Top 7 Heart Health Supplements Recommended by Canadian Health Experts

Reducing Your Risk of Heart Complications
Most cardiovascular disease is caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors, but the vast majority of cardiovascular disease risk is actually due to lifestyle factors.  Therefore it is encouraging to note that adopting a healthier lifestyle and using natural therapies can maintain a healthy vascular system.

Adopting a healthier lifestyle and using natural therapies can assist you with maintaining a healthy vascular system.

 Maintain a healthy weight
 Consume a heart friendly diet
 Stop smoking and limit your exposure to environmental toxins
Use stress reduction techniques and improve your emotional health
 Make regular exercise part of your daily routine
 Supplement your diet with nutrients that support the heart, especially if you take medications that deplete essential nutrients

Causes of Cardiovascular Disease
Lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, improper diet, stress and lack of exercise are bigger indicators of your heart disease risk than your family history.  Common lifestyle contributors are: obesity, poor nutrition, medications, free radical damage, lack of exercise, poor emotional processing, and stress.

Did you Know? (Heart Facts)
• Homocysteine, a byproduct of different natural functions in your body is thought to be an even bigger risk factor for heart attacks than cholesterol.
• Some conventional heart medications can cause liver damage
• Women usually have heart attacks later in life, while men usually have them earlier
• Men have more heart attacks than women

Getting to the Heart of Heart Health
Many factors affect the health of your heart and  your circulatory system, many of which are fortunately within our control - even if you have a family history.

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, which pumps blood around the body through approximately 60 thousand miles of blood vessels.  These vessels are divided by function into two types.  There are the arteries, which carry blood from the heart to the body and the veins, which drain blood from the body back to the heart.  Blood nourishes the cells of the body by transporting nutrients like oxygen and food to the cells.

It also removes waste products from the cells for filtering by organs like the liver, kidneys and spleen.  Any interruption in blood supply causes cell and tissue death, like those caused by heart attack and stroke.  Because of this, the maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system is essential.

Any interruption in blood supply, for example a heart attack or stroke, causes tissue death so the maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system is essential.

Read more about getting to the heart of heart health on NationalNutrition.ca