Heart disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. You are at higher risk of heart disease if you are:
• A woman age 55 or older
• A man age 45 or older
• Or a person with a family history of early heart disease
Heart disease can be prevented. To keep your heart healthy:
• Watch your weight.
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Get active and eat healthy.
• Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin every day if you are a man over the age of 45 or a woman over 55.
• Manage stress.
How Vitamin D Protects Your Heart
A new study has linked a lack of sunshine, the body's most natural source of vitamin D, to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.
Factors that affect sunlight, and therefore vitamin D production, are tied to a patient's cardiovascular risks. In other words, the more sunlight you get, the better your cardiovascular health will be. These factors can include time of year, altitude and geographical location.
There are a number of physiological mechanisms triggered by vitamin D production through sunlight exposure that act to fight heart disease, according to the study:
-An increase in the body's natural anti-inflammatory cytokines.
-The suppression of vascular calcification.
-The inhibition of vascular smooth muscle growth.
Sources: http://healthfinder.gov/nho/PDFs/FebruaryNHOtoolkit.pdf and http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/12/13/how-vitamin-d-protects-your-heart.aspx
• A woman age 55 or older
• A man age 45 or older
• Or a person with a family history of early heart disease
Heart disease can be prevented. To keep your heart healthy:
• Watch your weight.
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Get active and eat healthy.
• Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin every day if you are a man over the age of 45 or a woman over 55.
• Manage stress.
How Vitamin D Protects Your Heart
A new study has linked a lack of sunshine, the body's most natural source of vitamin D, to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease.
Factors that affect sunlight, and therefore vitamin D production, are tied to a patient's cardiovascular risks. In other words, the more sunlight you get, the better your cardiovascular health will be. These factors can include time of year, altitude and geographical location.
There are a number of physiological mechanisms triggered by vitamin D production through sunlight exposure that act to fight heart disease, according to the study:
-An increase in the body's natural anti-inflammatory cytokines.
-The suppression of vascular calcification.
-The inhibition of vascular smooth muscle growth.
Sources: http://healthfinder.gov/nho/PDFs/FebruaryNHOtoolkit.pdf and http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2005/12/13/how-vitamin-d-protects-your-heart.aspx
RSS Feed