum levels that increase risk for adverse health effects. Long-term intakes above the UL increases risk for cardiovascular events, such as heart attack.
How to include vitamin D every day:
Obtaining needed nutrients in your diet is always preferable to supplements. However, vitamin-D rich foods are limited.
So, what can you do to ensure you receive 600 IU of vitamin D daily?
Foods rich in vitamin-D include:
Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are top sources of vitamin D.
Most milk in the United States (US) is fortified with vitamin D. Note: Cheese and ice cream are not fortified with vitamin D.
Cod liver oil contains 1300 IU’s of vitamin D. This is twice the RDA, but does not exceed the UL.
One of the best vitamin D sources is not found in the grocery store.
Sunlight.
Twenty to twenty-five minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen allows your body to produce vitamin D. However, where you live impacts whether or not sunlight is adequate.
If you live above the 40th degree latitude (i.e. North of Denver, CO) sunlight is not adequate during January and February. If you live above the 42nd degree latitude (i.e. North of Chicago, IL) sunlight is not adequate between November and February.
For more information on foods and diet to lower cholesterol and promote heart health, sign up for my free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps HERE.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Health Pro for HealthCentral
Is coffee safe to drink with high blood pressure?
According to the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, most people over the age of 35 consume at least 200 mg of caffeine daily.
Caffeine is like any other drug and comes with side effects.
Potential side effects include:
- Migraine headaches
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Frequent urination or inability to control urination
- Stomach upset
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors
One 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 91 mg of caffeine.
Unusual Health Kicks to Improve Your Heart Health
Post contributed by Paul Roberts.
Looking after yourself is very important. You need to come up with as many ways as you can to improve your body and stay at your peak physically. This means looking after your heart and ensuring it is strong and healthy every day. The trouble is, how do we know what we can do to improve heart health?
There are more obvious remedies but it can be difficult to stick with heart-healthy changes. That is why it’s also important to try out options that are more unique. If you can have a few unusual health hacks up your sleeve, you can help to boost your heart health as much as possible no matter where you are. Check out these health kicks you should be using in your daily life as soon as you can.
Adopt a Mediterranean Diet
There are many fad diets out there these days, and many have varying degrees of success with regard to boosting health. It’s important you select a heart-healthy diet that works. Studies have illustrated the benefits of a Mediterranean diet when trying to improve heart health. Take steps now to add this type of diet into your daily dietary routine now. Green vegetables, avocado, nuts, fruit, beans, and fish are all a big part of this diet and will help to make your heart happier and healthier.
4 Key Nutrients Impacting Heart Failure Patients
Approximately 50% of patients with heart failure are malnourished.
Dietary choices play a direct role on the progression and outcomes of heart failure.
Sodium
The American Heart Association recommends restricting sodium to 1-2 grams/day for stage A and B heart failure.
Limit intake of cured meats, salted snacks, condiments, canned foods, processed cheese, and pickled products. Be aware of salt in non-diet sources, such as barbiturates, laxatives, and antacids. (Chewable antacids can contain 1200-7000 mg of sodium.)
Potassium
Diuretics deplete electrolytes such as potassium. Potassium plays an essential role in maintaining normal heart rhythm and function. The Institute of Medicine recommends 4700 mg of potassium daily for adults.
Food sources rich in potassium include bananas, tomato juice, potatoes, avocado, and raisins. Be aware a high-potassium diet is not recommended for individuals with renal failure or those using potassium-sparing diuretics.
Magnesium
Low magnesium intake is associated with a variety of conditions, including coronary vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels), atherogenesis (accumulation of plaque in artery walls), and cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).
Shopping for High Fiber Foods
Studies find those consuming a high-fiber diet to be at lower risk for heart disease.
Soluble fiber reduces total and LDL cholesterol levels and improves insulin resistance. Foods containing insoluble fiber are consistently associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease.
How much dietary fiber?
There are two types of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble.
Soluble fibers absorb water during digestion, increasing stool bulk and decreasing cholesterol levels.
Insoluble fibers are not impacted by digestion and promote normal movement of intestinal contents.
The Institute of Medicine recommends 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men if under the age of 50. For those over 50-years-old, the recommendation is 30 grams for men and 21 grams for women.
Too little dietary fiber?
A diet low in fiber increases risk for heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation.
Most American’s consume only 15 grams of dietary fiber daily.
Too much dietary fiber?
Risk of consuming too much fiber is minimal. The side effects of too much fiber are typically associated with increasing fiber intake too quickly. If you currently consume a diet low in fiber, you want to gradually add more fiber-rich foods to your diet. Increasing fiber intake too quickly can lead to:
- Abdominal pain
- Flatulence
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Intestinal blockage in those with Chron’s disease
- Reduced blood sugar (important to know if you have diabetes)
How to consume a high fiber diet every day
Pursuing Sustainable Heart Healthy Activities
Post contributed by Harriet Dunes.
The practical realities of becoming healthier are hard to describe. However, it’s very important that we do so. There are many guides that emphasize simple methods to help you improve your heart health, but not all layout a simple plan for you. We hope to change that with these simple steps to give you an idea of the importance of sustainable heart healthy activities.
We’d recommend the following:
Start Your Day With Exercise
Upon waking, it’s important to start your day with a form of exercise. This allows you to fully wake up and elevates your heart rate. A morning workout can help offset a day sitting in the office.
Being active in the morning gifts you the ability to reduce lethargy throughout the day. This means ensuring you walk after lunch, commit various stretches during the day and also refrain from negative foods to help you become much more healthy in the long run.
Permeate Your Days With Discipline
Discipline is important when scheduling our practical daily realities. Sober living can often work to our advantage here and give us the headspace necessary to commit to our diet. Think of how alcohol and other indulgences often lead to other vices as if via a snowballing effect. Putting this extra tax on your system could be considered the opposite of ideal in all scenarios. You need to understand the consequences of everything you eat and consider how certain choices impedes heart health. A poor choice in the short term can mean negative long-term consequences, so be sure to consider every vice with due care and caution.
A Matter Of Daily Priorities
How you fill your days is often dictated by the fundamental choices of life. We are only afforded one body, and in lieu of any organ transplants, it is up to us to take care of it. This means understanding our priorities can help us shift our overall habits. For example, consider a chef working fourteen hours a day in a high stress, intense environment. Is it enough for them to simply cope with the stress and bottle it all up, or does an internal sense of self-worth allow them to seek out healthier habits?
This might mean when aging, this chef decides to hire additional help and delegate more tasks to lower workload and stress levels. You must find a way to balance income with the need for better health. It could also involve moving to another climate or even understanding the emotional turbulence of toxic people and removing them from your life.
End Your Day With Meditation
Meditation is one of the most important things you can do for heart health. Meditation, a time to relax, helps you lower your resting heart rate and unwind from a stressful day in a healthy wayr. This lessens your cortisol levels long term and also helps regulate your stress response. End each day with thirty minutes of meditation and you’re sure to see the benefits quickly.
With all this in mind, sustainable daily heart health could be yours for the taking.
