Care for your Arteries

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Healthy arteries may be the key to preventing many of the common long term diseases like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. Arteries are not static tubes, they are living tissue that needs to be flexible, expanding and contracting with changes in blood flow and blood pressure. Arteries have a thin line of cells called the endothelium which provide structure and flexibility. When these cells are damaged they become more rigid, as you may have heard about as “hardening of the arteries” and increase the chance of rupture. Stiff arteries also lead to increased blood pressure which is a major risk factor for these diseases. Damaged cells are also more susceptible to plaque build up known as atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

Causes of artery damage

• inflammation
• hight triglycerides
• high LDL cholesterol
• high blood sugar
• high blood pressure

How to keep your arteries healthy

1. Replace saturated with unsaturated fats. Maintain healthy levels of fats (cholesterol and triglycerides) in your blood by choosing healthy fats in your food. Limit high fat animal foods like hamburgers, cheese, and butter while choosing more high fat plant foods like nuts, seeds and beans as well as fatty fish.
2. Eat plentiful anti-oxidants. These are powerful compounds found in colorful plant foods that help clear artery damaging compounds from the blood. Eat lots of plants, at least 3 cups vegetables and 2 pieces of fruit per day. Aim for “big flavors and bright colors” in your vegetables and fruits, remember to eat the rainbow.
3. Exercise. Regular physical activity lowers all the causes of artery damage from inflammation to blood sugars. Additionally, exercise is an excellent way to relax and improves the flexibility of arterial cells.
4. Rest and relax. Inadequate sleep, stress and anxiety are a part of modern life and we all need a way to manage it, for both our mental and physical health. You can counteract the physical impact of stress by triggering the relaxation response through activities like breathing exercises, meditation, and gentle yoga.

Here’s how the Mayo Clinic summarized the evidence on nutrition supporting heart health in 2019:

-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5373983/

Happy eating and arteries,

Jason