The heart is what many of us think of as the center of life in our bodies. Having a “strong heart” is synonymous with health, and when our heart ceases to beat, life ends.
At the same time, we know that heart disease is the number one cause of death, and this applies to both men and women. So how can we optimize our heart health? We’ll show you several ways, including how to pick the best probiotic for heart health.
Factors in Heart Health
It is true that not all heart health factors are within our control. For instance, genetics can play a strong role in all aspects of our health. People may inherit a ‘stronger’ or ‘weaker’ heart, and may inherit a tendency to have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
We may also be exposed to environmental factors, prenatally or throughout our lives, that we have very little control over.
However, many factors in heart health lie within our control to some extent. Even our genetics - which seems as though they are a “given,” can be highly influenced by factors we are exposed to throughout life. Two people who are genetically predisposed to be obese, for example, may be very different weights. Research has shown that the food we eat, or environmental factors, can play a significant role in the way our given genes express themselves.
All this is to say that your current level of heart health is not something you have to accept, if you are unhappy with it.
There are many ways you can have a positive influence on this critical organ. Keep in mind that every year over 600,000 people in the US die from heart disease, but that the American Heart Association says that lifestyle choices are the strongest weapon against this known killer.
Knowing we have a substantial amount of control over our health, let’s look at some of the best ways to work on improving or maintaining heart health.
The Foods You Eat
Even without considering a person’s weight, the foods they eat can have a substantial effect on their heart health. The most important factors in a heart healthy diet include:
- High fiber
- Whole grains
- A variety of fruits and vegetables (fresh or frozen are best)
- Legumes (e.g. beans, lentils, peanuts)
- Limitation of red meats, processed foods, high saturated fats, and sugar
Your Activity Level
The foods you put into your body can have a profound effect on your heart health, but your activity level can as well. There is no need to be a marathon runner to get the heart benefits you’re looking for.
Activities like a half hour brisk walk, swimming, or establishing a light weight-lifting routine can all help make strides towards a healthier heart.
Probiotics for Heart Health
You may be surprised to hear this, but taking the right probiotics can be another great step in optimizing your heart health. How can probiotics benefit you? By addressing several of the most important heart issues.
Let’s look at the best probiotic for heart health, and what these good bacteria can do:
Probiotics and Heart Health: Cholesterol
Cholesterol numbers are one of the common ways your doctor may help you understand your heart health. While you may know that probiotics can help optimize digestion, did you also know they have the potential to help some people lower their cholesterol levels?
First it’s important to understand why high cholesterol is dangerous for your heart health. It’s because cholesterol can build up in your circulatory system, stopping your heart and brain from getting a sufficient amount of oxygenated blood. A lack of oxygenated blood can lead to two very serious complications of an unhealthy heart: a stroke and a heart attack.
The good news is that a scientific review of 30 clinical studies showed evidence of probiotics being able to aid in reducing total cholesterol, as well as what’s known as “bad” cholesterol, or LDL.
Probiotics and Heart Health: Weight Management
Achieving or maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important steps you can take for a healthy heart. In addition to eating well and staying active, probiotics may be able to help your body facilitate weight loss.
Multiple studies have shown that some differences can be seen in weight reduction for people who took probiotics compared to people who did not.
We believe probiotics may be able to help with weight management for several reasons, but an important one is their ability to optimize digestion. The optimization of digestion includes allowing our bodies to get as many important nutrients as possible from our food; digesting protein, dairy, and carbohydrates effectively, and keeping our digestive tract moving.
Probiotics can help keep you regular, which not only will likely make you feel better, but ensures that the food you eat is being eliminated in a timely fashion.
The Best Probiotic for Heart Health
When you understand the value of probiotics for your health, it’s reasonable that your next question would be: what is the best probiotic for heart health? There are two important pieces to this answer. The first part is which probiotic company to choose, and the second is which probiotic supplement to choose.
Choosing a Probiotic Company
First let’s look at the importance of choosing the right probiotic company for heart health. The truth is that there are hundreds of probiotic companies you can choose, but the majority of them rely on snazzy marketing language to draw you in. Instead of prioritizing your health, they prioritize their own sales.
However, Natren is different.
Natren is a trusted probiotic manufacturer that has been committed to the highest standards of excellence for almost 40 years. We put extensive amounts of research and resources into every aspect of the probiotics we offer. From our manufacturing to our shipping, each step of our process focuses on safety and quality.
Natren guarantees each 100% potency of each strain in each supplement we offer, and is one of the few companies to have attained International cGMP certification.
Choosing a Probiotic for Heart Health
Natren offers a range of probiotics so that you can pick the one(s) that best fit your needs.
If you are new to probiotics, we recommend starting with Healthy Trinity as the best probiotic for your heart health. Healthy Trinity is a good choice because it provides a 3 in 1 supplement that takes the guesswork out of choosing the best probiotic for you.
For those who want to customize their probiotic routine, we recommend you learn more about:
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Megadophilus which is step 1 in our 3-step system, and focuses on the small intestine where the majority of digestion takes place.
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Bifido Factor which is step 2 is our 3-step system, and focuses on the large intestine.
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Digesta-Lac which is the final step in our 3-step system, and gives support through the whole digestive process.
Natren’s line of probiotics are appropriate for men, women, and children including those who feel like they’re at their peak health and want to stay that way, as well as those looking to take steps to improve their health. You can learn more about us, our products, and our commitment to your health at natren.com
