February 9, 2017 
The whole month of October is pink for breast cancer. Why is there just one day dedicated in February to wearing red as a reminder of heart disease in women? Good grief, heart disease kills something like 10 times more women. Yep, annually, 1 in 31 American women dies from breast cancer each year, while cardiovascular disease claims 1 in 3! I’m not proposing that we create a marketing / fundraising monster in February where everything including football uniforms are trimmed in red. I just think the issue needs a little more attention.
The early warning signs of heart trouble in women are often ignored because, for some perverted reason, it is still assumed that cardiovascular disease is a male problem. Clearly it is an equal opportunity killer. It adds to risk that the first signs of attack can be different than in men. Extreme fatigue, nausea, jaw pain, shortness of breath, a cold sweat or lightheadedness might easily be written off as nothing serious.
By now, we all know the basics of what both genders should do for prevention—stop smoking; exercise; eat a Mediterranean-style diet (more fruits, vegetables, fiber and fish along with fewer carbohydrates); lose weight; and reduce stress. Less often reviewed are supplements for cardio health. Here is a sampling of ones that I like because each is also useful for prevention of most other chronic diseases.
General: Reg’Activ Cardio Wellness. The key factor in this product is a probiotic strain, ME3 that produces the master antioxidant glutathione. It also contains other cardio-support nutrients, including Co-Q10. Among other benefits, it supports energy production in the heart.
Cholesterol: Kyolic Aged Garlic Formula 107. Aged garlic extract has been shown to reverse (not just slow the process) the accumulation of deadly unstable plaque in arteries. Study.
Blood pressure: Kyolic Aged Garlic Formula 109. Among the over 750 studies on Kyolic are a number showing help with blood pressure. This formula also contains Nattokinase and Suntheanine® supplements with known blood pressure benefits.
Magnesium: This humble mineral is under-appreciated in spite of being needed in 300 ways by the body. It is known to be important for proper heart rhythm and is even helpful for atrial fibrillation. I believe there would be more studies showing other benefits for preventing heart disease, but study results often seem mixed of the measure they use. They typically test serum magnesium. Unfortunately, what is circulating in the blood at any given moment is not a good measure of the magnesium contained in cells.
Longevinex: Among its dozens of other impressive functions, resveratrol is known to precondition the heart which improves survival in case of heart attack. In my article I explain why I think the Longevinex combination is head and shoulders above any other resveratrol on the market. It is also a miracle for macular degeneration. (More about that soon.)
These are by definition, supplements. They fill in nutritional blanks and add extra protection, but they are obviously not substitutes for the basics: stop smoking; exercise, eat a Mediterranean-style diet (more fruits, vegetables, fiber and fish along with fewer carbohydrates) lose weight and reduce stress.
By the way, you may have noticed that some of the above supplements are from our radio show sponsors. Not surprising, because I picked these companies as sponsors because I am proud to talk about them.
Image: goredforwomen.org
Healthy By Nature Show