Vitamin D for Heart Health
Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Low vitamin D levels lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, intima-media thickness, and coronary calcification.
Cellular vitamin D receptors are found to affect inflammation, suggesting vitamin D may not only impact risk factors contributing to heart disease but may also directly impact on heart disease.
How much vitamin D do you need?
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) develops Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), which are broken down into Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), Adequate Intake (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL).
We use these established DRIs to know how to of a nutrient to include in our diet daily for optimal health.
The FNB recommends 600 IU of vitamin D daily for men and women between the ages of 19-71 years-old.
What happens if you get too little vitamin D?
A study conducted at the University of Copenhagen reviewed data from studies with more than 10,000 participants comparing those with low vitamin D levels (less than 15 ng/mL) versus the highest levels (more than 50 ng/mL). Those with low levels were 64% more likely to have a heart attack, 40% more likely to develop ischemic heart disease, had a 57% increased risk of early death, and 81% more likely to die from heart disease.
What happens if you get too much vitamin D?
The UL for vitamin D is set at 4,000 IUs per day. Intakes above this level are connected to elevated serum levels that increase risk for adverse health effects. Long-term intakes above the UL increases risk for cardiovascular events, such as heart attack.
How to include vitamin D every day:
Obtaining needed nutrients in your diet is always preferable to supplements. However, vitamin-D rich foods are limited.
So, what can you do to ensure you receive 600 IU of vitamin D daily?
Foods rich in vitamin-D include:
Fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel are top sources of vitamin D.
Most milk in the United States (US) is fortified with vitamin D. Note: Cheese and ice cream are not fortified with vitamin D.
Cod liver oil contains 1300 IU’s of vitamin D. This is twice the RDA, but does not exceed the UL.
One of the best vitamin D sources is not found in the grocery store.
Sunlight.
Twenty to twenty-five minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen allows your body to produce vitamin D. However, where you live impacts whether or not sunlight is adequate.
If you live above the 40th degree latitude (i.e. North of Denver, CO) sunlight is not adequate during January and February. If you live above the 42nd degree latitude (i.e. North of Chicago, IL) sunlight is not adequate between November and February.
For more information on foods and diet to lower cholesterol and promote heart health, sign up for my free e-course How to Lower Cholesterol in 8 Simple Steps HERE.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Health Pro for HealthCentral
Sleep Deprivation and Heart Disease
A 2011 study by the American Heart Association found poor quality sleep to increase high blood pressure risk, which can then lead to heart disease.
I had the pleasure of collaborating with leading alternative health expert Bryce Wylde. Bryce Wylde is a highly knowledgeable and respected natural healthcare clinician whose specialty is homeopathy, clinical nutrition, supplementation, and botanical medicine and whose focus is routed within functional medicine.
In this three-part series, Bryce shares information ranging from the connection between sleep deprivation and heart disease to the diagnosis of sleep apnea and the impact of snoring, as well as steps you can take to ensure a quality nights sleep.
Sleep deprivation
Sleep is measured physiologically by electrical changes in the brain. Sleep is quantified in the amount of time spent in or out of REM (Rapid Eye Movement). The duration from the beginning of non-REM to the end of REM is an important aspect of your sleep pattern. This is referred to as sleep architecture. Sleep architecture varies widely across species, and is thought to be significantly influenced by genetics. But no matter your eye or hair color, or where you’re from, you’ve heard of the general importance of 7-8 hours for optimal health. There is a reason for that. For optimal sleep, it is necessary to experience full and uninterrupted sleep cycles. It takes the average person about 90 mins to get through one full sleep cycle. Sleep research has concluded that we need 4-6 cycles per night to feel our best. Do the simple math and we need 7-8 hours. But accomplishing optimal sleep isn’t as easy as clocking 8 hours on your pillow.
Science has previously shown that those of us who are regularly sleep deprived or have interrupted sleep – especially those of us who snore – are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and narrowed blood vessels. Each of these can decrease blood flow inside the brain. Brain cells require ample oxygen and sugar. Without ideal blood flow to the brain this will affect its ability to work properly and recall information. To boot, during sleep you can strengthen memories and practice skills you learned while awake in a “virtual” environment.
Sleep deprivation, inflammation, and heart disease
The Effects of Snoring Go Beyond Heart Disease
As we discussed previously, poor sleep impacts inflammation, hypertension, and attention deficit. In this third part of our three-part series on sleep and heart disease, we look closer at the effect of snoring on health with leading alternative health expert Bryce Wylde.
The effects of snoring on relationships
The effects of snoring goes well beyond inflammation, hypertension, and attention deficit. The U.S. National Sleep Foundation reports that 90 million Americans are affected by snoring (about 28% of the population). That’s a lot of zzzs! Further, a study by the National Sleep Foundation found that about 24% of couples sleep in separate rooms because of snoring, and many couples who sleep separately are reluctant to discuss it. This is causing a lot of strain on relationships – often even to the point of separation – even, ultimately, contributing to divorce!
In fact, the National Sleep Foundation found that more than a third of respondents admit that their partner’s disruptive sleep habits have affected the quality of their relationship. Two in five (17-23%) indicated that their intimate/sexual relationships had been affected because they were too sleepy. Another 51-62% agreed that not getting enough sleep impacts their relationships with family or friends.
It turns out one of the number one undiagnosed causes of sleep interruption is indeed snoring and subclinical apnea. This is a problem for both parties of a relationship. To complicate matters, it is a common attitude that “nothing could possibly be done about snoring”. This often stops couples from taking care of this issue so that it doesn’t end up causing so many repercussions.
Sleep deprivation and weight gain
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss the impact of too little sleep on weight gain! If you’re wondering why your recent efforts at the gym and eating clean haven’t been working as well as you’d hoped, you should know that sleep and metabolism control are found in the same area of the brain. When you are sleep deprived, your hunger hormones go way up. If you are trying to lean up, you need to ensure you get 7-8 hours of deep restful sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, you lose muscle mass, according to research conducted at the University of Chicago.
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people were starved of sleep, late-night snacking increased, and they were more likely to choose high-carb snacks. It turns out that if you’re sleepy, you crave the wrong foods and have a harder time saying “no”.
Here is another shocker: Driving Under Drowsiness (DUD) for just one night can be as detrimental to your driving ability as having an alcoholic drink (DUI)! Sleep deprivation causes impaired reaction time and decision making. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, being tired accounted for the highest number of fatal single-car crashes due to the driver’s performance. It turns out that is even more than alcohol!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Health Pro for HealthCentral
Part 1: Sleep Deprivation and Heart Disease
Part 3: How to Obtain a Quality Nights Sleep for Optimal Heart Health
10 Tips on What to Avoid During the Holidays to Prevent Holiday Heart Syndrome
Heart-related deaths increase during the holidays with 33% more deaths occurring in December and January.
Avoid these 10 activities to protect your heart from holiday heart syndrome this holiday:
1. Stress
While the holidays are often happy times spent with family, it’s also a time of increased stress as you prepare for the festivities. The busyness is not going to ebb. You need to make relaxation a priority by scheduling breaks into your calendar. Use this scheduled time for whatever relaxation method works best for you… meditation, exercise, deep breathing, a nap. Don’t underestimate the importance of managing stress.
2. Sleep deprivation
Ongoing sleep deprivation is connected to increased risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. To get better sleep during and after the holidays go to bed and get up and the same time each day, stop eating three hours before bedtime, avoid fluids two hours before bedtime, and make your bedroom as dark as possible.
Selenium and Heart Disease: Should you supplement selenium?
Selenium is a trace mineral found in soil and naturally present in many foods.
The recommended dietary allowance for selenium is the same for men and women at 55 micrograms daily for anyone 14 years of age or older.
Selenium plays a critical role in reproduction, metabolism, DNA synthesis, infection, and protection from oxidative damage.
Selenium and Heart Disease
A component of selenium works to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol particles, decrease inflammation, and prevent platelet aggregation.
This function of selenium led researchers to investigate whether or not selenium supplementation can be used to reduce cardiovascular disease.
Research resulted in conflicting results. Some research found people with lower selenium levels to have a higher risk of heart disease. Other research found there to be no connection and some even indicated high selenium levels were associated with an increased heart disease risk.
10 Heart Health Facts and Myths
Much of what you think you know about high blood pressure, or hypertension, may be based on outdated information. “You may think, for example, that being diagnosed with prehypertension isn’t a big deal, especially if you’re in your 20s or 30s. You may feel fine. But we’re now learning that even slightly elevated blood pressure over a prolonged time can have serious consequences.
Felicia Stoler, DCN says science is evolving so quickly that it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with what we should and shouldn’t be doing to manage our health. Research on blood pressure is no exception. Here are the ten common myths Stoler hears most frequently.
Myth #1: Blood pressure in the 120/80 range is ideal.
Fact: “Just as over the years, health experts have dropped the acceptable limits with respect to cholesterol and blood sugar, the same is now happening with blood pressure. Experts are re-thinking what’s healthy. Too many people who have blood pressure in the 120/80 range are developing heart disease. What’s more: we’re discovering that young people are at greater risk for developing heart disease later in life than we once thought.
“The CARDIA study, conducted by researchers at multiple locations including Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, University of Minnesota and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, followed nearly 2,500 healthy men and women from early adulthood (ages 18 to 30), for 25 years. The results revealed that those whose blood pressure was in the prehypertension range – between 120/80 and 139/89 – while they were still under 30, were more likely to have signs of heart disease when they reached middle age. Specifically, they were at higher risk of developing problems with their heart’s left ventricle.
“Results of the SPRINT study were presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting. In that study, about 9,300 participants were seen regularly for four to eight years by blood pressure management experts. Researchers determined that maintaining blood pressure below the commonly recommended systolic target of 120 significantly reduced rates of cardiovascular disease and lowered the risk of death among adults age 50 and older diagnosed with high blood pressure. As a result of this study, the American Heart Association now suggests that blood pressure of 120/80 is the new lower limit for hypertension.”
Myth #2: You’ll notice symptoms if you have elevated blood pressure.
Fact: “That’s the challenge with high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol. There may not be any noticeable warning signs, or they may seem so insignificant that you just ignore them. That’s why high blood pressure is often called the silent killer. For example, some people with high blood pressure may get headaches but attribute them to stress. Left unmanaged, high blood pressure can affect your overall health. That’s why even eye doctors and dentists will check your blood pressure during your appointments.”
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