Natural Supplements For Women's Health: Cardiovascular Health

More women fear breast cancer than any other disease. Yet cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims over ten times as many women’s lives as breast cancer. In fact, CVD is the nation’s leading cause of death for both men and women. That’s the bad news. The good news is that CVD is almost entirely preventable. nutraOrigin, makers of high quality vitamins for women, shares the secrets of cardiovascular wellness.

What influences cardiovascular health?
One way to support cardiovascular health is to play by the numbers. All five of the following measurements tell you something about the state of your heart.

Cholesterol: excess cholesterol gets deposited in, and narrows, the artery walls
Triglycerides: elevated triglycerides are associated with a higher risk of coronary artery disease
Blood pressure: high blood pressure puts stress on the artery walls and increases the heart’s workload
Homocysteine: too much homocysteine degrades the structural integrity of the arteries
C-reactive protein: elevated C-reactive protein is associated with a higher risk for hypertension and CVD
Risk Factor Desirable Borderline Undesirable
Total cholesterol Below 200 200-239 240 and above
Triglycerides Below 150 150-199 Above 200
Blood pressure Below 120/80 120/80-140/90 Above 140/90
Homocysteine Below 10 mmol/L 10-18 mmol/L Above 18 mmol/L
c-reactive protein (CRP) Below 1.0 1.0-3.0 Above 3.0

Supplement secrets for heart health
Everyone knows that eating a healthy, whole foods diet and getting regular exercise are important for cardiovascular wellness. But did you know that select nutritional supplements can also make a big difference? Here are three to consider.

CardioBalance
Developed by nutraOrigin, Cardio Balance features 10 mg of high quality policosanol. Multiple studies indicate that natural policosanol provides a worry-free way to support healthy cholesterol levels. Cardio Balance features policosanol from sugar cane – not the rice or wheat used in lower-quality products – which is the only form of policosanol proven to deliver cholesterol benefits. This policosanol supplement is produced using a proprietary, all-natural extraction process that delivers the highest quality finished product.

Omega-3 Essentials
Chances are you’ve heard about Omega 3 fatty acids, because they’re good for so many things. At nutraOrigin, we believe supplementing with Omega 3 fish oil, or Omega 3 for short, is one of the best things you can do for your heart. Here are just some Omega 3 benefits:

• Helps maintain healthy levels of triglycerides and C-reactive protein
• Promotes a desirable blood pressure
• Supports a regular heart rhythm

You can buy these essential fats as liquid Omega 3 oil, but most people prefer the convenience of Omega 3 pills. Whichever Omega 3 supplement you choose, just keep in mind that quality differs tremendously among different brands. nutraOrigin’s Omega 3 pills are highly concentrated, purity-certified, readily absorbed, and stabilized with antioxidants.

Nutra Multi Iron-Free
Because so many vitamins and minerals are essential for heart health, taking a comprehensive multivitamin like nutraOrigin’s Nutra Multi Iron-Free is a great way to take care of your heart. This one multiple contains: 1. a plethora of antioxidants, which protect against free radical damage, 2. the trio of B vitamins known to support healthy homocysteine levels, and 3. magnesium, essential for the integrity of the heart muscle.
The experts at nutraOrigin recommend taking all three formulas together for maximum synergistic effect.

How To Reduce Cholesterol Naturally

Various tests conducted in the US and other countries prove that there are several effective natural herbs and supplements that may help lower LDL and raise HDL or "good" cholesterol. Since the causes of high cholesterol levels are wide and varied by person to person, having different methods to lower LDL is very important. Natural remedies such as Guggul, Pantethine, Policosanol, Curcumin, and Beta-Sitosterol are just a few supplements that are easily available at low cost.
Guggul - Guggul, the gum resin from the mukul myrrh tree, when compared to the drug clofibrate in clinical trials, the average fall in serum cholesterol was slightly greater in the guggul group. While clofibrate did not increase HDL levels, a 60% rise in HDL levels was noticed in people responding to guggul.

Policosanol
Patients who had been given Policosanol for a period of twelve weeks showed a 25% reduction in LDL cholesterol, a 17% reduction in total cholesterol, and a 28% increase in HDL cholesterol.

Niacin
Niacin or vitamin B3 is the most common treatment for normalizing the blood lipid levels. From various trials conducted consumption of the drug niacin increased HDL (good cholesterol) by 30% or more while reducing total cholesterol by 10-25% and triglycerides by as much as 50%. Flushing is a very common side effect in people taking niacin. Flushing is the result of blood vessels opening wide. Another form of Niacin called Inositol Hexanicotinate (IH) or "No-Flush Niacin" is proven as an effective and safer alternative to niacin

Circumin
500 mg of circumin for seven days at a trial shows a 29% increase in good cholesterol (HDL) and a reduction of 11.6% total cholesterol. Lipid peroxidation was also reduced by 33%. Curcumin was effective in inhibiting LDL oxidation and lowering LDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides Latest research says, curcumin reduces cholesterol by interfering with intestinal cholesterol uptake, increasing the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids, and increasing the excretion of bile acids.

Chromium - Polynicotinium
Chromium supplements increased HDL cholesterol levels by an average of nearly 6 points, a 16 percent increase. No side effects were observed. According to Harvey Simon, MD of Harvard Medical School, a 6-point increase in HDL, which was achieved in the chromium trial, should reduce the risk of heart attack by about 20 percent.

Calcium Citrate
In randomized controlled trial calcium citrate was shown to increase HDL levels. The study showed that 1 gram of calcium (as the citrate) taken daily lowers the damaging component of blood cholesterol and increases the protective cholesterol (HDL). The mean HDL concentration increased by 7%, LDL cholesterol declined by 6% resulting in an improved HDL/LDL ratio of 17%.