Heart Disease: Prevalence and Prevention

by Dr. Robert Blair

By the time they reach their 40s, one in two men and one in three women will have developed heart disease. This disorder remains the number one cause of death in the United States, and is comprised of a number of interrelated conditions, including irregular heartbeat, chronic chest pain, arthrosclerosis and heart attack. The primary risk factors for heart disease consist of some factors beyond our control—such as age and family history—but many others that are either lifestyle-related, such as smoking, physical inactivity and stress, or that relate more directly to nutrition. These include high LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol, uncontrolled blood sugar and obesity.

Each year, the American Heart Association, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), compiles the most up-to-date statistics on heart and cardiovascular diseases and publishes it in their Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics update. Despite the extensive body of knowledge accumulated by the medical and scientific communities and distributed to the public, heart disease remains the leading cause of death among both men and women. According to the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics – 2013 Update:

• Approximately 635,000 Americans will have a new coronary event this year, while about 280,000 Americans will have a recurrent coronary event.
• In 2009, coronary heart disease was responsible for approximately one of every six deaths in the U.S.
• About every 34 seconds in the U.S., a coronary event will occur.
• About every 60 seconds in the U.S., someone will die of a coronary event.

While these numbers remain astounding, deaths from coronary heart disease have actually fallen since 1968. An analysis of death rates between 1980 and 2000 showed that 47 percent of the decrease in coronary heart disease deaths was due to new and improved medical treatments. Another 44 percent of the decrease in deaths from heart disease was due to reductions in heart disease risk factors.
While there are a number of medical treatments for heart disease (revascularization for chronic angina, blood pressure medicines, and cholesterol-lowering medicines), making appropriate lifestyle changes is a critical step in preventing heart disease. Lifestyle changes that address the modifiable risk factors include:

• Eating Healthy—Our dietary habits have a major impact on our blood cholesterol levels. According to the CDC, about 33 percent of American adults have high blood levels of LDL-cholesterol. Individuals with high LDL-cholesterol levels are at nearly twice the risk for heart disease than individuals with healthy LDL-cholesterol levels. Foods high in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium increase LDL-cholesterol and thus our risk for heart disease. We can lower our blood levels of LDL cholesterol by reducing our intake of foods rich in saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium, while at the same time increasing our consumption of whole grains, soluble fiber, fruits & vegetables, and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

• Exercise—Regular exercise has been reported to both lower triglycerides and raise HDL-cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol. Studies suggest that a minimum of 120 minutes of aerobic exercise is needed weekly to raise HDL-cholesterol. Aim for HDL-cholesterol levels of at least greater than 40 mg/dL, though raising the level to over 60 mg/dL can actually decrease heart disease risk. In addition to cholesterol benefits, exercise helps reduce blood pressure.

• Quit Smoking—If you smoke, your risk of developing coronary heart disease increases 2 – 4 times that of nonsmokers. In addition to its direct effects on heart disease risk, smoking also worsens other heart disease risk factors, compounding the effects of smoking. Fortunately, by quitting smoking one can dramatically reduce their heart disease risk over time.

• Lose Weight—Excess body weight is another major risk factor for coronary heart disease; however, this relationship is complex and not fully understood. It has been reported that excess body weight is not only linked to coronary heart disease, but also to abnormal heart rate and ventricular function. Therefore, obtaining and maintaining a healthy body weight with a body mass index below 25 is an important step to reducing coronary heart disease.

The American Heart Association offers more detailed information and downloadable fact sheets if you want to read more about these and other lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of heart disease.
Another way to combat coronary heart disease is to take dietary supplements. Some dietary supplements can be a useful tool, especially when combined with the lifestyle changes discussed above. Some of the best dietary supplements for supporting heart health and thus reducing one’s risk for coronary heart disease include omega-3 fatty acids, red yeast rice, astaxanthin, plant stanols/sterols, and polymethoxyflavones.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids—Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, are well known for a number of potential health benefits including heart health. In addition to potential cholesterol-lowering benefits, omega-3 fatty acids have been reported to be associated with a decreased risk for nonfatal heart attacks in women, a reduction in heart disease risk factors, and heart failure – free survival in heart attack patients.

nutraMetrix Heart Health Essential Omega III with Vitamin E is a superior product due to a number of factors. The best fish are used to produce a clean and safe product that is rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It also contains 3000mg of fish oil where most other commercial products contain a third of the total fish oil contained in nutraMetrix Heart Health Essential Omega III.

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Red Yeast Rice—One recent study reported that daily consumption of red yeast rice for 16 weeks reduced LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol in patients with high cholesterol levels. In a comparison study, red yeast rice lowered LDL-cholesterol by 30 percent while pravastatin lowered LDL-cholesterol by 27percent. It has also been suggested that red yeast rice might help reduce the risk for nonfatal myocardial infarction and total coronary heart disease events.






In traditional Chinese culture, red yeast rice was believed to promote various areas of health. The production of nutraMetrix Red Yeast Rice adheres to only the highest standards of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). This stringent standardization in processing, packaging, testing and quality control ensures quality and reliability.
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Astaxanthin—Astaxanthin is a natural carotenoid with antioxidant properties. Research studies have reported that astaxanthin supplementation can lower LDL-cholesterol, raise HDL-cholesterol, and reduce lipid oxidation. Furthermore, astaxanthin supplementation might help reduce blood pressure. Each of these changes can be beneficial for heart health.



nutraMetrix® Prime Astaxanthin Cardio & Visual Vitality Formula delivers a 6 mg serving of this high-grade astaxanthin in a single serving, providing the optimal amount in every pill. This makes Prime Astaxanthin a giant step forward in the longevity revolution through its unequaled ability to combat free radicals at the cellular level.

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Polymethoxylated Flavones—Polymethoxylated flavones such as nobiletin and tangeretin are antioxidant compounds found in a variety of citrus fruits including oranges and tangerines. Animal studies suggest that polymethoxylated flavones might beneficially modulate receptors for LDL-cholesterol and reduce total and LDL-cholesterol. Additionally, a proprietary blend of polymethoxylated flavones and tocotrienols has been reported to reduce blood levels of total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides in individuals with elevated blood cholesterol.

While medical treatments are an important part of reducing cholesterols levels and heart disease risk for many people, lifestyle modifications that include exercise, healthy eating and dietary supplementation can be an appropriate and effective first step to reducing heart disease risk for many others. Working closely with your personal health professional to determine which the best approach is for you is an important step to a healthy heart.

Vitamin Supplement Delivery Systems: What to Look For

Choosing the right vitamin supplement is more than just looking at the ingredients. The form in which the supplement is in can make all the difference in the quality of the supplement you are receiving.

Normally, when you ingest a daily vitamin or nutritional supplement tablet, your body must work for up to four hours digesting and absorbing the vitamins and nutrients. During this lengthy breakdown process, a percentage of the nutritive value is lost. Even still, some supplement products do not even break down due to harsh fillers and binders, but pass to the small intestine. When this takes place, none of the contents of the supplement can be absorbed by the body. This is one reason the bioavailability of pills and capsules are significantly lower than isotonic-capable supplements.

Tablets & Capsules: One thing to watch out for in tablets and capsules are binders and fillers. Binders and fillers can include lubricants and disintegrates to aid the body in absorption, but these are added ingredients that your body does not need.

Gummies & Chewables: Gummy and chewable supplements can be appealing because of their colors and tastes, but most are very high in sugars and have fewer active ingredients, making them less effective in delivering the maximum benefit.

Liquids: If you do not like swallowing tablets or chewing chewables, a liquid supplement may be for you. Liquids may also have a great taste but, many liquid supplements include preservatives that can interfere with the active ingredients.

Isotonic: Isotonic, meaning “same pressure,” bears the same chemical resemblance of the body’s blood, plasma and tears. This means that the body has less work to do to obtain maximum absorption of the nutrients. The isotonic state of the suspension allows nutrients to pass directly into the small intestine and rapidly absorb into the bloodstream. Little nutritive value is lost, making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient while delivering maximum results with great flavor as well.

Everything you eat and drink, including nutritional supplements, must be made isotonic before passing into your small intestine where it can be absorbed.   When you eat food, drink a beverage, or take a pill or capsule, your stomach must first secrete diluting juices, enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and at least one vitamin-binding protein to continue the process of digestion. Muscular contractions of your stomach then mix the contents until a reasonably uniform solution is achieved. This process can take anywhere from 40 minutes to four hours.

The longer a supplement stays in the stomach, the longer the time before absorption can begin, because no appreciable absorption occurs from the stomach. Often the rate-limiting step in the absorption process is the time it takes for the tablet or capsule to disintegrate, and the nutrients to dissolve and equilibrate to the proper (isotonic) state to leave the stomach. When all this has been completed — up to 40 minutes after ingestion — the diluted, acid-attacked nutrients can enter the small intestine for absorption.

Nutrients that are already isotonic do not need to be broken down into an isotonic state. Therefore, gastric emptying occurs more rapidly. Biological sensors in the gastrointestinal tract detect that the ingested solution is isotonic and at a correct pH. This causes the pyloric valve at the lower end of the stomach to remain open, allowing the concentrated solution to be squirted into the small intestine by stomach contractions. Absorption of the nutrients by the intestinal mucosa then starts to occur.