Sweet tooth or not, cut the sugar, sugar, and keep your heart happy
When it comes to looking out for the heath and wellbeing of South Africans, Solgar is the gold standard. Solgar employs experts to separate fact from fiction and analyse the latest research to provide accurate information and high-quality nutritional supplements for any condition.
It might be easy to see why decadent chocolates, rich ice-cream and sugary coke are all bad for you, especially if you are watching your waistline – but what about pasta sauce, protein bars, salad dressing and bread? Sugar is a sneaky substance present in many foods, especially processed or pre-made meals, and it is easy to consume very high daily amounts of sugar without realising it. But this isn’t just bad news for your beach body, but also puts you at extremely high risk for heart disease.
Even a slight increase in blood sugar can lead to hormonal imbalances and increased levels of harmful chemicals, leading to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, and insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. A recent study in America showed that adults who ate the most sugar were almost 3 times more likely to die prematurely from heart disease. Sugar isn’t an innocent sweet treat, but could rather be seen as a ticking time bomb, especially when combined with other risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise and high cholesterol.
Your heart is a very special muscle, which works extremely hard to pump thousands of litres of blood around your body on a daily basis to keep you alive. According to Dr Rowena Thompson, a Technical Advisor to Solgar South Africa, “Protecting your heart is an essential investment in your health, and this could mean diet and lifestyle changes, additional supplementation and medical intervention if necessary.” Some suggestions from Dr Thompson and other experts are to be more active; kick some (cigarette) butts and stop smoking; avoid processed foods and too much salt; eat more oily fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and seeds and nuts; and cut down on alcohol intake.
There also some Solgar supplements that can assist with balancing blood sugar and maintaining heart health, which are easily available at leading pharmacies:
Chromium picolinate: Shown to increase sensitivity of cells to insulin improving blood sugar balance.
Alpha lipoic acid: This antioxidant may protect cells against free radical damage and also help to regulate blood sugar levels. Shown to inhibit glycation (cross-binding of proteins due to excess glucose in the body), which contributes to arteriosclerosis (hardening of blood vessel walls) and ageing.
Zinc and Vitamin B6: Both important for insulin production
Omega 3: Essential fatty acids help support cardiovascular health by reducing the risk of blood clots, reducing triglyceride levels and improving blood vessel wall health.
Magnesium: Shown in several clinical trials to assist in normalising blood pressure
Astaxanthin: Shown to elevate HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Coenzyme Q-10: This antioxidant has been shown to promote cardiovascular health.
B complex: B complex vitamins help to lower homocysteine levels, a waste product found in the body that has been linked to high cholesterol and heart disease.
It is important to note that supplements are not medication. If you have any questions or concerns about your heart, or before making drastic changes to your diet/exercise routine, it is advisable to consult a medical doctor.