Heart Health Awareness Month in South Africa is observed every year in September. The month is earmarked and dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease in South Africa, the risk factors and to promote cardiovascular health. Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. However, the good news is that many forms of heart disease are preventable with simple lifestyle changes and early detection.
If you’re interested in supporting your heart health and overall wellbeing, it’s important that you support your heart with the nutrition it needs.
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is used to produce energy your body needs for cell maintenance, growth, and recovery. Adequate energy production is essential for a healthy heart and normal heart function.
- Fish oils especially omega-3 fatty acids help lower the body’s production of cholesterol, saturated fats, and triglycerides.
- Magnesium has been linked with lowering risk factors such as blood pressure, plaque build-up, calcification of soft tissues, cholesterol and hardening of the arteries.
- Antioxidants provide powerful protection against harmful oxidative stress, free radicals, and pollutants.
- Carnitine is an amino acid needed to transport fats into the mitochondria (the place in the cell where fats are turned into energy).
- Herbals or botanicals like red rice yeast, green tea, plant sterols, berberine, curcumin, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, hawthorn berry and olive leaf
Smoking, sleep deprivation, low fibre, or water intake, being overweight, inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle are some of the known risk factors of heart disease and numerous other health related problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and stroke just to name a few. Developing healthy heart habits takes time and practice, but it will be greatly beneficial to your health over time. So, don’t lose heart instead, kick out your bad habits for a healthier heart which means a healthier you!
