Health

Eating for a healthy heart

Diet is a vital component in keeping the heart healthy. Here are some tasty heart-friendly recipes to try 

February is National Heart Month, drawing attention to the ways that you can prevent heart disease and its associated conditions.

A healthy diet is one important way that you can help reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease and also stop you gaining weight, thereby reducing your risk of diabetesand highbloodpressure.It canalsohelploweryour cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of some cancers. Even if you already have a heart condition, a healthy diet can also benefit your heart.

Oats are one element of a healthy diet, containing the soluble fibre beta-glucan which has been shown to help lower cholesterol, and the recipes on these pages suggest imaginative ways you can include them in your diet.

Eating for a healthy heart also means reducing the fat content of your diet – and in particular the saturated fat content. The recipes featured on these pages include rapeseed oil, which is lower in saturated fat than all other cooking oils and fats and just as versatile. It also provides healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated essential fatty acids, omega 3, 6 and 9.

The recipes are not only low in fat and full of wholegrains but are also low in salt – another important factor in keeping your heart healthy. 

Q10 study

The vitamin-like substance coenzyme Q10 plays a key role in the energy supply for all body cells. Heart muscle cells in particular require huge volumes of Q10 to function normally, but Q10 levels decrease with age. To date there have been many placebo-controlled studies supporting Q10’s role in heart health.

• The KiSel-10 trial from Sweden, published in June 2012, revealed how a 200mg Q10 supplement, plus 200mcg of selenium, reduced cardiovascular mortality by 50 per cent and also improved heart function in a group of healthy older adults. 
• This encouraging outcome is further supported by the Q-Symbio study, which is soon to be published. Preliminary results were revealed at the International Coenzyme Q10 Association meeting in Seville in November 2012. Scientists found that about twice as many patients with chronic heart failure will survive their disease and reduce complications by taking 100mg of Q10 three times a day. Danish preventative nutrition specialists Pharma Nord were chosen to supply their patented Bio-Quinone Q10 product in both KiSel-10 and Q-Symbio. 

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING AND GET SOME QUICK AND EASY RECIPES FOR IMPROVING HEART HEALTH.

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