Atherosclerosis, the scientific term for heart disease is the # 1 killer among North Americans. But what is it Well, sclerosis signifies “hardening” and athero identifies the type of substance that stops up and hardens arteries. Over time, our risk factors slowly rise but specific risk factors are important in figuring out if we’re probably prospects and they include our years, blood pressure, total cholesterol levels and good (HDL) cholesterol ranges.
Warning Indicators
High total cholesterol
High levels of cholesterol in the blood can contribute to atherosclerosis, which is the slow build-up of fat, cholesterol and other particles along the sides of your arteries. It’s called plaque and it can accumulate enough to narrow and harden the artery. If the plaque is serious enough, it can restrict blood flow past the blockage. Portions can also detatch themselves and cause a heart attack or stroke. An acceptable cholesterol level is 170 mg/dL or lower.
Low HDL “good” cholesterol
High concentration lipoproteins (HDL) absorb cholesterol and recycle it back to the liver for removal. A normal, healthy HDL level is over 60 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol rises with workouts. We need daily exercise to boost our HDL and decrease our risk of heart attack.
Elevated blood pressure
Blood pressure measurements are read as two numbers. The higher number, referred to as the systolic pressure, signifies the pressure in the arteries when your heart beats . The smaller number, called the diastolic pressure, signifies the pressure when the heart is at rest.
A normal systolic number is 115. If your arteries are narrowed, hardened or inflamed your heart needs to beat harder and this will generate a higher systolic measure.
A normal diastolic number is 75 or less. When the diastolic number is too high it can suggest that your lungs, kidneys and liver are not properly detoxifying your body.
High blood pressure, along with high cholesterol levels and low HDL levels should be considered as warning signals from our body. Heightened homocysteine sounds a louder alarm and high C-Reactive protein levels should never be ignored.
In addition to exercise, products like Cellgevity with support the heart by supporting our glutathione production, ProAri-9 Plus which acts as a Nitric Oxide Precursors and Herbal supplements like RGardens Heart Blend will all help you support your good health.