Whats New!
PREVENTION
Nutrition / Exercise / Mindfulness / Prevention
Prevention of Heart Disease
There are many things about wine to love: The complex flavors, the social comfort of sharing with friends, and, as current research suggests, even heart healthy benefits. This is good news considering that alcohol frequently is generally considered unhealthy. Red wine, and to a lesser extent white, contain two main families of antioxidants called anyhocyanins and catechins. They are similar to those found also in berry juices and whole leaf green tea, which both have similarly protective effects. These compounds are present mostly in the grape skins, which is why red wine has been shown to have a more powerful effect then white. After all, red wine is red because the skins are left in the grape juice for some amount of time dependant on the winemaker’s preferences. The heart disease reducing power of red wine has not been shown to be true from other alcohols, so they should still be approached with caution, especially if you are at risk of heart disease.
Many studies have suggested that the consumption of wine, particularly of red wine, reduces the risk of dying from heart disease. The protective effect of wine has been attributed to certain polyphenols present in the wine. Grapes contain a variety of antioxidants, including resveratrol, catechin, epicatechin and some proanthocyanidins. Of these, resveratrol seems to have a particularly beneficial effect. While the alcohol component is probably the least healthy aspect of drinking wine, some have argued that its calming effect when consumed in small amounts actually contributes to the heart healthy effect.
The heart is an organ and a muscle so most of the energy required for its contraction comes from oxidative phosphorylation, the process by which the cellular energizer ATP is produced. Byproducts of this process of energy production can increase oxidative stress on the muscular organ. Lately, a great deal of research has focused on some of the naturally occurring antioxidant phytochemicals such as resveratrol as a way to decrease the ongoing damages from this absolutely necessary energy production process. The importance of resveratrol was first recognized only after the widely publicized historic "French Paradox", which was presumed to be associated with drinking of red wine. That is, the low incidence of heart disease in France despite the well documented high fat, high alcohol, chain smoking lifestyle which was common in the country. This effect has since been looked at extensively and many studies have since revealed that drinking wine, particularly red wine, in moderation protects cardiovascular health by inhibiting cell death from oxidative stress. Resveratrol has shown itself to be a potent antioxidant, which can play an important role as a protector from atherosclerosis in the main vessels and dangerous ventricular arrhythmias in the heart. This is not an excuse to drink as much as you want; however, current recommendations suggest that 1 glass per day for women and 2 glasses for men of red wine provides enough resveratrol to get significant long term benefit. So, enjoy a nice full glass of delicious red wine tonight and know that its soothing effects extend to your heart as well.
For references please email info@naturavitanv.com
The summer sun in Tahoe is winding down but we also have the town all to ourselves for a while before the snow hits. At Natura Vita this is our favorite time of the year because we can enjoy both the lake and the mountains. There are some very important things to consider when exercising or simply engaging in one of Lake Tahoe’s many outdoor activities. Hydration is the first key to maintaining the level of performance you are accustomed to, whether it is a ride to the top of Tunnel Creek, or a walk to the lake. Not only can dehydration cause dizziness, headaches and nausea, but it can also leave you more susceptible to injury. One thing many people do not realize while they are in such a dry climate is that they are sweating even though they may not feel it. This is due to the fact that much sweat will evaporate before it can actually make you feel “sweaty”. Inadequate water intake puts significant stress on the body. Think of water as the solvent that it is—it goes in clean and comes out dirty, carrying toxins out of the body. Each day our body requires an intake of over two quarts of water, in order to function optimally. Even slight dehydration can a decrease in performance by 20% or more. Part of that water comes from our fruit and vegetable intake. The more produce you eat, the less water you’ll need to consume in addition to diet. Coffee, tea, sodas and fruit juices, actually add to the dehydration problem through their diuretic effects from caffeine and sugar. Fresh fruit juice should be diluted with water (1:1) before consuming it, in order to glean its health benefits while offsetting its diuretic effect. As a general rule, consume 48 ounces of water daily, in addition to 8 servings per day of fruits and vegetables in the daily diet. Add another 8 ounces of water for each cup of coffee, tea, soda or fruit juice consumed. Add another 8 ounces for each half hour of exercise daily.
The second key component to maintaining a healthy exercise regimen is avoiding overexertion. This is especially important for anyone who has had any recent significant injury or soreness. Anyone with heart problems should consult a physician before making any significant changes to your weekly exercise routine. Pushing yourself to hard, especially when you first begin to exercise again after an extended layoff, is just asking for an injury. Even if you do not get hurt you are likely to be sore, which makes exercising again more difficult and far less likely. Start off slow! Always warm up first and stretch afterward, your body will thank you for it by allowing to exercise more effectively and regularly if you do not overdo it every time. An average sized person will burn 600 calories in a 45 minute, medium intensity workout. Burning that much extra daily 5 -6 days per week, even when consuming basically the same diet, will help you lose approximately 1 pound per week. You can see how much a difference this can make for weight control over time, which will obviously make a significant contribution to heart health, blood sugar control and practically every other chronic disease that prevails out culture.
Finally and perhaps most important to injury avoidance, is to make sure that you maintain flexibility during the workout and also to work toward increased flexibility over the long term. Most people tend toward less flexibility, decreased range of motion and a lack of fluidity in the joints as we age; however, you can dramatically increase your flexibility simply by substituting one of your normal exercise days with a yoga day. Perhaps you will enjoy it so much you can add another yoga day in addition to all your regular workout days. For long term fitness I like to see people lift weights less and do more yoga. Freedom of movement will help prevent injury and allow you to exercise comfortably for a long time to come. It will also help alleviate many types of chronic pain. That is not to say that muscle tone is less important; however, to increase muscle tone, I suggest carrying two 10 pound weights while doing cardio. It will increase your cardio output as well. Besides, anyone who thinks yoga is easy, has never done anything beyond an introductory class. Try “Hot Yoga” at YogaSpa Tahoe for a really intense yoga experience. You can see the schedule at http://www.yogaspatahoe.com/yogaschedule.html.
For references please email info@naturavitanv.com
Heart Healthy Nutrition
There are many ways that one’s diet and lifestyle can affect their risk of getting and/or dying from heart disease, currently our nation’s #1 killer. Issues such as stress, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking may all contribute. While these are all important, I believe that nutrition is the absolute key to this almost entirely preventable epidemic. High fat, high salt, high sugar diets contribute greatly to obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and poor blood sugar regulation, which are all significant risk factors for getting heart disease. At Natura Vita we regularly recommend a whole foods, mostly vegetarian diet and provide the support to make the transition smoothly and easily. We do understand that there are many others out there who cannot make the switch quickly who need extra nutritional support while they adjust to a new way of approaching food. Heart disease prevention is a grave concern for most as they age and, until they provide themselves a proper nutritional foundation, the outlook will include any number of long term drug interventions.
Statin drugs are currently one of the most commonly prescribed class of drugs by conventional medical practitioners. They reduce cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme for mevalonic acid synthesis and subsequently cholesterol biosynthesis. HMG-CoA reductase is also the first committed rate-limiting step for the synthesis of a range of other compounds including steroid hormones and ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10). Coenzyme Q10 is a compound believed to be crucial for mitochondrial function for it role as a rate limiting cofactor in the cellular electron transport chain, which provides energy for cellular processes. There is growing evidence that a reduction in serum coenzyme Q10 concentrations promotes mitochondrial damage resulting is some of the unpleasant side effects of statin therapies such as muscle pain and weakness. Coenzyme Q10 supplementation has been shown to reverse statin induced decreases in circulating coenzyme Q10 concentrations.
Coenzyme Q10 administered orally appears to be safe and well tolerated in the adult population. Favorable effects of CoQ10 on ejection fraction (how efficiently your heart pumps blood through the vascular system), exercise tolerance, cardiac output, and stroke volume are all demonstrated in the literature. These effects are magnified in those with an existing heart condition such as a previous heart attack, congestive heat failure and who are trying hard to get healthier. I would also consider it preventative medicine for those who have any of the risk factors for future heart disease such as obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome or diabetes but who have not yet been diagnosed with any heart disease. So, to give your heart a nutritional and functional boost, you should carefully consider if supplementing with CoEnzymeQ10 is right for you. This is especially true if you already have one of the previously mentioned conditions, and highly recommended if you are currently on a statin drug for high cholesterol.
For references please email info@naturavitanv.com
OOOOM…Meditate
The funny thing about mindfulness, I hear all the time the perception that meditation cannot have much of a physical effect, because you aren’t really “doing anything”, and it doesn’t seem possible that such a simple act could actually impact function of organs, cells and hormones. In fact, mindfulness, meditation and any practice that requires calming the mind, slowing the breathing, and becoming still, has a huge impact on the body’s processes. This month’s newsletter is about heart health, and once again, there is a plethora of research about the effects of mindfulness practices on heart function. Generally, the heart’s health is dependant on strong muscular action of the heart to pump blood through the arteries, clear vessels for blood to easily flow through, good circulation to the cells so that the blood can allow for exchange of nutrients and fresh oxygen to the cells and tissues, and the right viscosity or thickness of the blood, so it can easily travel throughout the body.
When the body is stressed and we are in ‘fight or flight’ mode with our nervous system, the vessels constrict going to the main organs and out to the extremities, instead focusing on shunting blood to the muscles. When this occurs, the exchange of oxygen and nutrients to the majority of the cells decreases, and the heart also generally beats faster. On the other hand, relaxing the body through any type of meditative process allows for slower, steady heart rate, improved circulation to organs, and lowering of blood pressure. By calming the body, there is a lowering of perceived stress both physical and psychological. Deep breathing has also shown positive effects for reducing overall inflammation and plaqueing of the arteries³. Regular yoga practice is also an excellent stress-reducing preventative for heart health², and is often used in cardiac rehabilitation programs to expand the chest and allow for deeper breathing as well as improved coronary (heart) circulation¹.
For references please email info@naturavitanv.com
