Take Care Of Your Heart
Heart Disease month is in full effect, however, there are alot of misconceptions about what keeps your heart healthy or destroys it.
Low levels of vitamin D have again been linked with reduced survival rates in patients with heart failure. The study, conducted at the University Medical Center, Groningen, in the Netherlands, also suggested that low levels of vitamin D are associated with activation of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS – a pivotal regulatory system in heart failure) and an altered cytokine profile.¹
Along with following the Maximized Living nutrition plans and burst training, if you want to maintain a healthy heart making sure your vitamin D level is optimized is crucial. This is an incredibly simple step, yet one that stands to make an immense difference in your health.
In this latest study, researchers found that low levels of vitamin D lower your chances of surviving heart failure, and previous studies have found the vitamin can also lower your risk of developing heart disease in the first place. Arterial stiffness, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke — two of the most common killers in the United States — is also associated with vitamin D deficiency.
Researchers have found that people with the lowest average vitamin D levels had a 124 percent greater risk of dying from all causes and a 378 percent greater risk of dying from a heart problem — so optimizing your levels will keep you out of this risk bracket.² The same study from Finland has also showed that when compared with the participants with the highest vitamin D, those with the lowest levels had a 25 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or stroke. And when only stroke was looked at, those with the lowest levels had twice the risk as those with the highest.²
However, if you listen to the government’s recommendations about how much vitamin D you need to stay healthy you’ll likely come up far too short to receive these amazing benefits to your heart. Based on the latest research, many experts now agree you need about 5,000 IU per day for adults and 2500 IU per day for children over the age of 5.
Sunlight is a great way to get Vitamin D. Your ability to convert sunlight into vitamin D is dependent on several factors, such as the color of your skin, where you live, and how much sunshine your skin is exposed to on a regular basis. The trouble is these days – that even in sunny areas like Florida, people aren’t regularly outside during the normal school and work week. In fact, many technology kids aren’t out on the weekend either. So generally, people need to use a Vitamin D supplement to stay healthy.
Although there are many other factors to controlling heart disease, this is a major piece of the puzzle when considering heart healthy factors.
European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2010 August 28-September 1, 2010, Stockholm, Sweden¹
Clinical Endocrinology, Volume 71, Number 5, November 2009 , pp. 666-672(7)²
