The health, strength, and flexibility of your blood vessels are vital for your overall health. As they are a part of your cardiovascular system, their condition impacts directly on the health of your heart. Remember, coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death on the planet. Therefore, it’s prudent to do everything within your power to reduce the risk of this condition. The tips offered here today can help keep your blood vessels strong through diet and exercise.
However, first you need to understand what exactly constitutes a healthy blood vessel. In order to ensure proper circulation, these ‘tubes’ located within your body must be extremely flexible. This is necessary to ensure they adjust properly to even the smallest changes in your body’s position.
The second most important factor, which determines the health of blood vessels, is their integrity. Problems with this particular issue are life-threatening and must be treated by qualified medical professionals. However, as far as the tone and flexibility of blood vessels go, you have the power to improve yours and, thus, reduce the risks associated with their loss.
How to Keep Your Blood Vessels Strong Through Diet
The health of your blood vessels is determined by the health of endothelium. That’s the layer of tissue that lines vessels on the inside. This layer of vessel lining controls the immune responses. It’s also responsible for the production of anticoagulants, necessary for maintaining blood in its liquid form.
If endothelium gets damaged, the affected area of the blood vessel becomes stiff, which can cause a variety of dangerous health problems. Our bodies can fight this stiffening naturally, with the help of nitric oxide. Therefore, consuming foods that provide you with this element will reduce the damage to endothelium. This, in turn, will help prevent a variety of conditions caused by circulatory problems.
The elements to look for in foods are nitrate and some specific amino acids (citrulline and arginine). You can get them from:
- Leafy greens
- Fish
- Lean meat
- Wholegrains
- Garlic
- Beets
Another group of elements that help repair endothelium and generally improve its condition are antioxidant flavonoids. The best sources of them are berries, apples, and grapes. Vitamin E also is a potent antioxidant, and you can obtain it from nuts, seeds, and avocados.
The Dangers of Homocystheine for Blood Vessels
In order to keep your blood vessels strong, you must not only focus on improving their health but also find ways to reduce the risks to their integrity. Homocystheine is an essential amino acid, whichhas the unfortunate side-effect of damaging endothelium if it’s not processed by the body. When used the right way, our systems convert it into various substances necessary for supporting general health. However, to do this, we need vitamins B6 and B12. The deficit of these elements results in elevated levels of homocystheine and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
You can prevent this by taking specialized supplements, which reduce the level of homocystheine in your blood. For example, Circulation & Vein Support or Cholesterol Support by Nature’s Potent. You can also take Vitamin B-6 and/or Vitamin B-12 to prevent deficiencies of these essential elements.
Keep Your Blood Vessels Healthy with Exercise
Food and supplements have a tremendous effect on the overall health of your blood vessels. However, as they are made of tissues, exercise can affect them as well.
You can’t tone up your veins and arteries as you would your muscles, but some types of physical exertion can improve their general condition. The best workouts for blood vessels, and your cardiovascular system as a whole, are aerobics and endurance training. Jogging and cycling, in particular, are very good for veins.
Don’t forget, overworking yourself can damage your tissues, blood vessels included, so plan your training program wisely.