Beans and franks. Chips and dip. Mac and cheese. Peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti and meatballs.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

Of course, not all food pairings make for healthy meals. But there is one that most certainly does.

Not only will this delicious duo invigorate your taste buds, but it will invigorate your heart health, too…

So what is it?

Dark chocolate and olive oil, that’s what.

I know that sounds like a strange combination, but if you try it, you’ll be surprised at how delicious these two foods are together.

And when it comes to boosting your heart health, these two superfoods may just be the perfect pair…

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Olive oil and chocolate protect your heart

Researchers from the University of Pisa in Italy discovered that adding a dash of extra virgin olive oil to your daily dose of dark chocolate can be beneficial for your heart health.

They conducted a study that included men and women with at least three risk factors for heart disease (things like smoking, abnormal amounts of lipids in their blood, hypertension, a family history of cardiovascular disease, etc.)

They gave these people a serving of dark chocolate for 28 days straight. But this wasn’t plain old chocolate. It was infused with one of two foods — extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or the Panaia red apple (an ancient variety rich in bioactive compounds).

Now, scientists already know that plant polyphenols (like those found abundantly in dark chocolate, EVOO and the Panaia red apple — and a variety of berries) are great for your heart health. These antioxidant compounds protect your body from free radicals and help prevent a long list of diseases, including heart disease. But they wanted to see just which polyphenol-rich pair was most potent.

And dark chocolate combined with EVOO came out on top.

Researchers found that eating dark chocolate enriched with EVOO significantly increased the number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) circulating in the body. These cells help repair the vascular system and keep the endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) operating properly.

The EVOO-infused dark chocolate also increased HDL (good) cholesterol, lowered blood pressure and decreased levels of compounds known as carnitine and hippurate, which are tied to metabolic changes that are bad for your heart.

All these changes show that when study participants ate dark chocolate enriched with EVOO daily, they were also slowing or preventing the deadly process known as atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries due to plaque build-up), which means much better heart health in the long run.

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Embracing EVOO-infused chocolate

Trying to figure out how to fit more dark chocolate and EVOO into your diet?

Well, the easiest way is to buy an EVOO-infused dark chocolate bar.

Yes, they do exist… although they may not be easy to find. And you’ll always want to check the label to ensure the one you buy contains 70 percent cacao content and no artificial ingredients.

Or just enjoy your chocolate and EVOO separately, but daily…

In the study, people ate about 40 grams of dark chocolate a day, so you should shoot for a similar amount. Most conventional-sized chocolate bars are 100 grams, so that’s a little less than half a bar per day.

EVOO is so easy to incorporate into your diet on its own. Aim for two tablespoons a day and use it in salad dressings, as a dip for bread, drizzled over your meals, or even mixed into a smoothie. It is also tasty drizzled on roasted vegetables after they come out of the oven.

Editor’s Note: You’re invited to join a tiny handful of Americans who enjoy rare, fresh-pressed olive oil all year long. Take my word for it, there’s a difference in taste, quality and benefit! Click here to learn more…

The post How olive oil and chocolate keep your arteries clear appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But the truth is that a healthy immune system is a key component of total body health.

That’s because your immune system isn’t only your body’s first-line defense against this season’s germs. It is also vital for launching assaults on serious conditions, like cancer.

However, according to research from NYU Langone Health, there is something that can destroy that cancer-fighting ability.

And it all has to do with how well your blood is flowing…

Double the rate of tumor growth

Peripheral ischemia includes reduced blood flow to the lungs and legs. It typically follows peripheral artery disease and is a manifestation of worsening symptoms that impact blood flow. But that’s not all it does…

The scientists at NYU were able to prove that peripheral ischemia dramatically fueled cancer growth.

In fact, tumors in mice with restricted blood flow grew at double the rate seen in mice with normal flow.

Why? They found that restricted blood flow prematurely ages the bone marrow, where our immune cell warriors are produced.  

In other words, the researchers demonstrated that the immune system is the missing link between poor blood flow and the proliferation of cancer cells.

Increasing cancer-tolerance and decreasing tumor defense

According to scientists, when there is a threat to the body, such as cancer, the immune system typically ramps up inflammation to eliminate the danger and then eases back on the throttle to avoid damaging healthy tissue (think autoimmune issues).

However, when you suffer from circulation problems, the aging of your bone marrow reprograms stem cells to favor the production of “myeloid” immune cells (monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils) that dampen immune responses.

At the same time, these stem cells begin to decrease their production of lymphocyte-like T cells, which help mount strong antitumor responses.

Altogether, this shifts immune cells into a more cancer-tolerant state, weakening the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.

“Our results reveal a direct mechanism by which ischemia drives cancer growth, reprogramming stem cells in ways that resemble aging and promote immune tolerance,” says first author Alexandra Newman, PhD.

“These findings open the door to new strategies in cancer prevention and treatment, like earlier cancer screening for patients with peripheral artery disease and using inflammation-modulating therapies, to counter these effects.”

Increase blood flow to lower cancer risks

All of this means that if you want to cancer-proof your body, you have to start with supporting your blood vessels. Easy ways to do this include:

• Taking omega-3s – People with peripheral artery disease (PAD) have been shown to have lower levels of healthy omega-3s in their bodies, so taking a fish – or preferably krill oil – supplement could help. Omega-3s not only support better blood flow but also have potent anti-inflammatory effects.
• Getting help stretching – Passive stretching, with the help of a partner, can improve blood flow, blood vessel dilation and reduce stiffness.
• Eating beets – Beets are packed with heart-healthy nitrates, which boost the production of nitric oxide (NO) in the lining of your blood vessels, allowing them to dilate or widen. When this happens, your blood can flow more freely.

Additionally, because the scientists believe that inflammation-modulating therapies could be a key approach, be sure to take steps to reduce your overall body inflammation.

My favorite way to do this is by eating an anti-inflammatory diet that would include these foods:

• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, and collard greens
• Nuts such as almonds and walnuts
• Fatty fish, which includes salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines
• Fruits such like oranges, strawberries, blueberries and cherries

Skip or strictly limit foods that increase inflammation in your body, such as processed meats, refined carbs, sodas, and packaged snacks.

Staying active is also a good idea, as exercise not only improves blood flow but also has anti-inflammatory effects on your white blood cells.

Sources:

Restricted Blood Flow Speeds Tumor Growth by Aging the Immune System – NYU Langone Health

Foods that fight inflammation – Harvard Health Publishing

An action plan to fight unhealthy inflammation – Harvard Health Publishing

The post Poor blood flow linked to supercharged tumor growth appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But my favorite episode offers so much more than a few good laughs…

In it, Frasier’s brother Niles – who, with his fussy tendencies and idiosyncrasies, was always my favorite character – keeps complaining of a throbbing toothache.

His pain turns out to have nothing to do with his tooth itself — but is actually referred heart pain that lands him in cardiac surgery for blocked arteries.

I’m sure it seemed far-fetched to some viewers at the time, but in the years since, studies have demonstrated that certain species of bad bacteria in the mouth can increase inflammatory proteins that accelerate the deposition of buildup in the coronary arteries.

Now, research is revealing that while poor oral health can damage the heart and blood vessels, a focused dental care routine that’s easily accessible could actually reduce narrowing of the arteries over time.

Here’s what you need to know…

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How gum disease leads to thick arteries

Periodontists and cardiologists conducted a gold-standard randomized trial at a dental hospital in central London. They followed 135 people with severe periodontitis (also known as gum disease).

For each person, they took blood samples for markers of inflammation and oxidative stress. They also measured how much the arteries dilated when blood flow increased, a measure of blood vessel functioning, and measured the thickness of their artery walls via ultrasound — a key marker for cardiovascular disease risk.  

The participants were randomly split into separate groups to receive dental care — but it wasn’t the same old standard care for all participants…

• The first group received “intensive periodontitis treatment,” which included a thorough cleaning of the whole mouth and a deep cleaning below the gum line to remove plaque and tartar.
• The rest received a regular cleaning — with just a scale and polish — typical of a yearly dental visit.

Then, the participants were followed over the next two years, and each received further dental treatments at regular intervals throughout that time. Researchers also reassessed the carotid artery at the one-year and two-year marks, took blood samples and measured blood-vessel function at five different times.

The results spoke for themselves…

People who went through the intensive periodontitis treatment had:

• Carotid arteries with much lower thickness levels, indicating a lower risk for heart disease
• Better blood vessel function
• Lower levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in their blood, which lead to atherosclerosis

In fact, the benefits patients received from deep gum treatment were “comparable to what has been seen with lifestyle interventions and some pharmacological agents in similar populations,” said Dr. Francesco D’Aiuto, a clinical research periodontist at University College London.

These findings suggest that oral health should be taken seriously as a contributing factor in cardiovascular disease, far more seriously than it has been considered previously, despite past research.

“For many, many years, dentists have been focusing on the teeth, forgetting the rest of the body, and physicians have been focusing on the body, forgetting that there are teeth,” said Dr. Maurizio Tonetti, a clinical and research periodontist. “They are really two worlds that have been separated and need to go back together for the benefit of patients.”

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Making oral health a priority

The good news is, this study proves that when you take care of your teeth and gums, you can support a healthy heart and blood vessels, along with a healthy mouth.

And in addition to seeing your dentist regularly, there are ways to do that at home.

First, be sure to take these six steps for fighting gum disease naturally. They include everything from diet and things to add to your toothpaste to supplements that can help.

I also highly recommend drinking matcha tea or using it in place of your usual mouthwash as it helps take down gum disease-causing bacteria.

I also practice oil pulling, specifically with coconut oil, to leverage a flavonoid known as prunin laurate or Pru-C12. Pru-C12 stops the growth of P. gingivalis, a bacterium frequently detected in deep periodontal pockets, considered to be the most critical bacterium in periodontal disease.

Keep your smile—and your ticker—in tip-top shape!

Sources:

Gum disease treatment slows the thickening of arteries, clinical trial shows – LIVESCIENCE

The post How your dentist can keep your arteries from narrowing appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, several studies have shown that consuming beet juice can lower blood pressure in both healthy individuals and those with high blood pressure.

One reason is that beets are loaded with nitrates. The body converts nitrate into nitric oxide (NO), a signaling molecule that’s vital for the healthy functioning of blood vessels and, in turn, the regulation of blood pressure.

However, new research suggests there may be a caveat to this effect — particularly in younger adults…

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The role of the oral microbiome

A study by researchers at the University of Exeter in the U.K. recruited 39 adults under the age of 30, as well as 36 adults in their 60s and 70s. For two weeks, each group took a concentrated “shot” of beet juice twice a day. After a two-week reset period, participants consumed a placebo version of beet juice with the nitrate removed twice daily for two weeks.

The results were surprising. While the older adults saw a noticeable decrease in blood pressure after drinking the nitrate-rich beet juice for two weeks, the younger adults did not. No change was observed in either group after drinking the beet juice with nitrate removed.

“We know that a nitrate-rich diet has health benefits, and older people produce less of their own nitric oxide as they age,” says study author Anni Vanhatalo, a professor at the University of Exeter. “They also tend to have higher blood pressure, which can be linked to cardiovascular complications like heart attack and stroke.”

It’s known that an imbalance between beneficial and harmful oral bacteria can reduce the conversion of nitrate to nitric oxide. This prompted the researchers to use a gene sequencing method to analyze which bacteria were present in the mouth before and after each two-week period.

They made a fascinating discovery…

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While there were significant changes in the oral microbiome in both groups after drinking the nitrate-rich beet juice, the changes differed between the younger and older groups.

The older age group showed a notable decrease in the mouth bacteria Prevotella after drinking the unaltered beet juice with nitrate, as well as an increase in the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Neisseria. The younger group showed an increase in some beneficial bacteria, including Neisseria, but not to the same extent as the older group.

In short, the blood pressure-lowering effect of nitrate-rich beet juice in older people may be enhanced due to specific changes in their oral microbiome.

“This study shows that nitrate-rich foods alter the oral microbiome in a way that could result in less inflammation, as well as a lowering of blood pressure in older people,” says co-author Andy Jones, a professor at the University of Exeter. “This paves the way for larger studies to explore the influence of lifestyle factors and biological sex in how people respond to dietary nitrate supplementation.”

A previous study by the University of Exeter found that beet juice promoted healthier aging in just 10 days.

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Make the most of what beet juice can do

Dr. Lee Beniston of BBSRC says the study “opens up new opportunities for improving vascular health through nutrition.”

“Encouraging older adults to consume more nitrate-rich vegetables could have significant long-term health benefits,” Vanhatalo says. “The good news is that if you don’t like beetroot, there are many nitrate-rich alternatives like spinach, rocket, fennel, celery and kale.”

While it’s true that you can get nitrates from these other vegetables, you would have to eat a significant amount of them to obtain the same benefits as you would from a glass of beet juice.

That’s why most studies on dietary nitrate and heart health have used beet juice and beet powders, which are popular among athletes.

I’m not a big beet fan, but there are ways to make them more palatable. For instance, if you make your own beet juice with a blender or juicer, you can add celery, cucumber or apple for additional flavor. But nothing is easier than a pre-made beet powder you can mix with water or juice.

It’s essential to note that certain dental hygiene habits can affect the natural processes that facilitate the conversion of nitrates to nitric oxide.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas found that antiseptic mouthwash, particularly that containing chlorhexidine, interfered with that conversion process and led to a significant increase in systolic blood pressure in a group of 26 study participants.

Sources:

Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure in older people by changing oral microbiome — University of Exeter

Ageing modifies the oral microbiome, nitric oxide bioavailability and vascular responses to dietary nitrate supplementation — Free Radical Biology and Medicine

The post The missing link for lowering blood pressure with beet juice appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

While she’s finally feeling better, she said that she was “surprised how much of a wallop that dang virus still packs.”

The truth is, though, a run-in with Covid-19 might put you out of commission for a week, thanks to the lingering cough, runny nose and sore throat, you may be left with an unexpected side effect.

That’s because research is revealing that suffering even a mild case of Covid-19 can actually age your blood vessels by five years.

Here’s what you need to know…

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Even worse in women

The research from Université Paris Cité, France, delved into the health data of almost 2,400 people from 16 different countries between September 2020 and February 2022. Each person was categorized according to whether they had never had Covid-19, had it recently but were not hospitalized, were hospitalized with it on a general ward or were hospitalized in an intensive care unit.

The researchers then measured each individual’s vascular age. The higher the measurement, the stiffer the blood vessels and the higher the vascular age of a person.

They found that anyone who had ever had Covid-19 were left with stiffer arteries that were aged years beyond their chronological age.

It was an effect that was even worse in women or those who lived with long Covid…

The researchers found that after a mild Covid-19 infection, women’s blood vessels had aged approximately five years. This is equivalent to a 3% increased risk of heart disease for a 60-year-old woman. And the worse the infection, the worse the blood vessel aged.

How the virus ages the blood vessels

According to the scientists, COVID-19’s effects on the vessels (especially in women) could be three-fold:

1. Blood vessel lining – Because the virus acts on specific receptors in the lining of the blood vessels to enter and infect cells, it can cause vascular dysfunction and accelerated vascular aging.
2. Inflammation – They also believe that the inflammation the virus triggers is a factor in the stiffening of blood vessels.
3. Women’s unique response – Additionally, because women’s immune systems mount a more rapid and robust response than men’s, it can lead to increased damage to blood vessels after the initial infection.

However, it’s important to note that Covid-19 isn’t the only virus where this happens…

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Flu ages blood vessels, too

The flu can be just as dangerous to your blood vessels and heart. You may remember that a bout with the flu can lead to a heart attack.

Houston Methodist Hospital points out that “The reason influenza stresses the heart and vascular system so much has to do with the body’s inflammatory response to the infection.”

The white blood cells that your body produces to protect you can also cause what they call “a traffic jam of sorts.” This can cause blood clots and high blood pressure, plaque ruptures in arteries and even scarring and swelling of your heart.

Research from The Texas Heart Institute Journal also states that, “There is mounting evidence in support of a significant role for influenza infection in the development of atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque and stiffening of the arteries) and the triggering of its complications.”

And it lists explicitly the pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic (clotting) effects of influenza infection as the cause of blood vessel damage.

Supporting healthy blood vessels

Don’t wait to start taking care of your blood vessels. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to avoid Covid or the flu, but there’s no guarantee you’ll always be so lucky.

Besides, even factors like air pollution can accelerate the aging, stiffening and the buildup of unwanted plaque in arteries. When you inhale polluted air, your immune system sets off an inflammatory process similar to what happens when the immune system goes into overdrive when faced with a viral infection.

The best ways to support blood vessel health include:

• To support your arteries and douse inflammation, omega-3 fatty acids come out on top. For omega-3s, I stick to krill oil supplements due to their purity and high levels of astaxanthin. You can also get omega-3s in foods like salmon and walnuts.
• Folate is another supplement that’s crucial to the health of the blood vessels. Beans have the most folate. You can also get folate from veggies like asparagus, turnip greens and broccoli.
• Exercise is one of the best non-drug ways to reduce inflammation that can contribute to the aging of your blood vessels. It works by rendering pro-inflammatory molecules powerless.
• And don’t forget vitamin D. Not only can it support the immune system, but it also delivers powerful support for quelling the fires of inflammation.

Sources:

Even mild Covid may leave blood vessels five years older — ScienceDaily

Flu and Heart Disease: The Surprising Connection That Should Convince You to Schedule Your Shot — Houston Methodist

Influenza and Cardiovascular Disease — NIH

COVID-19’s effect on the brain looks like stroke damage — Easy Health Options

The post How viruses prematurely age your blood vessels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There’s no doubt that caffeine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate.

But consuming moderate amounts of caffeine daily also has been linked to supple arteries and reduced risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

Now there’s more good heart health news for those of us who love our coffee, tea and cocoa…

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Caffeine and your blood vessels

Vascular disease, damage of blood vessels and their resulting consequences — heart attack and stroke — are among the leading causes of death in the general population.

These risks are even higher in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. This is due to the diseases themselves and some of their treatments, particularly derivatives of cortisone.

Until now, doctors have recommended avoiding risk factors to protect against vascular dysfunction. These recommendations included:

• Halting inflammation
• Decreasing cortisone medications
• Not smoking
• Reducing cholesterol
• Getting blood pressure under control

However, researchers from Sapienza University of Rome found suggestions that caffeine actively helps endothelial progenitor cells. This group of cells helps regenerate the lining of blood vessels and is involved in vascular growth.

A diet rich in vitamins D (found in oily fish and eggs) and A (found in many fruits), as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids, and low in sodium, appears to play a role in reducing the inflammatory burden. Scientists have been curious if caffeine belongs on that list.

Caffeine exerts its anti-inflammatory effect by binding with receptors expressed on the surface of immune cells.

The researchers studied 31 lupus patients who did not have traditional cardiovascular risk factors using a seven-day food questionnaire. After a week, the investigators took the patients’ blood to measure the health of their blood vessels. They found that patients who consumed caffeine had better vascular health, as measured by endothelial cells, which form the innermost layer of blood vessels.

“The present study is an attempt to provide patients with information on the possible role of diet in controlling the disease,” says Fulvia Ceccarelli, the paper’s lead author. “It will be necessary to confirm the results through a longitudinal study, aimed at assessing the real impact of coffee consumption on the disease course.”

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There is a daily limit

Keep in mind that most health agencies recommend you consume no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day. Given that a typical eight-ounce cup of coffee contains 95 mg of caffeine, that means limiting your intake to roughly four of these cups.

However, the smallest coffee size at many coffee shops is 12 ounces, and the largest can exceed 20 ounces. If you tend to get your coffee fix there or use an oversized mug at home, you need to bear the size in mind.

Also, if you’re a fan of espresso drinks, bear in mind that they contain a compound that can negate coffee’s heart benefits and are often loaded with added fat and sugar. You may want to stick with brewed coffee to reap the full benefits of caffeine.

If you want to moderate your caffeine consumption, a good way to do so is to replace a cup or two of coffee with black or green tea. A cup of black tea contains approximately 47 mg of caffeine, while a cup of green tea contains around 33 mg.

Sources:

Caffeine is a heart-healthy habit — EurekAlert!

Caffeine improves systemic lupus erythematosus endothelial dysfunction by promoting endothelial progenitor cells survival — Rheumatology

How Much Caffeine Is In a Cup of Coffee? — Food Network

How much caffeine is in tea? — GoodFood

The post The truth about caffeine and your blood vessels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

So, when I heard that a particular compound already known for supporting healthy blood vessels and blood pressure was making waves in anti-aging skincare — I had to tell you about it.

Pterostilbene is an antioxidant produced by plants to protect themselves against viruses, bacteria and fungi. It’s found in abundance in blueberries, and it’s a cousin to resveratrol.

You may already know about the anti-aging potential of resveratrol. It enhances skin elasticity by stimulating collagen production and protecting against oxidative damage.

But here’s why pterostilbene may have resveratrol beat…

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Significant breakthrough in just 28 days

One area where pterostilbene outperforms resveratrol is in “bioavailability” — a term that refers to the amount of a substance that enters the bloodstream after it’s introduced into the body and can have an active effect.

Resveratrol’s bioavailability is about one percent (though pairing it with grape seed extract can improve that significantly). But from the get-go, pterostilbene’s bioavailability is estimated to be around 80-95%!

When pterostilbene is consumed from foods or supplements, it’s absorbed through the stomach lining and cell membranes to reach the bloodstream. But what happens when it’s applied to our skin?

To find out, researchers in China had participants apply an emulsion containing it on one side of their face and a control cream on the other.

After just 28 days, the scientists had this to say: “Our results indicated that the pterostilbene emulsion remarkably improved skin elasticity, firmness, and reduced wrinkles, such as forehead, undereye, and Crow’s feet wrinkles.”

It also:

• Increased the thickness of the epidermis layer
• Enhanced collagen and elastic fibers
• And minimized skin pores

In fact, the improvements seen in the skin were so significant that the researchers say pterostilbene “may change the way we approach anti-aging skincare formulations.”

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From youthful skin to youthful blood vessels

If your goal is healthy, younger-looking skin, leveraging the power of blueberries to turn back the hands of time could be the key.

But that’s not the only benefit you can expect…

As I mentioned earlier, pterostilbene is also known for promoting healthy blood pressure. Here are just a few of the mechanisms of action supported by research:

Antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress interferes with the normal function of the endothelial cells that line artery walls. By inhibiting damage induced by oxidative stress, pterostilbene helps alleviate hypertension.

Anti-inflammatory activity. Pterostilbene can successfully reverse the elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Not only does this help relieve inflammation of the endothelial lining of the arteries, but it also exerts anti-atherosclerotic activity. Atherosclerosis is a condition that can age you before you even know you have it.

And that’s the connection between skin aging and blood pressure — youthful arteries.

Blood vessels harden with age, poor habits and exposure to environmental toxins, oxidative stress and inflammation. That results in loss of elasticity and changes in blood pressure. And when blood vessels lose their firmness, the walls of your arteries become prone to injury.

Those same saboteurs and those same changes to the tissue that make up your skin contribute to visible signs of aging.

So, from the inside out, it makes sense to include pterostilbene in your anti-aging routine, not only to help maintain the youthfulness of your skin, but of your blood vessels as well!

Sources:

Natural Molecule Shows Remarkable Anti-Aging Results After Just 28 Days — SciTechDaily

Bioavailability of resveratrol — Annals of the New York Academy of Science

Effects of Pterostilbene on Cardiovascular Health and Disease — Current Issues in Molecular Biology

The post The breakthrough that reversed skin aging in 28 days appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Artificial sweeteners provided the sweetness of sugar without the calorie burden. Plus, people with diabetes were able to safely consume these sweeteners without spiking their blood sugar.

But in recent years, the dark side of artificial sweeteners has emerged. Research has shown these sweeteners can actually make changes to the gut microbiome that lead to weight gain. These changes can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

That’s not all. Beverages containing artificial sweeteners have also been linked with an increased risk of death and dementia. And one study found artificial sweeteners were linked to increased risks for cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease risk, which equates to higher stroke risk.

Then there are sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol, which are often touted as safer alternative sweeteners and are used extensively in low-sugar, sugar-free and keto reduced-sugar foods. Since they’re already derived from sugar, they should be fine, right?

Wrong….

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How erythritol affects brain cells

Erythritol, a sugar alcohol first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2001, is typically made by fermenting corn. But research has begun to shed light on its risks.

Recently, research by the Cleveland Clinic linked erythritol to a higher risk of dangerous blood clot formation, which could lead to stroke.

Scientists led by the University of Colorado Boulder decided to dig into the mechanisms behind the Cleveland Clinic study results. What they discovered was alarming…

In the lab, the researchers treated endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels in the brain, for three hours with roughly the same amount of erythritol contained in a typical sugar-free beverage. The cells were found to be altered in numerous ways…

• The cells expressed significantly less nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels for blood flow.
• At the same time, they expressed more endothelin-1, a protein that constricts blood vessels.
• And when the cells were challenged with a clot-forming compound called thrombin, cellular production of the natural clot-busting compound t-PA (the go-to treatment used during stroke emergencies) was “markedly blunted.”

To put it simply, the treated brain cells were affected in ways that could increase the likelihood of stroke.

As if that weren’t enough, the erythritol-treated cells also produced more reactive oxygen species, or free radicals. These metabolic byproducts can age and damage cells and inflame tissue.

“Our study adds to the evidence suggesting that non-nutritive sweeteners that have generally been purported to be safe may not come without negative health consequences,” says senior author Christopher DeSouza, a professor at CU Boulder.

“Big picture, if your vessels are more constricted and your ability to break down blood clots is lowered, your risk of stroke goes up,” says first author Auburn Berry, a graduate student in DeSouza’s lab. “Our research demonstrates not only that, but how erythritol has the potential to increase stroke risk.”

Another disconcerting aspect of the study is that the researchers only used one serving size of erythritol. If you consume more than a serving a day, as many people do, the impact could be even worse.

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Which sweeteners to use instead

One caveat: the authors caution that their study was a laboratory study conducted on cells, so larger studies in people are needed to confirm these results.

Still, De Souza encourages consumers to read food labels, looking for erythritol or “sugar alcohol” in the list of ingredients.

“Given the epidemiological study that inspired our work, and now our cellular findings, we believe it would be prudent for people to monitor their consumption of non-nutrient-sweeteners such as this one,” he says.

So, what should you use instead? Look for natural non-sugar sweeteners like monkfruit and stevia, both of which are derived from plants and come in many delicious flavors. However, you need to read those labels as well — sometimes erythritol is used as filler in monkfruit and/or stevia sweeteners. Be sure you’re only using 100 percent pure stevia or monkfruit with no fillers.

Sources:

Scientists Warn: Popular Sugar Substitute Linked to Brain Cell Damage — SciTechDaily

The non-nutritive sweetener erythritol adversely affects brain microvascular endothelial cell function — Journal of Applied Physiology

Artificial sweeteners: Any effect on blood sugar? — Mayo Clinic

The post Low-cal sweetener linked to brain cell damage and blood clots appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s the biochemical signaling pathway between the gastrointestinal tract and your central nervous system, which has already been associated with bowel disease and dementia, as well as GERD and chronic headaches.

It’s also why a good night’s sleep starts in your gut.

And there’s one more important thing to know about this axis…

It could be the reason that a seemingly unrelated gastrointestinal condition leads to an increased risk of brain aneurysm that leads to stroke.

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Digestive symptoms start, aneurysms may follow

That’s because recent research from a team of scientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found an undeniable link between seven gastrointestinal or GI conditions and intracranial aneurysms.

An intracranial aneurysm (IA) occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bulges, putting pressure on the vessel wall. If this type of aneurysm ruptures, it leads to brain bleeding and causes hemorrhagic stroke, a life-threatening emergency.

For their study, the team analyzed data from over 119,000 people who either had an unruptured intracranial aneurysm or had suffered a ruptured aneurysm, comparing them to an equal number of people without aneurysms. Specifically, they were looking for patients diagnosed with GI conditions to see if those conditions upped their risk of a brain issue.

And sure enough, they found even more than they had been expecting…

The team discovered that not only do GI conditions (as well as appendectomy) and aneurysms go hand-in-hand, certain GI problems make it more likely you’ll suffer an aneurysm rupture and a life-threatening stroke.

The results showed that GI problems that were linked to unruptured aneurysms included:

• Reflux disease
• Chronic stomach pain
• Bloating (or functional dyspepsia)
• Irritable bowel disease without diarrhea

GI conditions that were more likely to lead to aneurysm formation, rupture and stroke were:

• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

“Now that we have found more evidence for a link between IAs and GI disorders, we are eager to explore them further, hoping that early detection of GI syndromes might help identify patients at risk of IAs,” said Jan-Karl Burkhardt, MD, the lead author of the study, associate professor of neurosurgery, and division head of cerebrovascular surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

In other words, if you’re living with GI issues, take time now to talk to your doctor about your increased risk of aneurysm and how you can prevent problems down the road.

Though this study didn’t make the connection, research published in 2023 associated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with a higher stroke risk as well.

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Knowing the signs and heading them off

This study didn’t explain the exact mechanism behind the connection between GI disorders and aneurysms but as they investigate further, hopefully, they will.

In the meantime, past research has made a connection between stroke and popular medications used to treat conditions like gastrointestinal reflux disease. Some of these drugs may raise the stroke risk as much as 94 percent.

If you take them, talk to your physician about other options — and consider diet and lifestyle modifications that have been shown to help, like weight loss, no smoking, 30 minutes of exercise daily and a diet that doesn’t promote an acid state.

Additionally, be sure to care for the health of your gut, since a balanced microbiome has come to the forefront of research into the gut-brain axis. That includes a diet that contains probiotics and prebiotics, which can help promote regular movements and reduce the risk of constipation and diarrhea.

If you have a GI condition, be sure to know the signs of both types of aneurysm so that you can get help immediately, if necessary.

Signs of an unruptured aneurysm include:

• A dilated pupil
• Numbness, weakness or paralysis of one side of the face
• A drooping eyelid

Once a brain aneurysm ruptures, you can suffer from:

• The worst headache of your life
• Light sensitivity (photophobia)
• Double vision
• Pain behind your eye socket
• Lethargy
• Neck stiffness
• A loss of consciousness

Learn more about aneurysm risks here.

Sources:

SNIS 2024: New study reveals possible link between gastrointestinal syndromes and risk of brain aneurysm — EurekAlert!

Brain aneurysm — Mayo Clinic

The post 7 GI conditions linked with brain aneurysm appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Sometimes, an observational study is convincing enough to be considered a valid source of evidence.

And while it may not offer “cause and effect” proof, an observational study, when done well, gives us enough information to convince us that changing our behavior could benefit our health.

This is especially true when it comes to what we eat.

I’ve often said here that “food is medicine.” Well, here’s an observational study that has convinced me eating a little differently will add some years to my life…

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Women need more vitamin K1 to keep arteries flexible

A study at Australia’s Edith Cowan University has shown that eating just an extra cup of leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables each day could save your life.

These vegetables, including spinach, kale, and broccoli, are rich in vitamin K1.

The researchers investigated whether eating more vitamin K1 was linked to better heart and blood vessel health in older women.

Older women were chosen as subjects because they have a unique risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD), a type of cardiovascular disease where plaque builds up inside your arteries, narrowing them and restricting blood flow.

This is one reason that women are known to be at greater risk of heart attack and stroke than men. Hormonal factors also contribute to this increased risk level.

The study participants were 1,436 women, who averaged 75 years of age. A food questionnaire assessed their vitamin K1 levels at the start of the study.

Then, the researchers followed them for 14.5 years using hospital and death records.

In general, women who ate more vitamin K1 had thinner carotid artery walls, reflecting less early-stage atherosclerosis.

More specifically, women with the highest K1 intake (120mcg) had a 43% lower risk of dying from ASVD.

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Are you getting enough K1?

If you’re following the recommended daily guidelines, you’re probably not getting that 120mcg of K1 that lowered the risk of dying from ASVD.

The recommended daily intake of K1 in the U.S. is only 90mcg for adult females.

In Australia and New Zealand, it’s even lower: only 60mcg for females.

But you know what? It doesn’t take much to get to that 120mcg mark. Let me show you…

• A cup of raw kale provides 472mcg
• A cup of raw spinach offers 145mcg
• Just half a cup of cooked broccoli provides 110mcg
• A half-cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains 109mcg.
• A half-cup of cooked cabbage provides 82mcg.

The point is, you won’t have to try too hard to get to that goal of eating 120mcg of K1 per day.

The study authors noted they did not investigate the other vitamin K component — vitamin K2 — even though it may impact heart health, only because estimating intake and availability of vitamin K2 is difficult to determine, since intestinal bacteria are involved in the synthesis of K2.

But if you’d like to know more about this form of vitamin K (found in much different food sources than K1), check out how vitamin K2 fights a common contributor of unhealthy aging — calcification.

Sources:

An extra cup of leafy greens each day reduces heart disease death risk — New Atlas

Higher vitamin K1 intakes are associated with lower subclinical atherosclerosis and lower risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease-related outcomes in older women — European Journal of Nutrition

The post The vitamin to help women avoid a fatal arterial disease appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Those are concerns that cannabis smokers used to feel safe from. For decades, marijuana smoke was thought to be harmless, but research over the years has proven otherwise.

Marijuana smoke contains many of the same chemicals as tobacco smoke, as well as the same fine particles that contribute to cardiovascular disease.

This similarity has motivated researchers to question the supposed “safety” of smoking marijuana and to dig deeper for more facts…

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Marijuana wreaks havoc on our blood vessels

Earlier this year, a team of researchers at the University of Toulouse in France examined 24 prior studies that noted the potential dangers of smoking cannabis.

The studies were conducted between 2016 and 2023 and involved a considerable group of subjects — around 200 million people.

As they conducted a systematic review of these studies, it became clear that the risks were virtually the same as they were for cigarette smokers.

Overall, the increased risk to cannabis users was 29 percent for acute coronary syndrome (reduced blood flow to the heart leading to heart attack), 20 percent for stroke, and 100 percent for cardiovascular disease mortality.

In other words, just as many cannabis smokers as cigarette smokers were dying of heart disease.

Around the same time, a study at the University of California San Francisco determined the cause of this danger. They assessed the blood vessel function of participants by measuring their arterial flow-mediated dilation, or FMD.

FMD is a measure of how the arteries expand, or dilate, in response to increased blood flow after it has been temporarily restricted, say, by placing a blood pressure cuff on the arm.

A healthy artery will dilate more significantly, indicating that the endothelium, the inner lining of the blood vessel, is functioning well.

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Compared with non-users, FMD was significantly worse in marijuana smokers, as well as in people who use THC edibles (THC is the part of cannabis that gives a “high”).

The one difference between smokers and users of edibles was that cannabis smokers showed lower nitric oxide (NO) levels in the endothelial cells lining their blood vessels. In contrast, edible users showed no nitric oxide reduction.

Is it worth it?

NO is a signaling molecule that acts as a natural vasodilator. That means it relaxes the inner lining of blood vessels to encourage smooth, oxygen-rich blood flow.

It’s essential for maintaining healthy blood pressure and may improve glucose tolerance and lower fasting insulin and leptin levels. There’s also evidence that low levels of NO drive cognitive decline and aging.

Whether smoking cannabis or consuming edibles, the research found that either causes artery damage, making them stiffer and less flexible, similar to the effects of smoking cigarettes. The only upside for edibles is that, though they caused artery damage in other ways, they did not impact NO levels.

There are many reasons that people use cannabis, including relief from various types of pain, cancer treatment side effects and stress. Those reasons may play a role in answering the question: Is it worth the artery damage and increased risk for stroke and heart disease?

Sources:

Edibles, smoking weed almost as bad for blood vessels as cigarettes — New Atlas

Association of Endothelial Dysfunction With Chronic Marijuana Smoking and THC-Edible Use — JAMA Cardiology

Cannabis Linked to 2x Risk of Heart Disease Death, Scientists Discover — Science Alert

Cardiovascular risk associated with the use of cannabis and cannabinoids: a systemic review and meta-analysis — Heart (BMJ Journals)

The post Why cannabis is as bad for your heart as cigarettes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

In fact, at one point he threatened to start sleeping in the guest room if I didn’t wear warm socks to bed instead of warming my cold toes up on his legs.

Well, that was before I got my Hashimoto’s under control. But if you’re dealing with cold toes and you don’t have a thyroid problem, don’t ignore this distress call…

That’s because cold feet can be a sign of a serious circulation problem that may start in the small blood vessels — but can signal big trouble…

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Blood vessels and your feet

Since your circulatory system is responsible for head-to-toe blood flow — the blood vessels in your feet can often sound the first alarm of problems to come.

That’s because your heart works extra hard to pump blood through arteries that reach vital organs, like the brain.

But by the time your blood vessels reach your feet, they’ve branched in numerous directions, getting smaller and smaller in size much in the same twigs branch off of a tree.

And it’s these smaller vessels where trouble can quickly escalate…

Tiny little masses called microemboli, made up of blobs of cholesterol, can get stuck.

While these little clots, also known as emboli, pass easily through large vessels, they struggle to pass through as vessels become smaller— making it easy to cut off the blood supply to your toes.

Two signs you shouldn’t miss

When this happens, your feet are going to sound an alarm — and it won’t just be cold feet…

It’s feet that are so cold they’ll be painful and even change color, turning blue or purple.

Doctors call it blue toe syndrome.

It can be dangerous because when the tissues of your feet are starved of oxygen, it can lead to cell death, gangrene and even amputation of the toes and feet.

What’s worse is that the microemboli that cause blue toe syndrome can indicate a potentially serious problem in larger arteries that are upstream from these little guys.

Other signs that could indicate blue toe syndrome include:

• Foot pain
• Muscle pain in the legs
• Ulcers on the feet
• Nodules or lesions on the feet
• Bruising

Be sure to let your doctor know if any of these are occurring.

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Supporting head-to-toe blood flow

The little clots that clog small vessels are typically made up of cholesterol and fibrin. Often they have broken off from a plaque forming in a larger artery.

Fibrin is a protein the body uses under normal circumstances to keep a clot from spreading while tissue heals. When the clot is no longer needed it dissolves. But sometimes the process doesn’t go as expected, depending on the health of the arteries involved.

That’s where nattokinase, an enzyme from a fermented soybean dish called natto, is especially helpful…

Nattokinase was discovered over 40 years ago by a Japanese medical researcher named Hiroyuki Sumi, M.D., who demonstrated its ability to support blood flow. It works in much the same way as Pac-Man^®… going to work to thin the blood for smooth circulation.

You can find natto at your local Asian or Japanese market. But most Americans don’t like the texture, taste or smell. But that doesn’t have to be a deterrent…

The benefits of nattokinase have been researched in over 17 scientific studies — including human clinical trials — and supplements are an option. According to the University of Cincinnati, a single dose of Nattokinase at 100 mg was enough to show an enhancement in both thrombolysis while also assisting anti-coagulation profiles.

Since nattokinase does a great job of promoting normal circulation, if you’re taking blood thinners you should consult with your health care practitioner first.

What is blue toe syndrome — Medical News Today

Blue Toe Syndrome — DermaNet

An often overlooked body part could give you clues about your health – CNN

The post The weird warning your feet send about your blood vessels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

I can remember as a kid asking my mom over and over to buy strawberries at the grocery store all spring, only to be told they weren’t ripe enough yet and wouldn’t be sweet.

Well, I can tell you that the moment was certainly sweet when she did buy that first carton.

What’s even sweeter is the news that eating strawberries isn’t just enjoyable, it could be one of the healthiest things you can do for your heart and your blood sugar.

That’s because scientists from the Illinois Institute of Technology have found that strawberries not only have the power to improve glucose control, but they also could reduce your risk of heart disease by up to eight times.

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Improving dilation of the arteries and blood sugar issues

Their study focused on how eating different amounts of strawberries could affect blood sugar, as well as flow-mediated dilation or FMD, which impacts our arteries.

FMD is basically a measure of the dilation or widening of an artery when blood flow increases. It’s used to determine blood vessel health and endothelial function and offers a window into future heart disease risk.

So, how did strawberries stack up against heart and blood sugar problems?

In their study of overweight men and women, the scientists found that eating strawberries had a significantly positive impact on both FMD and blood glucose control.

And the more strawberries, the better the results!

According to the researchers, eating strawberries daily for four weeks supported healthy blood sugar levels and dose-dependently reduced cardiovascular disease risk by eight times compared to the control group.

“A diet low in fruit is among the top three risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” said co-researcher Britt Burton-Freeman, Ph.D. “Adding as little as one cup of strawberries a day to your diet may show beneficial effects on your cardiovascular health.”

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Strawberry power without the pesticide worries

Clearly, adding strawberries to your daily diet could help keep your heart and your blood sugar healthy.

And if that weren’t enough, research has shown there are even more reasons to reach for these sweet berries…

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that strawberries reduced colon pain and inflammation.

And research from the University of Cincinnati found that daily strawberry consumption could help reduce the risk of dementia.

However, there is one warning to remember…

Strawberries are considered to be the king of the dirty fruits.

So be sure to check out these tips on eating this delicious but dirty fruit.

Finally, in addition to strawberries, don’t forget how powerful other berries can be when it comes to battling back heart disease and blood sugar problems.

Blueberries (and other purple fruits and veggies) are packed with acylated anthocyanins, which have been found to reduce the risk of diabetes by affecting energy metabolism and the gut microbiota.

And these anthocyanins can also help to keep cardiovascular disease and obesity at bay.

Sources:

New study shows strawberries may lower cardiovascular disease risk and improve glucose control – EurekAlert!

The post The strawberry solution to heart disease and diabetes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That’s because microvascular diseases like retinopathy, known as diabetic vision loss, and nephropathy, which can lead to kidney failure, are major contributors to complications associated with T2D.

It’s a significant reason your doctor will recommend you follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

But if your doctor hasn’t also talked to you about your sleep, you could be missing a crucial step in supporting the health of your arteries.

That’s because, according to research presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, sleep plays a vital role in keeping arteries healthy, especially in people with T2D.

And too much or too little could set you on the road for arterial damage, and all that comes with it…

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The Goldilocks principle of sleep duration

Researchers aimed to explore the relationship between sleep duration and the presence of microvascular disease in individuals newly diagnosed with T2D.

They recruited 396 participants and measured their sleep duration for 10 nights. The classification for sleep duration was split into three groups:

• Short – Less than seven hours of sleep
• Optimal – Getting seven to nine hours a night
• Long – Sleeping nine hours or more each night

Microvascular damage was also assessed among participants and compared to their sleep habits.

The researchers found a true Goldilocks principle at work: Those who slept not too little, not too much, but just the right amount were the least likely to experience poor arterial health.

The numbers showed that while the prevalence of microvascular damage was 38% in the short sleep group and 31% in the long sleepers, it was only 18% in people who found the right balance and slept optimally.

When everything was calculated, this meant that short sleep duration was significantly associated with a 2.6 times higher risk of microvascular disease than optimal sleep duration.

And sleeping too long each night was associated with a 2.3 times increased risk of microvascular disease compared to optimal sleep duration.

Microvascular/sleep risk increases with age

Even worse, the researchers found that the dangers of sleeping too much or too little went up as a person with diabetes gets older.

The research showed that for those under 62 years old with T2D, short sleep duration increased the risk of microvascular damage by 23%.

However, those 63 and older saw their risk for microvascular damage climb by 5.7 times compared to optimal sleep duration.

The researchers’ conclusion?

“Age amplifies the association between short sleep duration and microvascular disease, suggesting increased vulnerability among older individuals.”

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Finding your sleep balance

So, if you’re living with T2D and want to keep your arterial health on track, do what Goldilocks did and find the sleep sweet spot.

A few tips to help include:

• Go to bed and get up at the same time each day – Sticking to a sleep schedule can help you regulate your patterns and get the proper amount of rest.
• Banish devices from the bedroom – Phones and tablets can be a distraction and a light source that can keep you from getting the rest you need.
• No sugar or caffeine after 6:00 p.m. – Caffeine and refined sugar can lead to short-term energy bursts that make your mind race when you want to sleep or wake you up once you’ve fallen asleep.
• Don’t exercise late – Exercise is best in the morning or afternoon. If possible, skip physical activity that stimulates the body after 7 p.m.
• Try natural sleep aids – Supplements like melatonin can help you get your zzz’s and provide numerous other health benefits. L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, is also a great option and a powerhouse for fighting off the stress that keeps you up at night.
• Consider supporting the health of your arteries with vitamin K2. You can read more about its protective effects here.

Sources:

Study finds short and long sleep duration associated with blood vessel damage in those recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – EurekAlert!

The post Sleep impacts microvascular complications in T2D appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The fact is that the world operates in my favor. I mean, unless you work the night shift, most jobs happen during the day. And night owls aren’t built for this.

And this is more than an annoyance. It affects the amount and quality of sleep that people can get.

And this, in turn, can have disastrous consequences for their health…

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What’s your chronotype?

A recent study that builds on past research shows that paying attention to your sleep pattern can help save you from hardened arteries, heart disease and stroke.

Every one of us has a chronotype, and according to sleep scientist Dr. Matthew Walker, it’s something we’re born with.

“It’s genetic,” says Dr. Walker. “You don’t get to decide whether you’re a morning type or an evening type. It’s hard-wired into your  genes.”

Past research shows that night owls are more likely to die early and one reason is that poor sleep can harden your arteries.

But a new study goes even further…

Night owls at more risk for hard arteries

Based on their study results, two researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden propose that night owls may have a far greater likelihood of developing hardening of the arteries, better known as atherosclerosis.

The study involved 771 adults aged 50 to 64 who are part of a larger population study known as the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study, or SCAPIS study.

SCAPIS studies cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Swedish population.

After evaluating the degree of artery calcification through the use of a CT scan, participants were asked to rate their chronotype on a five-point scale: extreme morning type, moderate morning type, intermediate type, moderate evening type, or extreme evening type.

Among participants in the “extreme morning type” group, only 22.2% showed pronounced artery calcification – the lowest percentage of all chronotypes – while the “extreme evening” group showed almost double that percentage, or 40.6%.

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And in case you’re wondering, this was after the researchers looked at other factors connected with atherosclerosis, such as blood pressure, blood lipids, weight, physical activity, stress level, sleep and smoking.  

“Our results indicate that extreme evening chronotype may be linked not only to poorer cardiovascular health in general, but also more specifically to calcification in the coronary arteries calcification and atherosclerosis,” says Mio Kobayashi Frisk, a doctoral student at Gothenburg and the study’s first author.

Chronotype should be considered for disease prevention

“We interpret our results as indicating that circadian rhythms are more significant early in the disease process. It should therefore particularly be considered in the preventive treatment of cardiovascular diseases,” says Ding Zou, another study author.

In other words, knowing that you’re a “night owl” can help your doctor guide you toward preventive measures to avoid heart disease.

What preventive measures are those?

A great place to start is the advice laid out by the American Heart Association in their program, Life’s Essential 8. This advice offers key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health that consist of health behaviors and health factors that are modifiable and if improved, can reduce the risk for heart disease, stroke and other major health problems.

But any conversation about artery health wouldn’t be complete without mentioning vitamin K2. Emerging evidence from animal and clinical studies has associated low K2 levels with calcification and an elevated risk of heart problems.

And my last piece of advice would be to drink tea daily — black or green. Teas and foods like berries, apples, grapes and dark chocolate are rich in flavonoids that in studies cut down on artery calcification.

Sources:

Artery calcification more common in night owls — Eureka Alert

Eveningness is associated with coronary artery calcification in a middle-aged Swedish population — Sleep Medicine

Chronotypes: Your natural propensity to be an early riser or night owl — Found My Fitness

The post The sleep habit that calcifies your arteries appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Don’t write these symptoms off as arthritis or “getting older.” Get checked out by your doctor.

It could be claudication, leg pain and leg cramps caused by too little blood flow to the muscles, a sign of peripheral artery disease (PAD).

PAD is not uncommon, yet it often goes undiagnosed.

PAD is like coronary artery disease, except it impacts the blood flow in arteries that carry blood to your legs. Left untreated, it can lead to heart attack and stroke, kidney disease, and even gangrene of the foot, which requires amputation.

Some people are at lower risk of developing PAD than others, according to recent research.

To know if you’re one of them, just take a look at your family tree…

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A secret of long-lived families

Researchers from four major universities believe the long-lived secret of families with exceptional longevity may be significantly better vascular health than that of the general population.

My mother lived to be 101, so I could be one of the lucky ones. Hopefully, you are, too.

Using data from the Long Life Family Study, a longitudinal study examining factors contributing to healthy aging and survival, researchers analyzed information on 1,090 long-lived individuals, their 1,554 children and 362 spouses.

Among the oldest participants (average age of 89), about 18% had PAD. But among their children (average age of 60), only 1% had PAD — an amount far lower than the 12% found in other studies.

This suggests that certain protective factors, whether genetic or lifestyle-related, are helping these families to maintain healthier arteries. But that’s not all…

Among known risk factors associated with PAD, including aging, high blood pressure, smoking, use of hypertension medication, cholesterol and diabetes — those last two conditions were not significant risk factors in the study group.

And lastly, they identified four genetic markers associated with protection from PAD… information the researchers hope will help them learn to prevent the condition in people who are less genetically fortunate.

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What you can do to avoid PAD

Obviously, you can’t control your genetics or whether you belong to a family where people live into their 90s or die much younger.

But you can control risk factors related to your behavior and your environment…

Getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet may help. One study found that for every 1% reduction in an index that measured omega-3s, the odds of being a PAD patient increased by a whopping 39%.

Fatty fish, including salmon and mackerel, are excellent sources of omega-3s. Flax seed, soybeans and walnuts are vegan options. Of course, supplements are also an easy option.

The study I just mentioned also found that, for every additional year of smoking, the odds of having PAD increased by 4%.

Do the math. If you smoke, get help quitting. If you don’t smoke, then don’t start.

PAD is basically atherosclerosis of the legs, so it’s not surprising that other risk factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, must be well managed or, better yet, avoided. Diabetes alone can increase PAD risk by 10 times!

The DASH diet can help check your blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. But if your doctor has you on medications, follow their orders.

Remember to move. Physical activity, even just walking, can improve blood flow and reduce the risk of PAD. Lastly, work on maintaining a healthy weight.

So, even if your family tree indicates PAD may be a risk for you, there’s a lot you can do to turn that risk around and start a long-lived branch on your own tree!

Sources:

 Long-lived families show lower risk for peripheral artery disease — Eureka Alert

Epidemiology and genetic determination of measures of peripheral vascular health in the Long Life Family Study — Aging

New research shows people with PAD could have an omega-3 deficiency — Eureka Alert

The post The condition you won’t find in a long-lived family tree appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

At the time, this required regular blood work to monitor the medication. She also had to avoid eating too many vegetables rich in vitamin K, like asparagus and broccoli, and give up drinking cranberry juice because of the way it interacted with the medication.

Well, doctors will tell you we’ve come a long way since then.

Unlike the blood thinners my grandmother took, newer medications, known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) don’t require frequent monitoring and have fewer dietary restrictions. They’re also considered to be more targeted and work faster.

But before you believe all the hype, there’s one thing you have to know…

There’s a serious danger associated with these drugs and it’s all due to the doctors themselves.

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Prescription errors for blood thinners

As Geoffrey Barnes, M.D., M.Sc., associate professor of cardiology-internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, points out, “While DOACs are lifesaving medications for patients with common thrombotic conditions, they can also cause serious harm when prescribed inappropriately.”

The two most prescribed DOACs are rivaroxaban (brand name Xarelto) and apixaban (brand name Eliquis). These drugs are prescribed to help people suffering from issues like atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

However, if they’re used at the wrong dose, they can lead to problems that can be just as deadly, including blood clots and stroke. If you haven’t guessed, potentially fatal errors in prescription dosing happen far too often.

In fact, direct oral anticoagulants can be incorrectly prescribed up to 20 percent of the time — and the people this happens to could be sitting on a ticking time bomb.

A necessary, yet overlooked, safety net

Luckily, there is good news in all of the bad. Research by Dr. Barnes and his team has provided an easy way to prevent these prescription errors.

It’s an online dashboard, developed by the United States Veterans Health Administration in 2016, that was designed specifically to optimize the treatment of patients with DOACs, but was not widely used.

After assessing over 120,000 cases in which patients with atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism were treated with DOACs, the researchers saw two lifesaving improvements after adoption of the patient management tool:

1. A decline in off-label dosing of approximately eight percent
2. A decline in the rate of blood clots and strokes at every hospital that implemented the monitoring tool.

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Naturally healthy blood flow

So hopefully, with this research, doctors will start using the dashboard and we can all rest easier if prescribed a blood-thinning medication.

In the meantime, before you ever develop conditions that will require you to sit down with your doctor and discuss starting any of those medications, consider adopting foods and habits that support head to toe healthy blood flow.  

Try stretching daily. Even passive stretching, where a partner helps by pulling on your limbs, has been shown to improve blood flow and blood vessel dilation. In another study it improved blood pressure.

Some of the best foods to support blood flow include:

• Turmeric – This golden spice, which has been shown to put out the fires of inflammation, was also found to have the potential to block clotting in a 2019 review.
• Ginger – Just like turmeric, ginger is an anti-inflammatory spice. And because it contains salicylates, the same substances that give aspirin its blood-thinning properties, it may also help keep blood flowing smoothly.
• Garlic – Research in 2018 showed that garlic possesses antithrombotic activity, which means it may help prevent blood clots. And an additional review in 2020 showed it not only offered mild antithrombotic effects, it also helped to lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
• Grape seed extract – 2019 research, published in Nutrients, found that grape seed extract offered dual anticoagulant and anti-platelet activity likely due to its rich levels of polyphenols.
• Natto – a Japanese dish made from soybeans led to the discovery of the Japanese secret to healthy circulation. During research, the enzyme nattokinase was isolated and found to dissolve fibrin-containing blood clots.
• Beets – speaking of blood vessel dilation, beets are the best. They help your body produce its natural vasodilator — nitric oxide (NO). NO acts as a signaling molecule telling blood vessels to relax, expand and open wide for normal blood flow and healthy circulation.

Finally, if you are taking a DOAC, such as Xarelto or Eliquis, talk to your doctor about finding out if your dosage is correct using the VA’s online dashboard. It could save your life. Never stop taking a prescribed medication without consulting your doctor.

Sources:

Risk of clots, stroke from incorrect blood thinner dosing reduced using online dashboard — ScienceDaily

Review of herbal medications with the potential to cause bleeding: dental implications, and risk prediction and prevention avenues — NIH

Intake of Dietary Salicylates from Herbs and Spices among Adult Polish Omnivores and Vegans — NIH

A comparative study of the antithrombotic effect through activated endothelium of garlic powder and tomato extracts using a rodent model of collagen and epinephrine induced thrombosis — Springer Link

Garlic lowers blood pressure in hypertensive subjects, improves arterial stiffness and gut microbiota: A review and meta-analysis — NIH

Dual Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Activity of Polyphenolic Grape Seeds Extract — NIH

The post This could save your life if you take blood thinners appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Reach for sugary sweets or salty chips (when no one can eat just one!), and both your waistline and your health suffer. But giving up snacking altogether is just so hard…

Don’t worry. If you need a little something to hold you over til lunch or supper, there’s one snack that hits so many health marks — if you’re not snacking on it daily, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Especially now that research has found it can give your “happy hormone” a huge boost…

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Cardioprotection and a mood boost to boot

Nuts have a reputation as a healthy snack that’s been secured by mountains of research, especially for how they affect cardiovascular health.

Previous research from a team of scientists at UCLA found that eating just 1.5 ounces of nuts per day, instead of pretzels, for a period of just 24 weeks resulted in serious benefits, including:

• Increased satiety (feelings of fullness that keep you from overeating and packing on weight that harms your heart)
• Enhanced weight loss for better overall health
• Decreased blood pressure and heart rate, indicating less stress and strain on the organ

So those researchers decided to take it a step further and look for the origin of those benefits — benefits they believed had to do with the tryptophan nuts deliver.

Yup, you read that right…

The same compound found in that Thanksgiving turkey that makes us fall asleep on the couch after dinner is also found in nuts, like almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.

And it’s believed to play an essential role in the prevention of cardiovascular problems, by creating metabolites in the gut that regulate the immune system and keep the heart and blood vessels healthy.

Related Reading: How to get your pleasure hormone back

To test their theory, the team collected blood and stool samples from 95 overweight or obese participants who switched from unhealthy snacks to a daily dose of mixed nuts.

Sure enough, eating nuts resulted in an impressive increase in cardioprotective tryptophan metabolites. But what the researchers weren’t expecting was an increase in the “happiness hormone,” serotonin.

The team found that blood serotonin levels went up by 60.9 percent at 12 weeks and an incredible 82.2 percent at 24 weeks.

“This is the first time we’ve seen mixed tree nut consumption associated with an increase in serotonin levels in the body,” explained lead researcher Zhaoping Li, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at UCLA. “While more research is needed, this is exciting since serotonin can have an important impact on mood and overall mental health.”

In other words, if you want to protect your heart and grab a hefty dose of the happy hormone, one snack a day of nuts is the way to go.

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The nutty benefits keep coming

Because depression and heart problems can often go hand in hand, eating more nuts just makes sense. But the benefits you can grab from eating nuts don’t stop there.

Eating nuts can also help you:

• Eating nuts could lower your risk of suffering from atrial fibrillation (AFib), an abnormality of your heart rhythm that can dramatically increase your risk of stroke.
• A review of studies found that snacking on tree nuts also reduces HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin), a substance in the blood that indicates blood sugar trouble.
• A massive study of almost 290,000 participants found that people who increased the amount of nuts they ate as they got older gained less weight and were less likely to become obese over those 20 years.

So don’t wait — grab a handful and start enjoying them right away!

Sources:

New study shows snacking on mixed tree nuts may impact cardiovascular risk factors and increase serotonin — EurekAlert!

The post The snack your heart loves that boosts your ‘happy’ hormone appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

I’m talking about a brain aneurysm (more about what that means below).

According to both the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, about 6 percent of us in the United States are living with an unruptured brain aneurysm. In other words, we have no clue it’s there.

If a brain aneurysm ruptures, you may only have minutes to prevent permanent disability or death.

Fortunately, there’s a wealth of information out there, including how to know if you’re at risk for an aneurysm and how to strengthen your blood vessels to decrease the risk of developing one.

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Risks and signs of brain aneurysm

A brain aneurysm is different from a blood clot, which blocks blood flow due to a buildup inside a blood vessel.

In the case of an aneurysm, a bulge forms in a weak area of a blood vessel in or around your brain. The constant blood pressure pushes the weakened section outward, creating a blister-like bump.

When blood rushes into this bulge, the aneurysm stretches even farther. Think of a balloon that’s over-filled with air. As it gets thinner, it is more likely to burst.

Menopausal women have a greater risk of brain aneurysms because of changes in estrogen levels. So do people with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, diabetes, GI conditions and chronic kidney disease.

Other risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, head trauma and certain genetic disorders. And they’re most likely to affect people between the ages of 30 and 60.

Some studies show a strong association between decreased vitamin D levels and an increase in aneurysm rupture. Vitamin D receptors in the endothelial cells of arteries have a protective effect against aneurysm rupture.

An unruptured brain aneurysm may have symptoms, but not always, including pain behind one eye, a dilated pupil, a change in vision or numbness on one side of the face. A leaking one may present as a headache that lasts several days.

When a brain aneurysm ruptures, there may be bleeding between your brain and the thin tissues that cover and protect it (a subarachnoid hemorrhage) or in the space between your skull and your brain (a hemorrhagic stroke).

A ruptured brain aneurysm is a life-or-death emergency. Minutes can count in saving your life or preventing permanent brain damage.

Symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm include:

• thunderclap headache (sudden onset and severe, often described as “the worst headache of my life”)
• nausea and vomiting
• stiff neck
• blurred or double vision
• sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• seizures
• drooping eyelid and a dilated pupil
• pain above and behind your eye
• confusion
• weakness and/or numbness
• loss of consciousness

Call 911 or get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible if you have these symptoms.

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Inflammation’s connection to aneurysms

Preventing inflammation is at the heart of strengthening blood vessels and preventing aneurysms.

Inflammation starts with oxidative stress, an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body that damages tissue and cells — including the endothelial cells that line blood vessels in the brain and elsewhere.

Ensuring you get enough antioxidants is crucial to preventing oxidative stress and inflammation.

So, where do you find all these antioxidants?

Fruits and vegetables. The most important fruits and vegetables and bioactive compounds to prevent endothelial diseases are berries, apples, virgin olive oil, tomatoes, soybeans, and polyphenols, carotenoids and unsaturated fatty acids like you find in walnuts.

The reason vitamin D is helpful is because it improves antioxidant capacity. That means if you bring antioxidants into your body via your diet, vitamin D supports them in doing their job because of vitamin receptors throughout the body. It also inhibits inflammation and regulates nitric oxide bioavailability and endothelial function.

It may seem an aneurysm is a roll of the dice. But that’s not necessarily true. Staying on top of any risk factors, like high blood pressure and diabetes, avoiding lifestyle risk factors for aneurysms, including inflammation, and eating nutrition (particularly fruits and vegetables) that supports your blood vessels can go a long way in reducing that risk.

You Have a 3% Risk of Getting a Brain Aneurysm And Will Probably Never Know — Science Alert

Vitamin D and Endothelial Function — Nutrients

Vitamin D deficiency promotes intracranial aneurysm rupture — Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism

Brain aneurysm — Cleveland Clinic

Mechanisms of Endothelial Protection by Natural Bioactive Compounds from Fruit and Vegetables — Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences

The Role of Oxidative Stress in Cerebral Aneurysm Formation and Rupture — Current Neurovascular Research

The post Brain aneurysm: A not-so-uncommon risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But the risk is higher for most of us than we realize, and if just one sneaks past, the results can be swift and deadly.

Here’s a quick overview, and information on a new therapy you’ll want to know about, especially if your lifestyle, genetics or other factors make you among those who are vulnerable to blood clots…

The danger of blood clots

Blood clots help control bleeding, whether you’re bleeding from a paper cut, a serious injury or even after surgery. But they are not always the protective mechanism we need.

Blood clots are life-threatening if they block blood flow, especially to the brain, heart or lungs.

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in veins deep within your body, usually in your legs, but can travel almost anywhere in your body.

Pulmonary embolism is when a blood clot develops in or travels to the lungs.

Blood clots can also block blood flow to the brain, resulting in stroke, or to the heart and cause a heart attack.

Many factors can lead to excessive blood clotting, which causes blood flow to vital organs to be blocked or limited, including atherosclerosis, or thickening of the arteries.

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The many risk factors for blood clots

The scary thing is that there are so many factors that can make you more vulnerable to a blood clot.

Lifestyle factors that increase your risk include being overweight, smoking, dehydration and sitting too much.

There are also genetic risk factors, like having a family history of clotting, or a personal history of repeated blood clots before age 40.

Finally, other diseases and conditions that can increase blood clot risk include atrial fibrillation, diabetes, heart failure and metabolic syndrome.

Red light’s impact on stroke risk

Recent research from the University of Pittsburgh opens the door to a non-invasive method for lowering blood clot risk.

In this study, lead author Dr. Elizabeth Andraska and her team explored the role of different kinds of light on blood clotting.

They exposed mice to red light for 12 hours a day over a three-day period and found that these mice developed nearly five times fewer clots than mice exposed to either blue or white light. This occurred independently of other factors like activity, sleep, and eating.

They then extended this research to humans, analyzing more than 10,000 cataract surgery patients who received either blue light-filtering lenses or conventional lenses. (A blue light filter allows more red light to come through).

Among them were cancer patients — a population with nine times the risk of blood clots. The cancer patients who received blue light-filtering lenses had a lower risk of blood clots compared to their counterparts with conventional lenses. 

Red light was associated with less inflammation and platelet activation, both well-known key drivers of blood clot formation.

The mice that were exposed to red light also showed increased fatty acid production, a factor that naturally reduces platelet activation and, consequently, clot formation.

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How to avoid blood clots

The effect of different kinds of light on human health has intrigued scientists for years. You may have read how red light therapy could help improve vision and treat skin conditions. Or how blue light may damage sight and accelerate aging.

“These results are unraveling a fascinating mystery about how the light to which we’re exposed on a daily basis influences our body’s response to injury,” says senior author Dr. Matthew Neal.

“We’re designing red light goggles to control the amount of light exposure in preparation for clinical trials,” said Dr. Neal. “Getting to the bottom of our discovery has the potential to massively reduce the number of deaths and disabilities caused by blood clots worldwide.”

But there’s no need to wait before taking steps to lower your blood clot risk. First, be aware of symptoms of a blood clot and take notice of how to reduce your risks including:

• Moving is considered one of the most important ways to avoid a DVT. Incorporate movement, including walking, that works for you into your day, throughout the day.
• Maintaining a healthy weight,
• Don’t sit for long periods. Get up at least every half hour and move around. And wriggle your feet or legs when sitting.
• Elevating your feet, especially during sleep.
• Don’t smoke.
• Add olive oil to your plate. Researchers at the NYU School of Medicine used food frequency surveys to determine how often 63 participants ate olive oil and compared it to their platelet activation. They found that those who ate olive oil at least once a week had much lower platelet activation than participants who ate the oil less often.

Editor’s Note: You’re invited to join a tiny handful of Americans who enjoy rare, fresh-pressed olive oil all year long. Take my word for it, there’s a difference in taste, quality and benefit! Click here to learn more…

Sources:

Red light associated with lowered risk of blood clots — Integrative Practitioner

Red Light Therapy May Reduce Deadly Blood Clots — Neuroscience News

Alterations in visible light exposure modulate platelet function and regulate thrombus formation — Journal of Thrombosis and Homeostasi

Blood clots — Cleveland Clinic

The post How red light signals ‘stop’ to reduce blood clot risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

We’re not necessarily talking about dementia here, but the brain ages along with all of your other parts and experiences changes that can lead to memory issues.

But research has zeroed in on one very important factor concerning how your blood vessels could be responsible for accelerating the age of your brain…

Here’s a summary of that research, along with a dozen ways to help slow down the rate at which your brain is aging…

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Blood vessel health is a must for a youthful brain

A group of researchers at Karolinska Institutet assessed MRI scans and AI tools to estimate the biological brain age in subjects who were 70 years old and had no cognitive impairment.

They also determined the “brain age gap” of each participant by subtracting their estimated biological brain age from their chronological age (according to birth date), while also cross-referencing their medical conditions and lifestyle habits.

From there they were able to determine among 739 participants that when it comes to keeping a young brain, vascular health is of the utmost importance.

In those with poor vascular health, brain aging was accelerated and was linked to a combination of conditions and factors including::

• Lack of physical activity
• Diabetes
• High cerebrovascular burden (conditions that impact blood flow in the brain)
• Stroke
• And inflammation

“A take-home from the study is that factors that adversely affect the blood vessels can also be related to older-looking brains, which shows how important it is to keep your blood vessels healthy, to protect your brain, by making sure, for instance, that your blood glucose level is kept stable,” says neurobiologist Anna Marseglia of the Karolinska Institute.

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A dozen ways to keep your brain young

Older brains tend to be at higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. And since there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, these findings, which suggest ways of protecting against cognitive decline, are hugely valuable.

The good folks at Harvard Health have put together a list of tried, true and researched ways to help keep a brain younger — and most of them will also have a positive impact on blood vessel health…

1. Mental stimulation. Mentally stimulating activities like reading, taking classes, or word and math puzzles develop neurological plasticity, building up a functional reserve that offers a hedge against future cell loss.
2. Physical exercise. Regular exercise adds to the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the brain region that’s responsible for thought. It also encourages development of new nerve cells and increases connections between them.
3. Diet. Studies have shown that the MIND diet can lower dementia risk as much as 20 percent. Similar to the Mediterranean diet, the MIND diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, unsaturated oils like olive oil, and plant-based protein sources.
4. Blood pressure. High blood pressure in midlife increases the risk of cognitive decline in your older years. Some of the other things on this list, like diet and exercise, will help keep your blood pressure under control. In fact, following this advice to get arteries like a 20-year-old, might make your brain almost as young.
5. Blood sugar. The Karolinska study found that managing blood glucose levels can help improve vascular health. Time-restricted eating (also called intermittent fasting) is successful for many people trying to control blood sugar. If your blood sugar is consistently high, consult your doctor.
6. Cholesterol. High levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of dementia. But diet, exercise, and weight control will go a long way toward improving cholesterol levels.
7. Tobacco … avoiding it, of course. Stay away from tobacco in all its forms to improve your vascular health.
8. Alcohol. Excessive drinking has long been linked to dementia. In fact, the Surgeon General has recently called for warning labels on alcohol, just like the ones on cigarettes. If you do drink, make it an occasional thing, not an everyday habit.
9. Emotional well-being. If you’re depressed or sleep-deprived, your cognitive performance will suffer. But anger is especially harmful to vascular health. It’s important to create habits that help manage strong emotions.
10. Social ties. Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.
11. Avoid head injuries. One fall may not make you susceptible to cognitive decline, but repeated injuries can.
12. Low-dose aspirin. A study from researchers at Rush University Medical Center found that aspirin could help reduce brain plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s. If you’re interested, check with your doctor to see if this would benefit you. If aspirin isn’t for you, consider supplementing phosphatidylserine.

Sources:

Poor vascular health accelerates brain aging — Science Daily

Biological brain age and resilience in cognitively unimpaired 70-year-old individuals — Alzheimer’s and Dementia

12 ways to keep your brain young — Harvard Medical School

The post How your blood vessels can accelerate your brain’s age appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And while the condition currently affects up to 11 million Americans, that number is expected to double over the next three decades.

You might think that a condition that leaves so many suffering and steals their independence would have reliable and safe treatment options, but you’d be wrong.

The current treatments for age-related vision loss can vary from having a needle stuck into your eye to high-energy lasers and hit-or-miss drugs — all of which come with undeniable risks.

Luckily, researchers may have finally unlocked the secret to not only warding off — but possibly walking back — the damage that results in vision loss…

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Calcium buildup in the blood vessels of the eye

That secret involves what the researchers believe is an underlying cause of macular degeneration – a protein found in our blood, known as vitronectin.

While there are hundreds of proteins circulating in our bloodstream at any given time, researchers focused on vitronectin because it’s one of the most abundant and an important component of cholesterol.

Vitronectin is also a key player in many age-related diseases, which led the team to believe it may also provide a promising target in the treatment of vision loss associated with aging.

“This protein is an important target for macular degeneration because it accumulates in the back of the eye, causing vision loss. Similar deposits appear in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease and in the arteries in atherosclerosis,” said lead researcher Francesca Marassi, PhD. “We want to understand why this happens and leverage this knowledge to develop new treatments.”

The researchers set out to discover how the protein changes its structure at different temperatures and under varying levels of pressure, illustrating what happens in the human eye over time.

The scientists found that when vitronectin is subjected to pressure, it subtly changes shape — a change that enables it to bind more easily to calcium ions in the blood.

According to the researchers, this is what leads to the buildup of calcified plaque deposits that are hallmarks of macular degeneration and other age-related diseases.

It’s a discovery that researchers say will help them develop treatments for vision loss that block the protein’s calcium binding.

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Balancing calcium in your body

Calcified plaque deposits, whether in the vessels of your eyes or those in your heart, can obviously lead to systemic problems.

But calcium is a beneficial nutrient when the body has the right balance of other nutrients to help it do the jobs it’s meant for.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to help those processes and avoid the circulation problems excess calcium can cause…

For starters, unless your doctor has prescribed calcium supplements for a specific health condition, it’s best to get calcium from foods in your diet. That could help cut down on excess in the first place. Dairy foods are your best source, but salmon, squash, and almonds are also good choices.

Everyone knows the symbiotic relationship between vitamin D and calcium. To absorb calcium efficiently, an adequate amount of vitamin D must be present in the body. We know many Americans, especially seniors have either insufficient or outright deficient vitamin D levels.

Another vital vitamin equally important to balance calcium is vitamin K2.

This important nutrient helps direct calcium from the bloodstream to our bones, where it belongs. Once there, vitamin D’s job begins.

The form of vitamin K2 that’s been studied for its circulatory benefits is known as “MK-7,” and the most plentiful food source of K2 is a fermented Japanese food called natto. It can also be supplemented.

Lastly, natural chelators also help to flush excess calcium.

One such chelator is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or EDTA. EDTA chelation has been used for decades to bind with lead to remove it from the bloodstream. During these processes, it was discovered that it also binds to rogue calcium and removes it from circulation via body waste.

So, if your vision — and circulatory health — are working the way they should, kudos to you. But remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Sources:

How a single protein could unlock age-related vision loss — ScienceDaily

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatment — WebMD

LUCENTIS SIDE EFFECTS CENTER — RX List

The post The weird connection between macular degeneration and calcified plaque appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s actually a fancy term for how stiff or flexible your arteries are. And it’s key to maintaining healthy blood pressure and stopping serious disorders like heart attack, stroke and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, researchers are finding that vascular compliance may be an indicator of another serious health condition that’s become widespread in the U.S. and around the world…

Arterial stiffness as an indicator of diabetes risk

Previous research has shown that high blood pressure (or hypertension) is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. And arterial stiffness, a common finding in people with hypertension, is also connected with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

So researchers set out to see which of these two factors may be more effective in predicting future type 2 diabetes risk, since early intervention can help prevent the onset and slow the progress of the condition.

What they found may change the way doctors identify patients most at risk for diabetes…

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Dr. Anxin Wang, senior study author and a researcher, along with his team, took a close look at health data from over 11,000 participants in the Kailuan study, an ongoing study of adults aged 18 to 98 years in Tangshan, China. That study included measurements of artery wall stiffness, which were calculated by using a brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity — a standard technique that measures the rate at which pressure waves move down the blood vessels.

They compared the risk of type 2 diabetes among people in four groups:

• Those with normal blood pressure and arteries with normal amounts of stiffness (considered “ideal vascular function”).
• Those with normal blood pressure with stiffer arteries.
• Those with high blood pressure and normal artery stiffness.
• Those with high blood pressure with stiffer arteries.

The double cardiovascular whammy

How did the data pan out?

Compared to the group with ideal vascular function:

• Participants with both hypertension and elevated arterial stiffness had the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to the group with ideal vascular function.
• Those with normal blood pressure and stiffer arteries also had an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes compared with the ideal vascular function group.
• Participants with high blood pressure and normal artery stiffness had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes.

If you think that’s surprising, you’re not alone…

“We were surprised to find that people with increased arterial stiffness were more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, whether they had high blood pressure or not,” Wang said. “These results provide strong evidence that measuring arterial stiffness may be a better predictor than blood pressure in determining an individual’s future risk of Type 2 diabetes.”

One thing to note is that the study defines hypertension by the Chinese and international standard of 140 mm Hg/90 mm Hg or greater resting blood pressure. The guideline from the American Heart Association in the U.S. considers hypertension to be blood pressure of 130 mm Hg/80 mm Hg or higher.

They also found that this dangerous combo of high blood pressure and stiffer arteries was more likely to occur in:

• Men
• Older people
• Those who had a higher body mass index and higher heart rate and reported smoking and drinking alcohol

As if the news wasn’t bad enough, those with increased arterial stiffness also had higher fasting blood glucose and cholesterol levels compared to participants who did not.

“These findings provide new insight into the prevention of type 2 diabetes, indicating that early detection and treatment for high blood pressure and arterial stiffness may help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” Wang says.

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Supporting your arteries

The American Heart Association says several healthy lifestyle choices will reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by keeping your heart healthy. They identify them as “Life’s Essential 8” and it’s great advice to follow — so check out the link for their checklist.

But how can you keep your arteries from stiffening up? Turns out there is one thing you can do right away…

Increase your vitamin K2 intake. Vitamin K2 has been shown in multiple studies to be supportive of the health of the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in the walls of your arteries. These cells are what keep our arteries smooth and flexible when we’re young. Unfortunately, as we age, the VSMC in our arteries age along with us and don’t function as well.

In one study, vitamin K2 has been found to hamper the death (or apoptosis) of VSMC, as well as reduce changes in the VSMC phenotype.

Another study indicates increased vitamin K2 may reduce arterial stiffness, slow the progression of vascular and valvular calcification, lower the incidence of diabetes and coronary artery disease and reduce death from cardiovascular causes.

There’s a high level of vitamin K2 deficiency among the U.S population, and some experts believe the recommended intake is suboptimal. So adding foods with vitamin K2 will help boost your levels.

You can get vitamin K2 from animal sources like beef, bison, goose, dairy products, chicken and organ meats like liver and some leafy greens. But a specific form of vitamin K2 known as MK7 has shown in research to be especially beneficial to increase arterial elasticity. A great source of MK7 is natto, a Japanese dish made of fermented soybeans.

Sources:

Artery stiffness may predict Type 2 diabetes risk better than BP and standard risk factors — American Heart Association

Vitamin K2—a neglected player in cardiovascular health: a narrative review — openheart

Vitamin K2 – Vital for Health and Wellbeing — Kappa Bioscience

The post The diabetes warning that comes from your arteries appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

The makers of sildenafil, the drug behind the famous brand, are constantly looking for off-label uses so doctors have more reasons to prescribe it.

To that end, past research has found it may be helpful for pulmonary hypertension, mountain sickness, Raynaud’s phenomenon and even heart disease.

The reason it could improve most of these conditions lies in its ability to enhance nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation. In other words, improving oxygenated blood flow (obviously to places other than the penis).

Now, thanks to the increase in nitric oxide that Viagra offers, scientists are finding it could be key in easing symptoms for those living with two specific lung conditions…

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Increasing blood flow to the lungs

Specifically, the research looked at two lung diseases that are not only incurable but also frequently get worse over time despite the use of the best available treatment options.

Those diseases are pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

PAH is fortunately a relatively rare disease that causes breathing difficulties and heart strain due to elevated pressure in the arteries of the lungs.

On the other hand, IPF is more common and is a result of repeated and chronic thickening, stiffening and scarring of the lungs.

So, how can Viagra be used to help even the worst of the worst lung diseases? It’s all about that nitric oxide we talked about earlier.

Viagra works by blocking the work of an enzyme called phosphodiesterase. And through a complex pathway involving other molecules, it ultimately increases nitric oxide in the body, which helps smooth muscles relax and blood vessels dilate — that process known as vasodilation.

So, how did Viagra and the nitric oxide boost it offers stack up against those lung diseases?

When pitted against PAH, Viagra:

• Reduced the number of “clinical worsening events” like disease progression and hospitalization by 12.7 percent compared to placebo
• Increased markers of exercise capacity, measured by a six-minute walk test, by almost 50 meters

And when it came to IPF, a Viagra-like drug showed promise in patients with combined interstitial lung disease, including the hard-to-treat disease.

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Beyond the blue pill

Unless directed by a doctor, taking Viagra isn’t the only way to get a nitric oxide boost. And there are many reasons healthy people would want to…

Athletes swear by it to improve endurance.

It also improves stamina and can help against altitude sickness.

And numerous studies show nitric oxide is the pathway to better blood vessels, blood pressure and blood flow.

How can you increase your natural nitric oxide levels without popping a pill?

1. Increase L-arginine intake – When you consume the amino acid L-arginine, it’s broken down and used by your body to produce nitric oxide. And it’s easy to up your intake by eating foods like spinach, lobster, crab, turkey, fish and chicken.
2. Try beetroot powder – Beets are packed with dietary nitrates that are converted to nitrites and then to nitric oxide in your gut, bloodstream and organs. This makes beetroot powder a great way to level up your nitric oxide to help the smooth muscles relax and get more oxygenated blood flow to the organs. Spinach is also a good source.
3. Limit salt intake – Be sure to keep the salt in your diet minimal since research has shown it can diminish nitric oxide production.

Sources:

Viagra’s Other Uses — Science Daily

Popular Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Eases Symptoms in Lung Disease — sciencealert

Viagra Side Effects by Likelihood and Severity — WebMD

Could Viagra Help Prevent and Treat Alzheimer’s Disease? — AARP

The post New use for that little blue pill: Breathing easier appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Conventional wisdom says that chest pain, sweating and shortness of breath are the classic signs of a heart attack.

And while this is true, there are other signs that aren’t talked about nearly as often, if at all.

They can be subtle, and they can differ from person to person.

When cardiologists were asked to share some weird symptoms that people often brush off, but that could be signs of a serious heart problem, here’s what they came up with…

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9 symptoms you should never ignore

1. A sinking feeling in your chest. People describe this in many different ways — like a goldfish flipping around in their chest, for example, or that sinking feeling you get in an elevator when it starts to descend quickly.

Don’t brush off any new or strange chest sensations. Bring them to your doctor, who will do an EKG and possibly send you home with a heart monitor. You could have a heart rhythm disorder like atrial fibrillation.

Keeping a log of what’s happening when you experience this sensation is also a good idea.

2. Whooshing in the ear. “Sometimes there are peripheral symptoms that one wouldn’t think are cardiovascular at all that could be a manifestation of cardiovascular disease,” says cardiologist Dr. Heather Gornick, who’s also a professor in the school of medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

“And the one I see the most is patients who have a pulsating sound in the ear,” often in tune with their heartbeat. 

Known as pulsatile tinnitus, it can signal a narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood between heart and brain, as well as with arterial blockages, tears and aneurysms.

3. Pain or fatigue in the legs while walking. This could be a manifestation of peripheral artery disease (PAD), where the arteries carrying blood to the legs get clogged. It’s associated with a greater risk of heart attack, stroke and early death.

If this feeling persists for a week or two, see your doctor. They’ll do a physical exam and an ankle-brachial index test, which measures blood pressure in your legs and arms.

PAD is a serious condition that, left unaddressed, can lead to amputation.

4. Changes in your feet or legs. Peripheral edema (swollen feet, legs and ankles) can be a sign of congestive heart failure. If the swelling is in both feet rather than just one, and it comes back for a few days in a row, it’s time to see your doctor.

Also keep an eye out for abrupt color changes. Blood clots can turn your legs purple or, in some cases, totally pale and white. Blood clots are a medical emergency.

5. Jaw or neck pain with exertion. If it’s triggered by exertion and relieved by rest, get it checked out. Your doctor will do a stress test to see if you’re at heightened risk of a heart attack or stroke.

6. Indigestion and nausea. That chest discomfort and belching may not be the tacos you ate for dinner. It could signal ischemic heart disease. If it doesn’t go away, call your doctor.

Pay attention to nausea, too, especially if you’re also feeling jaw or back pain, lightheadedness or unusual fatigue.

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7. Carpal tunnel discomfort paired with shortness of breath. Wrist pain after typing, pins and needles, or hand weakness when accompanied by shortness of breath, may be symptoms of cardiac amyloidosis, when proteins deposit in the heart and disrupt function. Nowadays, there are effective treatments for this condition.

8. Sudden stabbing chest pain. This could be caused by aortic dissection, a tear in one of the body’s major arteries. If not caught in time, half of those who experience this will die. This is a medical emergency that will probably require open-heart surgery.

9. A hard time with regular daily activities. Valvular disease indicates the heart’s valves are not working like they should be. That can make someone feel tired and not up to tasks they’d normally had no problem with. They may require frequent rest breaks.

It’s important to alert your doctor if you notice feeling this way when doing regular activities, like housework, grocery shopping, driving or taking a walk.

Sources:

9 Weird Symptoms Cardiologists Say You Should Never Ignore — Time

The post 9 strange symptoms of heart trouble you can’t ignore appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But a vitamin K deficiency, while rare, puts us at risk for some life-threatening conditions.

Vitamin K is needed to produce prothrombin, a protein that makes our blood clot. Without prothrombin, we’d bleed to death from a simple cut or scrape.

Vitamin K also activates proteins needed for bone growth and development.

Now, a study has confirmed yet another life-saving role played by this little-known, and somewhat confusing, vitamin.

Two types of vitamin K

There are actually two types of vitamin K commonly found in the human diet, and they come from very different food sources.

Plants produce vitamin K1. Eating more broccoli, spinach, kale and Brussels sprouts will give you more vitamin K1.

On the other hand, vitamin K2 comes in several different subtypes, most of which are found in animal products, such as pork, egg yolks, cheeses, butter and chicken.

Two subtypes of K2 are found in fermented foods, especially natto, a popular Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans.

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K1 plus K2: Good for your heart

Past studies have shown that supplementing with vitamin K as we age can help reduce calcium deposits in our arteries, which can lead to hardening of the arteries and heart problems.

Building on this research, a group of Australian and Danish researchers has teamed up to confirm the importance of vitamin K in promoting artery health. If you’re concerned about hardening of the arteries, this information will help you make better food choices.

The researchers looked at data from more than 50,000 people who were part of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health study over a 23-year period.

They wanted to find out whether people who ate more foods containing vitamin K had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease caused by plaque buildup in the arteries.

They discovered that people with the highest intakes of vitamin K1 were 21% less likely to be hospitalized with cardiovascular disease related to hardening of the arteries. For vitamin K2, the risk of being hospitalized was 14% lower.

The researchers even go so far as to say that if you load your plate with healthy food choices rich in both types of vitamin K, it’s possible to see a total reduction of conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels up to 34%!

How much vitamin K do you need?

The recommended daily intake of vitamin K is 90 micrograms (mcg) a day for women and 120 mcg a day for men.

“Current dietary guidelines for the consumption of vitamin K are generally only based on the amount of vitamin K1 a person should consume to ensure that their blood can coagulate,” says Dr. Nicola Bondonno, senior researcher on the study.

“However, there is growing evidence that intakes of vitamin K above the current guidelines can afford further protection against the development of other diseases, such as atherosclerosis.”

In other words, if you only get the minimum requirement of vitamin K, you’re making sure your blood coagulates well. Still, you’ll need more than that to keep your arteries healthy and to support your heart properly — you’ll also need vitamin K2 to help regulate calcium deposition.

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How to add Vitamin K to your diet

It’s not too difficult to add more of this important vitamin to your diet.

Vitamin K1 is found in:

• Kale
• Collard greens
• Spinach
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli
• Turnip greens
• Swiss chard
• Mustard greens

Vitamin K2 is found in:

• Chicken
• Egg yolks
• Butter
• Pork
• Hard cheeses
• Beef liver
• Natto (a Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans)

Sources:

Growing evidence of vitamin K benefits for heart health — Eureka Alert

Vitamin K Intake and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the Danish Diet Cancer and Health Study — Journal of the American Heart Association

Vitamin K: The vitamin with a split personality — Easy Health Options

Menaquinone-7 supplementation improves arterial stiffness in healthy postmenopausal women. A double-blind randomised clinical trial — Thrombosis and Haemostasis

The post Higher vitamin K intake lowers risks to heart and blood vessels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These days, I love having the occasional cookie with my afternoon tea, and I often reach for a square of chocolate after dinner.

I know sugar is not great for my health, but it doesn’t stop me from craving those sweet treats, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who gives in occasionally.

But the reasons for keeping that to a bare minimum are compelling, to say the least…

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Sweet tooth, sour health results

New research from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom took a look at food preferences of 180,000 volunteers within the UK Biobank and grouped them into three general profiles:

• Health-conscious: prefers fruits and vegetables over animal-based and sweet foods and has higher dietary fiber intake
• Omnivore: Likes most foods, including meats, fish and some vegetables, as well as sweets and desserts 
• Sweet tooth: Prefers sweet foods and sugary drinks; is less interested in healthier options like fruit and vegetables 

Then, researchers examined data on blood samples to measure 2,923 proteins — known for helping with functions including fighting infections to contracting muscles — and 168 metabolites — small molecules produced during digestion and other chemical processes in the body — that can indicate how well our body is functioning. 

By comparing these blood-based proteins and metabolites, the researchers were able to get a clearer picture of any biological differences between the three groups. And their findings were alarming…

The sweet tooth group was 31 percent more likely to have depression and had higher rates of diabetes and vascular heart conditions (or stroke) compared to the other two groups.

“The foods that you like or dislike seem to directly link to your health,” says Nophar Geifman, senior author of the study and a professor at the University of Surrey. “If your favorite foods are cakes, sweets and sugary drinks, then our study’s results suggest that this may have negative effects on your health.

“Processed sugar is a key factor in the diet of many, and these results are yet more evidence that, as a society, we should do all that we can to think before we eat, stressing that no one wants to tell people what to do, our job is just informing people,” Geifman adds.

The researchers also saw differences in standard blood biochemistry tests. The sweet tooth group had higher levels of:

• C reactive protein, a marker for inflammation.
• Glucose and poor lipid profiles, both strong warning signs for diabetes and heart disease.

By contrast, the health-conscious group had lower risks for heart failure, chronic kidney diseases and stroke. The omnivore group had moderate health risks.

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Tricking your sweet taste buds

On average in the UK, between 9 and 12.5 percent of an individual’s calories come from free sugar, or sugar that is added to food and drink. Cookies, buns, cakes, pastries and fruit pies are the biggest single contributors for adults; however, when taken together, sugary soft drinks and alcoholic drinks contribute the most to free sugar intake.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting calories from added sugars to 10 percent of daily intake, or about 12 teaspoons for a 2,000-calorie diet. Unfortunately, the average American gets about 18 and a half teaspoons of added sugars every day.

Cutting back on sugar can be tough for people with a sweet tooth, but there are ways to fool your taste buds into thinking they’re getting sugary satisfaction without actually consuming added sugars. The simplest way is to reach for fruit.

Berries are a great choice for a few reasons, but one that’s especially relevant to taming your sweet tooth…

A study from researchers at Loughborough University in England saw that munching on berries in the afternoon helped people consume significantly less food throughout the day. In their test, the researchers found that people who snacked on berries ate less at a later meal than folks who snacked on bars, cookies or other confectionery snacks.

Sources:

Having a sweet tooth is linked to higher risk of depression, diabetes, and stroke, study finds — EurekAlert!

Artificial intelligence driven definition of food preference endotypes in UK Biobank volunteers is associated with distinctive health outcomes and blood based metabolomic and proteomic profiles — Journal of Translational Medicine

Cut Down on Added Sugars — ODPHP

The post Stroke among sour health risks of a sweet tooth appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

An estimated 18 percent of the world’s population has MCI and, sadly, anywhere from 10 to 15 percent will progress to dementia.

While there’s no cure for MCI, dementia or Alzheimer’s, previous research has shown that early detection and monitoring can slow the destructiveness of the condition and prolong life.

But for decades, doctors have relied on physical exams and assessments to gauge mental capacity. Neurological exams, lab tests and brain imagining have helped rule out other conditions.  

Brain imaging has also come closer to finding physical signs of cognitive decline, based on previous research connecting high blood pressure and high cholesterol with MCI.

But research from the OU College of Medicine may have found a better predictor for MCI in the brain’s blood vessels…

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A deeper focus on the brain’s blood vessels

“People with mild cognitive impairment are at highest risk for the next step, which is dementia,” said Calin Prodan, M.D., a professor of neurology in the OU College of Medicine and a co-author of a paper revealing new details about the brain, blood flow and cognitive decline.

“We’re trying to decipher the ‘fingerprints’ of mild cognitive impairment — what happens to the brain when a person moves from healthy aging to mild cognitive impairment, and is there something we can do to intervene and prevent the decline to dementia?”

He and his team focused on the brain’s vasculature or network of blood vessels, and how it behaves differently in older adults with MCI in hopes of improving early detection and potential treatments.

They took brain measurements in different groups of people at three stages of life: young adults; older adults with aging but healthy brains; and older adults with MCI. Each group played a short memory challenge game on a computer while having the blood flow in their brains measured. They saw that:

• Blood flow increased in the brains of young adults, giving their brains the energy needed to meet the demands of the game, a process known as neurovascular coupling.
• In people with healthy aging brains, the blood flow didn’t increase as much, but their brains compensated by engaging other regions to help with the challenge, a process called functional connectivity.
• In the brains of older adults with MCI, not only was the blood flow greatly reduced, they lost functional connectivity.

“People with mild cognitive impairment have lost that compensation mechanism,” says Dr. Cameron Owens, lead author of the study. “There is a drastic change in brain activity in those with mild cognitive impairment.”

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Damaged blood vessels predict MCI

The researchers also conducted another assessment, a liquid biopsy, to gain more insight. This blood analysis measured the amount of cerebrovascular endothelial extracellular vesicles (CEEVs), tiny particles released from the cells lining the brain’s blood vessels. Existing research shows when the inner lining of these blood vessels is damaged, it secretes CEEVs.

People with MCI had more CEEVs in their brains than those with healthy aging brains. And MRI images confirmed that people with higher levels of CEEVs also had more ischemic damage, which means the small vessels in their brains did not receive adequate blood supply.

These findings could lead to earlier prevention or treatment of memory problems before they progress to dementia. That’s the hope of these researchers who are in year two of a four-year study.

In the meantime, why not work on improving your brain’s blood flow?

Research that used lifestyle data from the famous Framingham Heart Study found that 18 percent of adults 50 and older had healthy blood vessels. But in folks over 70 — only 1 percent did.

How did they do it? People who had healthy blood vessels also had healthy lifestyles that included exercise. Exercise, even just walking, gets your blood pumping. But if you haven’t been active or you’re getting up in age, you may need extra help.

That’s as simple as eating or drinking blueberries. Researchers at the University of Exeter in England found older adults who drank blueberry juice every day improved their cognition scores by 40 percent and their memory scores by 30 percent. And here’s why…

MRI scans of those who drank blueberry juice showed increases in both brain blood flow and gray matter activity.

Bottoms up!

Sources:

1. Brain vasculature changes important for predicting cognitive impairment — EurekAlert!

2. Neurovascular coupling, functional connectivity, and cerebrovascular endothelial extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment — Alzheimer’s & Dementia

3. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — Mayo Clinic

4. Remnant cholesterol and mild cognitive impairment: A cross-sectional study — Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

The post Brain’s blood vessels reveal path to halt cognitive decline appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s an issue that can be caused by big players like prescription drug issues and vascular disease. But it can also be a result of hidden issues that are often overlooked.

Sadly, as if the problems associated with erectile dysfunction or ED aren’t enough on their own, men who live with the condition also experience a significantly higher risk of early death.

This makes finding a way to maintain healthy erectile function vital in men’s health.

Luckily, scientists at the Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University in Sweden may have discovered the secret to doing just that.

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The cells that make an erection possible

The secret they found was in cells in the penis known as fibroblasts.

While fibroblasts are the most abundant type of cell in the penis, they’ve been almost completely ignored in ED research… and we’re learning just how big that oversight has been.

It turns out that fibroblasts play a very important role in regulating blood flow in the penis — an essential mechanism for making a penis erect.

Fibroblasts control the ability to achieve a strong erection by taking up the neurotransmitter noradrenaline — which leads to the widening of blood vessels in the penis.

But whether or not the process works depends on how many fibroblasts there are. And since that number decreases with age, it’s easy to see why levels of ED begin to skyrocket in men over 40.

But there’s good news…

The scientists also discovered a way to maintain a youthful number of fibroblasts in the penis — and therefore, youthful erections.

They found that the more frequently an erection is achieved, the more fibroblasts are maintained and vice versa.

“It’s not so strange really. If you exert yourself a lot, your body adapts. If you run regularly, it will eventually become easier to breathe while running,” says Christian Göritz, senior researcher for the study.

In other words, to keep erectile dysfunction at bay, the old “use it or lose it” saying really works.

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Boosting erection ability

But what if you’re already experiencing troubles with ED? Is there a way to start improving erection ability in order to achieve regular results and nurture the number of precious fibroblasts in the penis?

The answer is yes!

Just a few things you can do to support strong, healthy erections include:

• Boosting nitric oxide – Nitric oxide or NO is a molecule that supports the widening of the blood vessels, including the ones in the penis so that healthy blood flow can be achieved. The easiest way to up your nitric oxide is to get healthy nitrates in your diet from beets or beetroot powder.
• Getting regular exercise – Sexual health and overall health and fitness go hand-in-hand. That’s why men should not only practice aerobic exercises — but also add in a variety of other activities, such as floor exercise, weights and even Kegel exercises to optimize sexual function.
• Going Mediterranean – The Mediterranean diet is packed with fresh fruits, veggies, fish and nuts that support heart and blood vessel health and help raise testosterone levels to combat ED further. In fact, it’s been shown to improve erectile dysfunction by up to 40 percent!

Sources:

Erectile dysfunction statistics 2024 — SingleCare

Fibroblasts in the penis are more important for erectile function than previously thought — EurekAlert!

The post The secret to better erectile function: Use it or lose it appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Medications can help, but most of my patients are interested in minimizing their need for those and deploying every lifestyle avenue available to achieve their BP goal. Losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising regularly, sleeping well, managing stress, and avoiding sodium and stimulants (like caffeine and alcohol) can all make a big difference.

But new research opens yet another avenue to lower blood pressure readings — spirituality and gratitude.

A groundbreaking study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session found that people with high blood pressure who engaged in daily spiritual practices saw their systolic blood pressure drop by an average of 7 mmHg. This is a medication-level reduction!

In addition, participants also experienced improvements in the health of their blood vessels, as measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a key marker of cardiovascular health.

The Power of Spirituality and Gratitude

The study, conducted in Brazil, followed 100 patients with hypertension over 12 weeks. Half of the participants received daily messages via their smartphones, designed to encourage spiritual reflection and practices such as gratitude, optimism, and forgiveness. These messages were simple yet impactful, inviting participants to take a few moments out of their day to focus on life’s purpose or complete small tasks like sending a message of thanks to someone.

The results were striking. Alongside the 7 mmHg drop in blood pressure, participants in the spirituality group saw their FMD increase by 4.5 percent, indicating healthier blood vessels and better cardiovascular function overall. In contrast, those who didn’t receive the intervention actually experienced a decline in FMD by 3 percent.

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Spirituality Without Boundaries

One of the most compelling aspects of this study is that the intervention wasn’t tied to any specific religious tradition. Instead, it focused on universal concepts such as gratitude and forgiveness, making it accessible to anyone regardless of faith background. 

While previous studies have hinted at the connection between spirituality and heart health, most have been observational, making it difficult to prove a direct link. This new study adds to the growing body of evidence that suggests focusing on positive emotions can lead to measurable health improvements.

Our Complex Self

In medical school, we are taught to look at the body in bits and pieces. Organ systems, targeted pharmaceuticals, treatment sub-specialization.  But when doctors finally go into practice, if they are observant and curious enough, they quickly see that nothing about the human body or human health is separate or isolatable.  

This is why relying only on targeted pharmaceuticals represents a narrow view of health and healing.  Each of us has the ability to help ourselves heal from within.  That doesn’t mean drugs are bad — but why not leverage our complexity to our advantage?  Including our emotions.  

Remember, a key pillar of healthy longevity is a sense of purpose and joy – a sense that is supported by feelings of gratitude, optimism and forgiveness.  What this new research confirms is that those emotions don’t just make us feel good —  they also measurably improve health. 

The post Study links spirituality to healthier blood pressure appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Inflammation is a characteristic of RA and a host of other diseases. One of those other diseases is heart disease, which people with RA are more susceptible to.

All this inflammation may be why people with RA are also twice as likely to develop blood vessel disease, which can lead to serious complications, as well as an increased risk of premature death.

One such blood vessel disease is atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, which occurs when sticky fatty plaques build up on the walls of the arteries, restricting blood flow. These blockages can also break free and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers want to understand why RA patients are at a higher risk of these health problems so they can develop better treatments. One recent discovery they’ve made could mean there’s good news on that horizon…

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The magic of molecule RvT4

To better understand the causes of blood vessel disease in people with RA, a team of UK researchers explored the role of a group of molecules called 13-series resolvins (RvTs). Studies in arthritis have found that levels of one of these molecules, RvT4, are significantly reduced, which indicates a higher degree of blood vessel disease.

In the study, the researchers treated arthritis mice with RvT4. This resulted in reduced blood vessel inflammation through the reprogramming of macrophages, a group of white blood cells accumulated in the diseased vessels, to release stored lipids.

The team observed these lipids were preventing the macrophages from doing their usual tasks of clearing dead cells and reducing inflammation in the blood vessels. Once they released these lipids, the macrophages were able to move and work more effectively to reduce the causes of atherosclerosis.

To put it simply, treatment with RvT4 could enhance the body’s natural defenses against atherosclerosis.

“The study is important because it identifies for the first time the loss of RvT4 production as a potential new cause of blood vessel inflammation in the context of arthritis, offering a mechanistic explanation on the cause of this important disease in RA patients,” says Jesmond Dalli, a professor at Queen Mary University of London.

Often, RA patients also have metabolic dysfunction, which is thought to make vascular disease worse. So, the researchers gave RvT4 to mice engineered to develop characteristics of metabolic dysfunction, advanced atherosclerosis and arthritis. And this led to an overall decrease in lipoprotein-associated cholesterol and an increase in the ratio of HDL cholesterol to total cholesterol.

This is a breakthrough in understanding the processes involved in atherosclerosis in RA patients and could lead to better treatments for people who have RA and are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

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Getting resolvins naturally

As exciting as this research is, it will be years before its medical potential is realized. Until research into this molecule discovery results in new treatments, you may find it helpful to add omega-3 fatty acids to your diet.

One study found resolvins are formed from omega-3s and bind to a receptor called GPR32. This activates the receptor’s ability to counteract inflammation in blood vessels essentially switching off the inflammation and stimulating tissue repair and healing.

Omega-3s are primarily found in oily fish, like mackerel, sardines, salmon, herring and oysters. If you don’t or can’t eat seafood, you can also get omega-3s from flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts and soybeans.

Unfortunately, you’d have to eat large amounts of these foods to get the recommended amount of omega-3s.

But supplementing is safe and easy, especially if it contains krill oil, which has a structure that makes it easier for cells to absorb, which also equates to little or no “fish burps.” Also, krill oil tends to be cleaner, lacking the high mercury levels and other contaminants often found in fish oil.

Sources:

Study finds new treatment to reverse inflammation and arterial blockages in rheumatoid arthritis — ScienceDaily

Resolvin T4 enhances macrophage cholesterol efflux to reduce vascular disease — Nature Communications

Rheumatoid arthritis — World Health Organization

Rheumatoid Arthritis — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The post The weird connection between RA and atherosclerosis appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

This flexibility makes me feel younger. But now I’m finding out that it may help me live to the ripe old age of 100 that my mother reached.

That’s my goal. If you, too, are concerned about living longer, read on.

There’s some encouraging research showing that staying flexible, rather than just strong, could the best flex for a long life…

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Flexibility correlates with a longer life

An international research team from the United States, Europe, and Canada analyzed data on 3,139 people between the ages of 46 to 65.

By scoring them on passive range of motion involving different joints, they obtained a body flexibility score which they call a Flexindex. Scores can range from zero to 80.

Over a follow-up period of almost 13 years, 302 of these people died — and results showed that those who survived had a higher Flexindex score than those who passed away.

In fact, Flexindex scores were nearly ten percent higher for survivors than for those who died over the course of the study. This was true of both men and women.

After taking age, body mass index and health status into account, men and women with a low Flexindex had a 1.87- and 4.78-times higher risk of dying, respectively, than those with a high Flexindex. For women that’s almost 5 percent!

Stretching increases flexibility and longevity

What is it about stretching that could have such a powerful effect?

For one thing, stretching has already been linked to reduced arterial stiffness and lower blood pressure, key contributors to healthy aging.

Even “passive stretching,” which is when another person such as a workout partner or physical therapist assists you in stretching, was shown to improve blood flow and blood vessel dilation.

Stretching also makes you more flexible and improves range of motion. These qualities can help you keep moving and may also improve balance to prevent falls that can happen with age.

Makes me wonder if the link between stretching and longevity has to do with the flexibility you gain from making stretching a regular part of your exercise routine.

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Fighting a major ‘scourge of aging’

One of the biggest threats to longevity is sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass due to the natural aging process.

Most people begin losing muscle tissue around age 40. With this loss comes a gradual reduction in muscle strength and function. By age 50, as our body becomes less able to convert protein into muscle, we are losing one percent to two percent of our muscle mass every year.

In our 60s and 70s, this loss becomes even more rapid. We lose muscle fibers, and the ones we have are shrinking. It also increases the risk of other life-threatening conditions like diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia and heart disease.

I don’t know about you, but this is enough to kick all my “I can’t exercise” excuses to the curb.

How to get started

“Sounds great – but I need some direction.”

No problem! Numerous free videos are easy to access online that anyone can incorporate into the busiest of days. If you are new to stretching, look for beginner-level videos.

How much time should you invest in daily stretches?

Previous research found that just 30 minutes of stretching a day was enough for participants to see big changes in blood pressure across three types of measurement.

And if you’re ready to make a bigger commitment to learning a new technique, head for the nearest yoga studio and take some beginners’ classes. Yoga is easy on most bodies (especially the joints) and has been tied to a host of improvements in physical and mental well-being.

Sources:

Can flexibility help people live longer? — Eureka Alert

Reduced body flexibility is associated with poor survival in middle aged men and women a prospective cohort study — Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports

The post Flexibility may be the easiest flex for a longer life appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

But what if these two seemingly separate conditions were more connected than we ever thought?

A new study suggests that the health of our hearts and brains might be more closely linked than we imagined and that this connection could hold the key to slowing down the onset — and progression — of Alzheimer’s disease.

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The Role of the Blood-Brain Barrier

When I was in medical school, I spent a lot of time learning about the endothelium — the thin layer of specialized cells that lines the inside of blood vessels. This layer governs what enters artery walls (like cholesterol) and determines how well blood vessels dilate (like in response to exercise). 

I also learned that inside the brain the endothelium is a bit different. There, endothelial cells are so tightly packed that there’s almost no space for anything to slip through without help. This fairly impervious “blood-brain barrier” is designed specifically to protect the brain from being infiltrated by unwanted visitors and compounds, keeping bacteria, viruses and many potential toxins out.

As we age, this barrier can develop tiny imperfections that make it less effective. And new research is showing that it’s the changes in the blood-brain barrier that might be a key factor leading to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, preceding noticeable symptoms like memory loss.

White Matter: The Brain’s Information Superhighway

So, what happens when the blood-brain barrier starts to break down? The answer lies in white matter, the part of the brain responsible for transmitting nerve impulses quickly and efficiently.

Unlike gray matter, which is made up of neural cell bodies, white matter consists of myelinated axon fibers that transmit instructions essential for tasks like memory, problem-solving, and coordination.

Researchers have discovered that when the blood-brain barrier becomes damaged, oxidative stress and inflammation can be seen within brain tissue. This, in turn, can negatively affect the efficiency of signal transmission within white matter, resulting in cognitive issues and memory deficits — the hallmark symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

New Insights from Recent Research

A study, in which researchers examined the brains of 28 individuals over the age of 65, revealed that brain blood vessels from those with Alzheimer’s disease didn’t dilate properly — a clear sign of endothelial dysfunction.  

In addition, they saw increased numbers of astrocytes in Alzheimer’s brains.  Astrocytes are specialized brain cells that normally help regulate the exchange of nutrients and waste between the brain and blood.  

In the Alzheimer’s patients, these cells appeared more reactive and inflammatory, another indication of a weakened blood-brain barrier — and a mechanism through which white matter signal transmission could be affected.

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Why This Matters

The good news is that unlike neurodegeneration, which is often irreversible, the inflammation and damage to the blood-brain barrier might be something we can address through lifestyle changes.

After all, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and improving blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels have all been shown to improve endothelial function in heart arteries.  

They may be more tightly packed, but brain endothelial cells there are just like the ones found in the heart and should respond positively to the same positive lifestyle changes. 

In other words, by preventing endothelial dysfunction in general (or stopping its progression) we might be able to extend the period of normal cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.  

The Bottom Line

Taking care of your heart isn’t just about preventing heart disease — it’s also a smart way to keep your brain healthy as you age. 

With every serving of Step One Foods, you’re getting the precise nutrients proven to not only lower cholesterol (as we’ve shown in a peer-reviewed published clinical trial) but to also boost endothelial function and improve heart health, as hundreds of studies supporting the ingredient composition of our products will attest.  I can’t claim that Step One Foods prevents Alzheimer’s disease — we’ve never done that trial — but given the central role of blood vessel function in this condition, I believe we can help.

The post Can You Slow Down Alzheimer’s by Taking Care of Your Heart? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

These powerful little free radical scavengers have been shown to do everything from guarding against Alzheimer’s to warding off diabetes.

But there’s a special class of antioxidants you may not have heard of — anthocyanins.

These are a subtype of dietary polyphenols — those amazing compounds found in brightly colored fruits and vegetables, like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, red wine, eggplant, red cabbage, red/purple grapes and red-fleshed peaches and apples.

They can also help switch off the low-grade inflammation associated with heart disease and other chronic conditions.

Now, a study from King’s College London has found the perfect source of these polyphenols — one that if you snack on daily may significantly improve your heart and blood vessel function.

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Not just for Thanksgiving

In a clinical trial, the London researchers found that daily consumption of powdered cranberries for one month improved cardiovascular function in healthy men.

The study included 45 healthy men who consumed nine grams of whole cranberry powder (the equivalent of 100g of fresh cranberries per day) or a placebo for one month.

And what the researchers found was impressive.

The men benefited from a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which signals improvement in heart and blood vessel function. Basically, FMD is a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk and measures how blood vessels widen when blood flow increases.

FMD improved two hours after the first consumption of cranberry powder and after one month of daily consumption.

In other words, the berry powder appeared to go to work right away and kept working long term.

In addition, the researchers were able to identify specific metabolites in the blood of the men that resulted in positive effects on the heart and blood vessels.

Overall, the researchers concluded that cranberries can play an important role in supporting cardiovascular health and good blood vessel function.

Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, senior author of the study, said: “The increases in polyphenols and metabolites in the bloodstream and the related improvements in flow-mediated dilation after cranberry consumption emphasize the important role cranberries may play in cardiovascular disease prevention.

“The fact that these improvements in cardiovascular health were seen with an amount of cranberries that can be reasonably consumed daily makes cranberry an important fruit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease for the general public.”

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Getting the most from your berries

This study was supported by The Cranberry Institute — but don’t let their interests dissuade you. Polyphenolic pigments, like anthocyanins, regardless of which berry the research is done on, have solid evidence behind their health benefits.

Cranberries, blueberries and chokeberries (Aronia berry) do stand out though. They are rich in unique proanthocyanidins that have distinct properties compared to polyphenols found in other fruits.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, proanthocyanidins may protect the heart and cardiovascular system because they reduce the risk of blood clots and this may lower the risk of a heart attack.

They also work as antioxidants and block nitrosamines from forming and protect healthy cells from their effects.

If you want to kick their benefits up a notch, enjoy them with a dairy product.

Alpha-casein, a protein found in cow’s milk, helped rats being fed blueberries absorb more of the anthocyanins and their byproducts from the fruit.

So why not eat your cranberries — or favorite berry of choice — with a nice, cold glass of milk.

Or you could even mix them into yogurt with granola to create a heart-healthy breakfast parfait.

Sources:

100g of cranberries a day improves cardiovascular health, study finds — ScienceDaily

The post The berry that improved heart and blood vessel function in 30 days appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Even when you don’t break out in hives or have any symptoms, your immune system could still be silently producing IgE antibodies — which are proteins produced by the immune system to protect the body from allergens.

That means if an adverse reaction like sneezing, swelling, pain, diarrhea or itchy skin doesn’t alert you that you’re allergic to certain foods, you’ll continue eating them and could experience atypical problems that might fly under the radar, like behavior and mood changes.

But new research shows that there’s an even greater danger caused by undiagnosed food allergies — one that could harm your heart on par with the effects of smoking…

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Discovery of the allergy-heart disease connection

It all started with a tick — but it certainly didn’t end there…

Researchers at the University of Virginia took note of an unusual food allergy that has a known link to heart disease.

Known as “red meat allergy,” it’s transmitted by the bite of the lone star tick, found throughout the United States.

Red meat allergy sensitizes people to alpha-gal, a sugar found in beef and pork. It can result in potentially deadly anaphylaxis just hours after eating affected meat.

It’s also linked to heart disease.

This made the researchers wonder whether other, more common food allergies could also harm the heart.

The biggest culprit

To answer that question, the UVA researchers reviewed data collected from 5,374 participants in the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES).

The team found that, among these participants, IgE antibodies to at least one food were associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death.

This was particularly true for people sensitive to milk, but peanut and shrimp sensitization were also significant risk factors for cardiovascular death.

It’s important to note that the strongest link with cardiovascular death was not among people with known allergies to these foods, who avoided them since they caused allergic symptoms…

The strongest link was in people who had the antibodies but continued to consume these foods regularly — because they did not have typical allergic reaction symptoms.

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Mast cells at the heart of the problem

The researchers think that allergic antibodies to food may lead to the activation of mast cells, found in the skin and gut but also in cardiac blood vessels and heart tissue.

Persistent activation of mast cells could drive inflammation and contribute to plaque buildup in blood vessels, causing heart attacks or other heart damage.

But more research is needed. It’s also possible that the opposite is happening — that cardiovascular disease could increase the risk for food sensitization. In other words, heart disease could be increasing the risk for food allergies, rather than the other way around.

“This work raises the possibility that in the future a blood test could help provide personalized information about a heart-healthy diet, though before that could be recommended, we still have a lot of work to do to understand these findings,” says Dr. Jeffrey Wilson, an allergy and immunology expert at UV School of Medicine.

Stay tuned for more on this. But in the meantime, we know that the Mediterranean style of eating will work wonders for the heart.

Sources:

Allergic responses to common foods could significantly increase risk of heart disease, cardiovascular death — Science Daily

IgE to common food allergens is associated with cardiovascular mortality in the National Health and Examination Survey and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis — Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

What to Know About High Immunoglobulin (IgE) Levels — Verywell Health

People can have food sensitivities without noticeable symptoms – long-term consumption of food allergens may lead to behavior and mood changes — The Conversation

About the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey — CDC

The post Hidden food allergies and the link to heart damage appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

PAD is caused by the buildup of fatty deposits in arteries and reduces blood flow to the limbs, particularly the legs.

Because of this, walking often becomes painful and difficult due to fatigue in the feet, calves or thighs. These symptoms should dissipate with rest, but over time, people with PAD become less able to walk.

The good news is researchers recently made a startling discovery that could result in an inexpensive, readily available therapy for PAD…

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PAD patients on nicotinamide riboside walked farther

U.S.-based investigators recruited 90 people with PAD and an average age of 71 to explore the effects of the over-the-counter supplement nicotinamide riboside, a member of the vitamin B3 family that also includes niacin and niacinamide.

Nicotinamide riboside is a precursor for NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), an essential compound that is related to energy generation, improved blood flow and DNA repair in the body. NAD helps power mitochondria, which are often referred to as the “powerhouse” of the body’s cells.

Because PAD is associated with problems generating energy within muscle cells, the researchers theorized that nicotinamide riboside could help improve walking in people with the disease.

Results showed exactly that. After six months, participants taking nicotinamide riboside daily walked an average of 23 feet more in a six-minute walking test, while those taking a placebo walked 34 feet less. Interestingly, those who took at least three-quarters of the pills they were supposed to take walked even farther, adding more than 100 feet to their walking distance compared to those taking a placebo.

The researchers discovered one mechanism of the improvement was because nicotinamide riboside supports the production of nitric oxide, a signaling molecule and natural vasodilator, in the endothelial lining of the arteries.

“This is a signal that nicotinamide riboside could help these patients,” says Dr. Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, a University of Florida professor and senior author of the clinical trial report. “We are hoping to conduct a larger follow-up trial to verify our findings.”

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Supporting your body’s energy production

The researchers want to do more research before recommending that healthy people take NAD, especially older adults to improve walking performance.

But nicotinamide riboside is currently available as a supplement to anyone that chooses to take it.  

Participants in the study were taking 1,000 mg of nicotinamide riboside a day. They didn’t experience any severe side effects, and most studies show that nicotinamide riboside is well-tolerated, even at high doses.

But if you looking for an energy boost, we observed in an earlier issue that many people notice an immediate energy boost after taking just 250 mg of nicotinamide riboside twice daily.

If you want to get an extra boost of nitric oxide, which was shown to be one mechanism of the improvements seen in the study, just eat beets. Beets support the body’s natural production of nitric oxide, known to support blood flow by signaling arteries to expand.

PAD is associated with diabetes and smoking, as well as kidney disease and heart disease. Plus, if you’re African American, your risk of PAD is twice as high.

Lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and following a healthy diet can go a long way toward helping you avoid PAD. But there is presently no cure for PAD once you have it.

Sources:

Over-the-counter supplement improves walking for peripheral artery disease patients — ScienceDaily

Nicotinamide riboside for peripheral artery disease: the NICE randomized clinical trial — Nature Communications

The post OTC supplement improves walking for people with PAD appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Not only do they seem to strike without warning, but they can leave patients and their families in limbo as doctors assess the degree of damage, how much recovery may be possible, the long-term outlook and possibility of disability — and of course, the risk for another.

Unfortunately, it’s a truth I know first-hand, as my mom suffered a stroke when she was in her early 50s, which at the time was considered young for a stroke.

However, the truth is that not only can a stroke happen at any age, but more people under 65 are having strokes than ever before.

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Approximately a 15% jump in strokes

While recent government data has shown that the overall rate of stroke for all adults has gone up by 7.8% in the years between 2011 and 2022, the rate of stroke for those under the age of 65 has risen far more steeply.

In fact, research by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention team showed that while the number of strokes in seniors stayed the same, in adults under 65, stroke rates went up by a frightening 15% in the same decade.

Here’s how it broke, down by age:

• Among people ages 45 to 64, strokes rose by 15.7% (with 3.3% reporting a stroke in 2011 and 3.8% reporting one in 2022)
• For adults 18 to 44, the rate of stroke increased by 14.6% (0.8% of this age group reporting a stroke in 2011 and 0.9% suffering a stroke in 2022)

According to the researchers, race also factored into the increase. They found that while the incidence of stroke for Black Americans rose by 7.8% over the study period, Hispanic Americans suffered 16.1% more strokes and the chances of stroke for White Americans rose by 7.1%.

Factors driving the increase

The researchers say that there are several reasons the rates of stroke have gone up so significantly in the past decade.

The most important of these driving factors is the higher levels of obesity across younger and middle-aged adults.

As the researchers noted, “From 1999–2000 to 2017–2018, obesity prevalence among males increased from 27.5% to 43% and among females from 33.4% to 41.9%; [obesity] prevalence during 2017–2018 was highest among those aged 40–59 years [44.8%].”

Additionally, stroke risk goes hand-in-hand with hypertension, rates of which have also been steadily on the rise in middle-aged adults.

According to the researchers, the incidence of high blood pressure went from “40.3% during 1999–2000 to 46.8% during 2017–2018.”

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How to lower stroke risk

The good news is that both obesity and high blood pressure are modifiable health risks and by taking steps to fight them, you also decrease your risk of stroke.

And there are other steps you can take to prevent stroke.

These include:

• Following a heart-healthy lifestyle, which research shows can help lower risk for stroke by 30 to 45%.
• Reducing the number of “pro-inflammatory” foods in your diet, since these foods can raise your risk of heart disease by a massive 46% and your risk of stroke by 28%!
• Adding in raw foods and stroke-preventing nutrients.

Finally, be sure to boost your immune system. The second a blood clot wedges itself in a blood vessel, your brain sends out an SOS signal calling for help from your immune system to clear out cellular debris, limit damage to your brain and kick-start repair.

Sources:

CDC: Stroke rates went up 15% in younger adults — Becker’s Clinical Leadership

Stroke Rates Are Rising, Especially Among the Young — US News & World Report

The post The new stroke risk? Being 65 or younger appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

When it came to genetics and dementia, Simon Nicholls had drawn the short straw. He carried two copies of the APOE4 gene, one from each parent, which increased his risk of developing Alzheimer’s at least tenfold.

Today, Nicholls’ brain and blood show none of the signs of impending Alzheimer’s.

For now, he’s beaten the odds. Here’s how he did it…

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Start with the heart

“I have a 3-year-old son and an 8-year-old son. It’s really important for me, as I get older, to try and be there for them in the future,” Nicholls said.

“There are many [changes] in lifestyle you can do to hopefully push the disease backwards and give yourself more time, which is all we need until we find a cure.”

And Alzheimer’s wasn’t the only risk Nicholls was facing.

He knew that carrying even one APOE4 gene increased his risk of heart disease and vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s.

“When I was 40, I was told that I had atherosclerosis, with a ridiculously massive coronary artery calcium score of like 1,500 and occlusions in about 96% of my arteries.” A normal coronary artery calcium score is zero.

After trying lifestyle changes and statins, Nicholls underwent surgery that opened three of his arteries with stents.

“It was time to turn to my brain”

As Nicholls’ heart condition began to improve, he was given more bad news.

A brain scan found telltale signs of vascular damage in his brain. Because of his heart condition, the tiniest blood vessels in his brain had been starving for oxygen.

“The doctors said I had too many white matter lesions. I told myself that since I now had my heart more or less under control, it was time to turn to my brain,” Nicholls said.

A blood test that tracks levels of amyloid and tau in the brain returned a score of 70 for Nicholls.

Any score over 58 indicates that amyloid and tau are present.

Under the guidance of Dr. Richard Isaacson, who opened the first clinic for Alzheimer’s prevention in the United States, Nicholls made some drastic changes to his lifestyle in the areas of diet, exercise, stress reduction and sleep.

These included:

• Walking 10,000 steps every day
• Strength training three times a week
• 45-60 minutes per day of jogging or cycling, raising his heart rate 60-70 percent
• A full-body workout with weights three times a week for about an hour at a time
• Avoiding sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and ultra-processed foods
• Following a Mediterranean diet
• Making sure he got enough omega-3s (people with APOE4 need more of these)
• Taking B complex vitamins to control his elevated homocysteine levels (homocysteine is an amino acid, and too much of it is a risk factor for brain atrophy, cognitive impairment and dementia)
• Establishing a sleep schedule that alleviated his insomnia

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Are you up to the challenge?

Simon Nicholls worked closely with an acclaimed doctor who performed blood tests to track his progress.

But you don’t need to have a connection like that to do what Simon did.

First, know that there are at-home tests for the APOE4 gene that you can mail in and get a confidential report in just a few weeks.

From there, it’s up to you.

The changes that Simon made are an excellent guideline to follow. Take care of your diet, exercise, sleep, and stress levels.

And don’t try to achieve perfection, either. Research has shown that following these guidelines at least 60 percent of the time can improve your cognitive function, especially in women.

So what are you waiting for? You can control your future health in a big way and possibly even beat Alzheimer’s.

Sources:

Alzheimer’s disease and memory disorders program — Weill Cornell Medicine

Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved — CNN

Lifestyle changes improved cognition in people at risk for Alzheimers, study shows — CNN

The post What we can learn from the man beating Alzheimer’s appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And that’s just for a classic heart attack. There’s another type of heart attack that’s on the rise in women that is even harder to see coming…

This type of heart attack is called myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries, or MINOCA.

When diagnosing a heart attack, doctors usually examine the coronary arteries for blockages. But in MINOCA, those blockages don’t exist. Here’s what you need to know…

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The sinister specter of MINOCA

It used to be thought that MINOCA only represented 6 to 14 percent of heart attacks. But for women, MINOCA may actually account for 25 to 30 percent of all heart attacks.

The symptoms of MINOCA are the same as for a typical heart attack. But because it’s not caused by coronary artery blockage, the usual methods for treating heart attack — stents, angioplasty, bypass surgery — don’t work for MINOCA. That often leaves patients unsure about what caused their MINOCA or what to do to prevent another one.

A related condition, called INOCA, or ischemia with non-obstructed coronary arteries, has many of the same symptoms but without the actual heart attack.

A survey of 297 patients in an international INOCA patient support group found:

• 34 percent had been living with symptoms of chest pain, pressure or discomfort for more than three years before their INOCA diagnosis
• 78 percent were wrongly told their symptoms weren’t related to their heart
• 75 percent cut their work hours or stopped working altogether due to their condition
• 70 percent said their mental health and outlook on life had declined

What’s the cause?

In one 2021 study, researchers took a different approach in studying 301 women who had heart attacks.

Instead of using an angiogram, they used various forms of imaging with higher resolutions that allowed them to examine the vessels beyond the main coronary arteries. In 85 percent of the MINOCA patients in the study, the researchers were able to attribute their heart attacks to small plaques and clots in smaller blood vessels.

This is similar to a common cause of heart disease in women known as coronary microvascular syndrome. When this develops, plaque accumulates in very small arteries of the heart known as microvessels.

Cardiologist Dr. Harmony Reynolds of NYU Langone Health, who was one of the researchers in the study, describes the arterial system as a sort of tree, with large trucks and smaller branches. “If a clot forms in the trunk, it can get carried into a smaller branch,” Reynolds tells WebMD. “If the clot is big enough, it can knock out the entire branch and kill a small part of the heart muscle. That’s what we think happens in some MINOCA patients.”

MINOCA patients are often told they didn’t have a heart attack, and this misdiagnosis can be deadly. According to Reynolds, in the four years after someone has a MINOCA event, they have a 13 percent chance of death from any cause and a 7 percent chance of having another heart attack.

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What to do about MINOCA

Investigators still aren’t sure why MINOCA is more common in women than men. Some researchers theorize it could be due to hormones, hormone therapy or the fact that women are physically smaller on average than men. That makes their hearts and blood vessels smaller, so arterial blockages and clots that may not show up on conventional imaging like an angiogram can do more damage.

Not all MINOCA is caused by plaque buildup in the heart’s small arteries. For example, there is spontaneous coronary artery dissection, where interior of an artery wall tears and causes a blockage that feels like a classic heart attack. Or blood vessels can spasm, interrupting normal blood flow and producing heart attack-like symptoms.

Other potential causes include myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, and stress cardiomyopathy, a reaction to a surge of adrenaline.

If you experience chest pain, pressure or discomfort, make sure your doctor examines all these potential causes so that they can prescribe the proper treatment. For instance, if it’s caused by artery spasms, there is medication that can be prescribed to manage the spasms.

Following a heart-healthy lifestyle may not offer 100 percent protection against MINOCA, but it can certainly help. Make sure you’re eating a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise, and try to keep your stress levels under control.

Sources:

The Heart Attack You Didn’t See Coming — WebMD

Ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA): A patient self-report quality of life survey from INOCA international — International Journal of Cardiology

Uncommon heart attack, found more often in women, needs a second look — American Heart Association

Heart Attack Symptoms in Women — American Heart Association

The post The heart attack that happens when coronary arteries are clear appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Those ones that exist may alleviate symptoms, but they don’t stop the disease from progressing or reverse the damage that’s already occurred. And some of the newest aren’t with serious risk.

That’s why researchers are always on the hunt for new ways to protect people from Alzheimer’s. And a team from Columbia University has made a discovery that could lead to just that…

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This genetic variant is the key

The Columbia researchers sequenced the genomes of several hundred people who carried the e4 form of the APOE gene (APOEe4), known for significantly raising the risk of Alzheimer’s. They were all over the age of 70, from various ethnic backgrounds and included those with and without Alzheimer’s disease.

When examining the sequences, the researchers found a genetic variant in people who, despite having APOEe4, had not developed the disease. They determined this variant could reduce the odds of developing Alzheimer’s by up to an astonishing 71 percent.

The protective variant occurs in a gene that makes fibronectin, a component of the blood-brain barrier — a lining surrounding the brain’s blood vessels to control the movement of substances in and out of the brain.

Fibronectin, also a protein connected with uterine fibroids, is usually present in the blood-brain barrier in very small amounts. However, the brains of people with Alzheimer’s contain much higher amounts.

The fibronectin gene variant found by the researchers appears to protect against Alzheimer’s development by preventing the excess buildup of fibronectin.

The researchers theorize that excess fibronectin could be preventing the clearance of amyloid deposits in the brain.

It may also prevent brain-supporting nutrients from reaching the brain, like omega-3s which have been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier.

The discovery of this variant supports emerging evidence that the brain’s blood vessels play a large role in Alzheimer’s disease and could take therapeutic development in a new direction.

“Alzheimer’s disease may get started with amyloid deposits in the brain, but the disease manifestations are the result of changes that happen after the deposits appear,” says Dr. Caghan Kizil, a professor at Columbia and co-leader of the study that identified the variant.

“Our findings suggest that some of these changes occur in the brain’s vasculature and that we may be able to develop new types of therapies that mimic the gene’s protective effect to prevent or treat the disease,” Kizil adds.

The researchers confirmed their fibronectin theory in a zebrafish model of Alzheimer’s and have additional studies ongoing in mice. They found that reducing fibronectin in the animals increased amyloid clearance and improved other Alzheimer’s-related damage.

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More confirmation…

The Columbia study was replicated in a study from researchers at Stanford and Washington universities in an independent cohort of APOEe4 carriers, mostly of European origin.

“They found the same fibronectin variant, which confirmed our finding and gave us even more confidence in our result,” says study co-leader Dr. Badri N. Vardarajan, a professor at Columbia.

The two groups combined the data on their 11,000 participants. In addition to confirming the fibronectin variant reduces the chances of developing Alzheimer’s in APOE4 carriers, they also saw it delays the disease by roughly four years in those who eventually develop the disease.

While this is very exciting news, it will be years before it results in new Alzheimer’s therapies. Until then, it’s wise to continue to take steps to lower your Alzheimer’s odds. I wrote in an earlier article about ways to reduce inflammation and keep your blood pressure in check, both of which can go a long way toward protecting against Alzheimer’s.

One of these steps involves following a healthy diet. A good choice is the MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean diet and heart-healthy DASH diet that focuses on foods with proven brain benefits — and was recently found to slow aging as well.

It includes food groups linked to healthy lipid profiles such as nuts, healthy oils and fish and is loaded with brain-supporting nutrients like omega-3s, antioxidants and vitamin D — a nutrient with ever-growing ties to dementia.

Sources:

Newly found genetic variant defends against Alzheimer’s disease — ScienceDaily

Rare genetic variation in fibronectin 1 (FN1) protects against APOEε4 in Alzheimer’s disease — Acta Neuropathologica

The post A glitch in the brain’s barrier reduces Alzheimer’s odds by 71% appeared first on Easy Health Options®.