Heart Health & Cardiovascular Support Supplements

About Heart Health & Cardiovascular Support Supplements

The cardiovascular system consist of a pump (heart) and a delivery system of pipes (blood vessels) that ensure the cells of the body receive the nutrients they require to carry out their metabolic activities. Such nutrients include oxygen, glucose and amino acids. When it comes to cardiovascular disease, there may be problems with the structure or function or the heart, blood vessels or the blood. Common complaints include hypertension (high blood pressure), palpitations and poor peripheral circulation.

There are many products on the market today that can assist with the management of a range of cardiovascular conditions (cardio = heart, vascular = blood vessels). These are herbal or nutritional, though many herbs contain important nutrients, so often it is hard to distinguish between the two categories. Hypertension is a common condition in which there is too much pressure inside the blood vessels. This is may be due to atherosclerosis (plaque) build-up or calcification inside the blood vessels which causes them to lose their elasticity, or a lack of vascular dilation due to improper functioning of the smooth muscle found within the blood vessels.

There are of course many other causes of hypertension, such as persistent psychological stress leading to an excessive sympathetic nervous system tone. There is even a medical name for hypertension when the cause is unknown: Essential Hypertension (Primary Hypertension). Boosting Nitric Oxide can be helpful in this case, as this naturally synthesized gas stimulates the smooth muscles inside the blood vessels to relax, leading to dilation and a lowering of the blood pressure. Just as the expanding walls of any piping system will reduce the pressure inside if there is a consistent quantity of fluid within those pipes.

The amino acids Arginine and Citrulline are effective ways to enhance nitric oxide production. Citrulline malate may be slightly superior to arginine in elevating blood arginine levels, however, due to the differing first pass effects of these amino acids. This was reported in the prestigious The Journal of Nutrition in 2017. However, we should not discount arginine, as F1000 Research demonstrated in 2014 this semi-essential amino acid’s ability to modulate blood lipids and even fasting blood sugar is certainly measurable. This means that both amino acids may have separate sets of benefits. Another method for supporting this metabolic pathway is by providing natural nitrates, which support nitric oxide synthesis via an alternative pathway. These are compounds are naturally found in spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, celery, strawberries, grapes and beetroot.  

Supporting peripheral circulation can be helpful when focus and concentration are reduced in older age, or for cold hands and feet at any age. Herbs that do this quite well are Ginkgo biloba, Brahmi, Garlic and Ginger. Additionally, the Nitric Oxide boosters, citrulline, arginine and agmatine, may be helpful for these conditions. Antioxidant supplements can be helpful to reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (so called, "bad" cholesterol) thus making it less likely to accumulate within the blood vessels and contribute to atherosclerosis. Antioxidant containing supplements include Olive Leaf extract, COQ10 or Ubiquinol and even Krill Oil.

Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol or LDL Cholesterol has gained a bad rap over the years as a contributor to atherosclerosis. However, it does have the important role as a cholesterol transporter for the body. Cholesterol itself is an important nutrient that we manufacture in the liver as a basic starter molecule for hormone synthesis. Testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone are all synthesized from cholesterol. Evidence is beginning to point towards the small particle size LDL as potentially more atherogenic than the larger "fluffier" LCL particles. However, rarely does are such diagnostic tests carried out.

Bergamot has also shown promising results in several clinical trials with regards to improving cholesterol ratios, triglycerides and even body fat levels. This specialised citrus extract is a rich source of bioflavonoids, and has also been shown to reduce HMG CoA Reductase activity in the liver. This is a function of Red Rice yeast Extract as well, which has been shown to inhibit activity of this enzyme. HMG CoA Reductase is one enzyme of many that are needed to synthesize cholesterol in the liver. However, halfway along the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, a metabolite called Farnesyl PP is produced, some of which is actually used for Coenzyme Q10 production. Therefore, any HMG CoA Reductase inhibitors, natural or otherwise, have the potential to reduce Coenzyme Q10 levels, which is important for mitochondrial health and ATP synthesis. Fortunately, Coenzyme Q10 supplements are readily available and are best taken with HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitors.