Despite advances in medicine and technology, coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States.
The American Heart Association estimates that more than 500,000 people die from the disease each year. Unfortunately, some people first learn they have the disease only after they've suffered a heart attack.
Though some risk factors of coronary heart disease, like heredity, can't be controlled, lifestyle changes can help minimize others. Besides quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, for example, people can lower their risk of developing the disease by controlling their cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol, a waxy, fat-like substance that helps the body digest fat and produce hormones, is naturally present throughout the body. Without it, our bodies wouldn't be able to survive.
Cholesterol comes from two sources - the liver and through foods that contain cholesterol. The liver usually is able to make enough cholesterol to satisfy all of the body's needs.
When too much dietary cholesterol from foods such as red meat and eggs is consumed, excess cholesterol is produced. It has a tendency to stick to the walls of the arteries, particularly the coronary arteries, which are the passageways to the heart.
These deposits can then lead to the development of artherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. If left untreated, this can cause coronary arteries to be severely or completely blocked, and ultimately can lead to severe chest pain or heart attack.
It is important to take preventive measures in order to keep your heart healthy. To control your cholesterol, get a cholesterol screening, eat foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and follow all of your doctor's recommendations.
Also, enriching your diet with an antioxidant supplement, like Pycnogenol, can benefit your heart health immensely.
Recent studies show that Pycnogenol, which is made from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, significantly reduces the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood while elevating the amount of good cholesterol.
This supplement also contains an anti-inflammatory agent that protects the blood vessels so that cholesterol doesn't stick to them.
Pycnogenol also can help lower high blood pressure and fight the effects of smoking, stress and other environmental risk factors that can contribute to heart disease.
For more information about heart health and Pycnogenol, visit www.vitaminfactory.com or call (800) 619-1199. -NU |
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