Brianna Swyden, Author at Wakunaga of America

Author: Brianna Swyden

Does a Healthy Smile = A Healthy Heart?

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

Studies show that people with gum disease-a condition technically known as periodontal disease-are also more likely to have heart disease. According to Harvard Health, people with gum disease have two to three times the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular event than people without the condition.1  And that’s a problem since one out of every two men and one out of every three women over the age of 30 has some degree of periodontal disease.2

What Causes Gum Disease?

Periodontal disease is an infection of the tissues that hold your teeth in place (aka, your gums). It’s typically caused by poor brushing and flossing habits that allow plaque—a sticky film of bacteria—to build up on your teeth and harden into tartar. Without treatment, periodontal disease can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. This can cause your teeth to loosen and may even lead to tooth loss.3 It can also increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

The biggest risk factor for periodontal disease is poor dental hygiene. Without routine brushing and flossing, plaque can go unchecked, increasing the odds of developing gum disease as much as five-fold.4  Other risk factors include hormonal changes during puberty and menopause, certain health conditions such as AIDS or diabetes, some medications like contraceptives or steroids, and the genes you inherit.5

Symptoms of periodontal disease include:

  • Red, swollen, or tender gums
  • Bleeding gums
  • The buildup of tartar along the gum line
  • Gums that pull away from teeth
  • Loose or sensitive teeth.
  • Pain while chewing
  • Persistent bad breath 5

If you have any of these symptoms, run-don’t walk-to your dentist. That’s because treatment, which includes the removal of plaque and tartar, can help to reverse periodontal disease at every level.

The Gum Disease-Heart Disease Connection

How does what’s happening in your mouth affect your heart? It’s all about the bacteria. Just like your gut, your mouth has its own unique microbiome. Scientists have discovered a link between a bacterial imbalance in your oral microbiome, known as dysbiosis, and several types of cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, heart failure, and infective endocarditis (an infection of the inner lining of the heart).6

Here’s what happens: the bacteria that infects your gums sparks inflammation. This bacteria, along with the inflammation, then travel to the bloodstream and eventually to your gut where they trigger an immune response and body-wide inflammation. These actions can then set the stage for vascular damage, the buildup of arterial plaque, and reduced blood flow. 6,7,8

How to Prevent Gum Disease for a Healthier Heart

Since nearly half of adults already have some form of periodontal disease, here are some tips that can help improve the condition. As a bonus, these tips can also help prevent the cardiovascular consequences of poor periodontal health.

  • Brusha, brusha, brusha.Brush your teeth for two minutes at least twice a day—once in the morning and just before going to bed. And don’t forget to brush your molars and the backside of teeth where bacteria can hide. It’s also smart to replace your toothbrush every three months, or more often if the bristles are matted or frayed.
  • Don’t forget to floss. Flossing before you brush allows you to clean away any loosened food bits and bacteria. According to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, flossing is a particularly effective way to prevent periodontal disease in older adults.9
  • Ditch the mouthwash. New research in the Journal of Medical Microbiology reports that commonly-used alcohol-based mouthwashes disrupt the oral microbiome and can lead to an uptick in the number of harmful bacteria present in the mouth.10
  • Make regular dental visits.See your dentist regularly for cleanings, usually every 6 to 12 months. If you have risk factors that increase your chance of developing periodontitis—such as having dry mouth, taking certain medicines or smoking—you may need professional cleaning more often.
  • Fortify your gut. Since the bacteria from your mouth, along with factors that promote inflammation, travel to your gut and then to other parts of the body, it’s a good idea to fortify the “good” bacteria in your intestinal tract. One of the easiest ways to improve your gut microbiome is with a daily probiotic. According to a recent study in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, several strains of Lactobacillus bacteria, including acidophilus, L. plantarum, B. breve, B, infantisand L. rhamnosus, can discourage inflammation and strengthen the intestinal barrier.11
  • Support a healthier mouth and heart. Periodontal disease, especially mild periodontal disease, may seem unavoidable. But you can get some extra protection with Aged Garlic Extract (AGE). Rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, AGE has been shown to reduce both the incidence and the symptoms of periodontal disease.12 One 2023 study review published in the Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry found that AGE inhibits the buildup of plaque and improves gum healing.13 As a bonus, AGE also helps to keep your entire cardiovascular system in top form. Studies show that a daily dose of AGE can effectively reduce your blood pressure, cholesterol, and the buildup of plaque and calcium deposits in arteries, making it a win-win for both your heart and your oral health.14,15

Preventing gum disease before it starts is always the ideal scenario. But if you’re at risk of periodontal disease or if you’ve already got the condition, the above tips can keep you- and your heart-smiling!

Attain and Maintain Healthy Cholesterol Levels, Naturally!

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

Another 25 million have cholesterol levels that are officially classified as high.1  Of even more concern, about 40 percent of these folks don’t even know they have high cholesterol.2

What is Cholesterol and Why Does It Matter?

Cholesterol is a wax-like fatty substance produced in the liver and it’s actually essential for good health. In fact, the body uses cholesterol to build cell membranes and make hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and the adrenal hormones. It’s also critical for a well-running metabolism and for the synthesis of vitamin D.3  But cholesterol isn’t always beneficial-especially when you have too much of the wrong type.

There are several types of cholesterol: HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol. HDL, or high density lipoprotein, is considered beneficial since it absorbs other forms of cholesterol and carries them back to your liver so it can be excreted from your body. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is often called “bad” cholesterol because high levels contribute to the buildup of harmful plaque in your arteries.4 This is especially true when LDL becomes oxidized, since this triggers inflammation and an immune system response that damages arteries and promotes atherosclerosis.5

Your total cholesterol is the sum of your HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, plus 20 percent of your triglyceride level (another type of fat in your blood). High triglyceride levels can also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, even if your cholesterol is normal.6

Get Tested!

You can’t fix a problem you aren’t aware of. And because unhealthy cholesterol levels don’t  have any symptoms, many people don’t know if their levels are high. That’s why it’s so important to get your cholesterol levels checked.

Testing is done as part of your routine check-up and involves a simple blood test. Most healthy people should get their cholesterol levels checked every four to six years. People who have heart disease, diabetes, or a family history of high cholesterol typically need to get their cholesterol tested more often.7, 8

Understanding the Numbers

Once you’ve been tested, the results will be listed in mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). But what do all those numbers mean? According to the 2018 guidelines on the management of blood cholesterol, the following are the acceptable, borderline, and high measurements for adults.9

Total cholesterol HDL cholesterol (good) LDL cholesterol (bad) Triglycerides
Good Less than 200 (but the lower the better) The ideal level is 60 or higher; 40 or higher for men and 50 or higher for women is acceptable Less than 100; below 70 if coronary artery disease is present Less than 149; ideal is <100
Borderline to moderately elevated 200–239 n/a 130–159 150–199
High 240 or higher 60 or higher 160 or higher; 190 considered very high 200 or higher; 500 considered very high
Low n/a less than 40 for men and less than 50 for women n/a n/a

Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC)

Natural Ways to Keep Your Cholesterol In Check

If you’ve got borderline high cholesterol or if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, the good news is that you may be able to control your cholesterol levels with a few simple lifestyle changes.

  • Eat a healthy diet. Opting for whole, minimally processed foods can help foster healthier cholesterol levels. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats like avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil, and fiber-rich beans and whole grains. On the flip side, it’s smart to limit ultra-processed food since studies show it can lower HDL levels and raise triglycerides.10
  • Stay at a healthy weight. You can lower your total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, and boost your HDL level, by losing weight-especially if you’re carrying weight around your waist.11
  • Exercise. Getting regular exercise can raise your HDL level, as well as lower your LDL.12 Shoot for 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise on most, if not all, days.
  • Avoid cigarettes. Smoking can lower your HDL level and raise your LDL level.13 You should also try to avoid secondhand smoke.

Key Nutrients for Better Numbers

If your cholesterol levels are higher than normal, bringing them into a healthy range can often be accomplished with these lifestyle changes plus a few targeted nutrients.

Aged Garlic Extract (AGE). The antioxidant-rich compounds in AGE not only lower cholesterol by preventing its synthesis in the liver, they also help prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. One study published in the Journal of Nutrition highlighted clinical research showing that AGE lowered total cholesterol by 7 percent and LDL cholesterol by 10 percent in a group of men with high cholesterol levels.14 In another study that appeared in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, AGE reduced both total cholesterol and LDL levels while also increasing HDL.15

Lecithin. Supplementing with lecithin—a type of beneficial fat that contains phospholipids—has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. In a small study that was published in the journal Cholesterol, participants took 500 mg of soy lecithin a day. After just two months, their average total cholesterol was reduced by 42 percent, and LDL cholesterol dropped by an impressive 56.15 percent.16

Red Yeast Rice (RYR). This fermented byproduct of rice on which red yeast is grown contains a compound called monacolin K that inhibits the production of cholesterol in the liver. RYR is so effective that research in the Methodist Debakey Cardiovascular Journal noted it cut total cholesterol by 15 percent and LDL cholesterol by as much as 25 percent within eight weeks.17 Other studies show that RYR is just as effective as first generation statin drugs like lovastatin for lowering cholesterol.18 But since RYR works in a way that’s similar to statins, it’s wise to look for a supplement that also contains CoQ10.

When it comes to cholesterol, knowledge really is power. Knowing where you stand gives you an opportunity to make changes to bring it into a healthy range, naturally. And that can benefit your entire cardiovascular system.

Heartburn vs. Heart Attack vs. Stroke: When Should You Worry?

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

Of the more than eight million visits to the ER for chest pain each year, severe heartburn accounts for over half the cases. That’s because many people, including those with GERD, mistake their symptoms for a heart attack.3,4

Heartburn is a type of indigestion that occurs when the contents of your stomach splashes up into your esophagus. Your esophagus is a tube that allows food to be transported from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, a flap at the end of the esophagus—known as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)—would close once the food reaches your stomach, preventing stomach acid and partially digested food from flowing back up into the esophagus.2 But if your LES isn’t functioning properly, heartburn can occur. And that can cause pain or pressure in your chest, irritation or a burning sensation in your throat, difficulty swallowing, and even nausea.5

Eating certain foods, consuming alcohol, obesity, smoking, and the routine use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications are common triggers for heartburn.6,7 The most likely food culprits include:

  • Alcohol
  • Carbonated beverages
  • Citrus fruit
  • Coffee
  • Chocolate
  • Fatty foods
  • Fried foods
  • Peppermint
  • Spicy foods
  • Tomato-based foods 7

While heartburn itself isn’t a fatal condition, long-term GERD can damage the esophagus and increase the risk of developing Barrett’s esophagus. Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which tissue that is similar to the lining of your intestine replaces the tissue lining your esophagus. Over time, this can increase the risk of esophageal cancer.8

Heart Attack Facts

While chest pain may be a sign of heartburn, it can also signal a heart attack. But, instead of a burning sensation, a heart attack can manifest as a feeling of pressure, tightness, or pain that radiates from the center of the chest to the shoulders, neck, or arms. Like heartburn, nausea can also be a sign of an impending heart attack. But there are some distinct dissimilarities in the symptoms between heartburn and a heart attack.9

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, other symptoms of a heart attack can include:

  • Breaking out in a cold sweat
  • Indigestion
  • Irregular heart beat
  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Unexplained fatigue 10

However, it’s important to note that women can experience a heart attack differently. Just like their male counterparts, the most common symptom women experience is chest pain or discomfort. But unlike men, women often experience other symptoms that are typically less associated with heart attack, such as shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain. 9 Another difference? Women are more than twice as likely as men to die from a heart attack.11

Is It a Heart Attack or a Stroke?

Heart attacks and strokes also have some similarities—especially when it comes to the underlying cause. This is because they are both caused by a sudden blockage of oxygen-rich blood flow. In the case of a heart attack, blood flow is halted to the heart. During a stroke, the blood flow to your brain is interrupted. But here’s what many people don’t know: a heart attack and a stroke can have some similar symptoms, especially in the early stages. For instance, both a heart attack and a stroke can cause the sudden onset of:

  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Lightheadedness or dizziness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • General weakness 12

In addition to these symptoms, women can experience agitation, behavioral changes or hallucinations, disorientation, fainting, hiccups, incontinence, or even seizures in the early stages of a stroke. 12,13 But whether you’re a man or a woman, these early symptoms don’t necessarily track with what we typically think of as a stroke (confusion, facial drooping, trouble speaking, or weakness on one side of the body).14 This can make it particularly difficult to tell if an impending stroke is in the cards for you.

While it’s good to be aware of these three conditions and how their symptoms can overlap, recognizing what’s happening with your body in the moment can still be confusing. If you’re unsure if your symptoms are due to heartburn, heart attack, or stroke, don’t hesitate to get to the emergency room as soon as possible for an evaluation.

Practice Prevention

Whether it’s heartburn, a heart attack, or a stroke, you don’t need to wait for symptoms to act. Practicing prevention can help to reduce your risk for each of these conditions.

When it comes to heartburn, you can often stop it before it even starts with some DIY lifestyle changes. First, if you smoke, stop! Not only does smoking increase your risk of heart disease, it can also trigger heartburn.15 It’s also smart to keep track of the foods that may be causing your heartburn, such as spicy foods or tomato products, and cut those out of your normal diet.

You can also reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke by making healthy shifts in your diet and exercise habits. Studies show that eating a Mediterranean-style diet supports a healthy cardiovascular system and reduces the risk factors that contribute to heart attack and stroke.16  Getting at least 150 minutes of exercise each week has also been found to improve cardiovascular health.17

In addition to these lifestyle changes, adding a daily dose of Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) supplements can take your cardiovascular health to the next level. Studies clearly show that AGE helps lower blood pressure, decreases cholesterol, improves circulation, halts the progression of calcium buildup in your coronary arteries, and reduces the accumulation of unstable plaque in arteries.18,19,20,21,22 Along with a heart healthy diet and exercise, AGE can give your cardiovascular system the edge it needs to reduce the risk of a future heart attack or stroke.

Knowing the symptoms of these three health conditions can not only help you determine whether or not you should be concerned, it can also help you decide when to take immediate action. It could even save your life.

Want to Improve Your Microbiome? Get Moving!

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

Exercise has already been shown to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,1 but now there’s another important reason to increase the amount of physical activity you get. It turns out, exercise is linked to gut health.  For instance, increased physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer.2 It’s also been found to lessen irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms.3 More recently, however, studies have discovered that exercise can even change the bacterial balance in your microbiome.

How Exercise Improves Your Microbiome

Several preliminary studies report that regular exercise increases the amount of butyrate in the gut.4,5 Butyrate is a type of beneficial short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) produced by your “good” gut bacteria, and it has been linked to better digestion and nutrient absorption. Butyrate also bolsters the intestinal barrier and helps to protect against infections.

How does that translate to your lifestyle? In one of the first studies to look at how exercise influences the human microbiome, a group of scientists at the National University of Ireland, Cork, compared the microbiomes of rugby players with non-athletes. They found that the athletes had a considerably more diverse set of gut bacteria.6  Bacterial diversity is an important measure of gut health. Compared with the non-athletes, the rugby players also had higher levels of Akkermansia muciniphila. A. muciniphila is a type of beneficial bacteria that produces SCFAs. Researchers believe that it also helps to reign in inflammation and maintain gut barrier function. Robust levels of A. muciniphila have also been linked to a reduced risk of metabolic conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes.7

More recently, a study that appeared in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that athletes not only have more diverse microbiomes, they also have more beneficial gut bacteria and higher SCFA levels.8

Do you have to be an elite athlete to experience these benefits? Nope! But your overall fitness does matter. This was seen in a Canadian study that analyzed the stool of 39 people with similar diets and BMIs, but different fitness levels. The more fit a participant was, the more beneficial bacteria they had, especially the types that produced SCFAs.9

Best Types of Exercise for Your Gut

So what are the best workouts for your microbiome? Luckily, you have lots of options. While all movement is good movement, these four types of exercise may provide the best gut benefits.

  1. Aerobic exercise. Workouts that get your heart rate up—for example, biking, brisk walking, dancing, running, or swimming—aren’t just good for your cardiovascular system. Aerobic exercise is also good for your gut. According to recent research in the journal Scientific Reports, aerobic workouts induce metabolic shifts that foster a healthier gut microbiota.10
  2. Strength training. While studies haven’t made a definitive connection between strength training and an increase in gut bacterial diversity, they have found that people who lift weights or practice resistance training have better gut health. New findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology show that people who took part in a six-week resistance training program experienced an increase in SCFAs.11 Other studies suggest that strength training can reduce gut inflammation.12
  3. Yoga. This ancient Indian practice is often recommended as a way to reign in stress and anxiety. But a clinical trial featured in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies reported that combining yoga with meditation and a vegan diet resulted in a greater diversity of beneficial gut bacteria and an uptick in SCFAs such as butyrate.13
  4. Diaphragmatic breathing. Breathing is something we generally take for granted. But if you practice yoga or lift weights, breathing in specific ways is often a part of your exercise regime. One effective way to breathe that benefits your gut while reducing stress is diaphragmatic breathing. Studies show that this form of slow, deep breathwork improves attention and focus, reduces stress, and improves gastrointestinal symptoms in people with constipation-predominant IBS.14,15

Take Your Microbiome to the Next Level With a Probiotic

Although getting regular exercise is an effective way to foster a healthy microbiome, you can improve your gut health even more with a daily probiotic. Studies show that probiotics help to restore the natural balance of bacteria in your gut and can foster a more diverse microbiome.16,17 But, with so many probiotic supplements on the market, how do you choose one that will actually provide the benefits you need? Look for a supplement that contains clinically studied, DNA verified strains shown to support gut health. It’s also smart to check the label to ensure your supplement doesn’t need to be refrigerated and is viable until the expiration date, not just the date it was manufactured.

 

Menopause and Heart Disease—What’s the Link?

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

Since cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among postmenopausal women, that’s a big problem.1 In fact, after menopause, 70 percent of women will develop some form of heart disease that increases their odds of having a heart attack or stroke.2 And women who experience early menopause (age 45 and under) are at even greater risk of two specific forms of cardiovascular disease— heart failure and atrial fibrillation.3

The Estrogen Connection

Menopause itself doesn’t cause heart disease. But the drop in estrogen that occurs during the menopausal process can significantly impact cardiovascular risk factors. That’s because estrogen helps to keep your blood pressure down by allowing your arteries to widen so that blood can flow through them more easily.4 But when estrogen declines during menopause, blood pressure rises, often to unhealthy levels.5

Estrogen also helps keep your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in check.6  With less estrogen, studies show that cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides, become elevated. LDL cholesterol, along with other substances like calcium and cellular waste, makes up the plaque that can build up in arteries, causing them to narrow and stiffen. Triglycerides are a type of fat that, when elevated, can contribute to a hardening of the arteries—a condition known as atherosclerosis.

A study that appeared in the journal Menopause found that total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were much higher in postmenopausal women, compared with peri-menopausal women. What’s more, there was also a decline in HDL (good) cholesterol.7

Lower estrogen, as well as progesterone, has also been linked to an increase in blood sugar. Over time, this can raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Higher blood sugar levels also set the stage for the weight gain that often occurs during the transition to menopause.8 Both of these outcomes significantly increase a postmenopausal woman’s odds for developing heart disease.9

But it’s not just the drop in reproductive hormones that impacts your risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s also about the severity of your menopausal symptoms. Research in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reports that women who experience severe hot flashes and night sweats during menopause may have an even higher cardiovascular risk.10

Risk Factors You Need to Watch Out For

According to the FDA, 9 out of 10 women have at least one of the following risk factors for heart disease and that’s especially true if you’re in menopause.11

  • Elevated blood sugar or diabetes
  • Family history of premature heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Overweight or obesity
  • Smoking

Many of these risk factors can be improved by simple lifestyle changes, but it’s important to know where you stand so you can take action as needed.

How To Protect Against Heart Disease

Here are six lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. As a bonus, they may even help to reduce the symptoms of menopause.

  1. Make heart-healthy food choices. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, like those featured in the Mediterranean diet, support healthy arteries and overall cardiovascular health. That’s because these foods contain high amounts of bioactive compounds like unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, fiber, phytosterols, vitamins, and minerals which exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic effects that can benefit your cardiovascular system.12
  2. Shake your salt habit. Consuming high amounts of sodium can increase your risk of high blood pressure. However, according to new findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, eating a low-sodium diet (like the DASH diet) for just one week can reduce your systolic blood pressure by an average of 8 mmHg.13 The best way to slash your salt intake? Avoid ultra-processed and fast food, which is typically high in sodium. Instead, prepare more meals at home, using alternatives to replace or reduce the amount of salt you use, such as garlic, citrus juice, salt-free seasonings, or spices.
  3. Increasing your physical activity has been found to lower total and LDL cholesterol while raising HDL levels.14 Plus, working out on a regular basis can improve your blood pressure.15 The American Heart Association advises aiming for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week to reap these heart-healthy benefits. Just 10 minutes a day and you’re nearly half way there!
  4. Manage stress. An uptick in stress and anxiety are common during menopause. Yet, feeling chronically stressed can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Fortunately, studies show that mindfulness meditation, relaxation exercises, deep breathing techniques, and engaging in enjoyable activities can help lower your stress levels, reduce the risk of stress-related heart disease, and improve your overall well-being.16
  5. If you smoke, take steps to quit. It’s no secret that smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. But it can also impact the timing of menopause and the severity of symptoms. Studies show that female smokers enter perimenopause at an earlier age than non-smokers.17 They also experience more severe symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and depression.18,19 If you smoke, talk with your health care provider about ways to quit.
  6. Support heart health with Age Garlic Extract. Taking a heart-smart supplement like Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) can also reduce several risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease. For instance, one double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trialinvolving 88 people with uncontrolled hypertension found that taking AGE lowered systolic blood pressure by as much as 11.5 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 6.3 mmHg after just 12 weeks.20 Supplementing with AGE has also been shown to lower total cholesterol by 7 percent and LDL cholesterol by 10 percent.21 Plus, AGE reduces inflammation, arterial stiffness, and plaque buildup in arteries.22,23  Adding beneficial supplements to your daily routine in a good step toward preventative care.

Although the symptoms of menopause fade over time, without taking action to improve the health of your heart, you may end up battling cardiovascular disease in your postmenopausal years. Work with your health care provider to make a plan to head off or improve your risk factors now and throughout your menopausal journey.

5 Ways to Ease Gut Inflammation

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

If you suffer from frequent digestive issues, inflammation may be at the root of your problems. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to quell the flames and ease your symptoms naturally.

What Causes Gut Inflammation

Low level, chronic gut inflammation can be caused by a variety of factors. Routinely eating a diet filled with ultra processed foods—commonly known as the Standard American Diet or SAD—has been found to be an all-to-common cause of inflammation.1  Poor sleep, regular alcohol consumption, smoking, and the use of some medications can also spark inflammation and negatively affect your microbiome.2,3,4,5

Another culprit—and one many of us deal with daily—is stress. This is because stress affects how the gut-brain-immune axis works.6  Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling stressed, you’re more likely to experience digestive upset? That’s because, when you’re under duress, the neurons in your brain send signals to the neurons in your gut. The gut contains hundreds of millions of neurons that make up the enteric nervous system. Your enteric nervous system is part of your immune system that reacts to stop threats to your body—and that includes feelings of stress. As a result, the immune system sends out proteins called cytokines that trigger inflammation.7

Making matters worse, all of these factors can upend the balance of the bacteria in your gut—a condition known as dysbiosis. This may leave the tissues of your gut even more susceptible to inflammation.8

Symptoms of an Inflamed Gut

While symptoms can vary from person to person, here are some of the typical symptoms that you may be experiencing if you have gut inflammation:

  • Abdominal cramping and/or pain
  • Bloody stools
  • Frequent diarrhea
  • Persistent acne or skin rashes 9
  • Unexplained fatigue
  • Unintentional weight loss

How To Reduce Inflammation

Often times, you can reduce gut inflammation with some simple DIY strategies. Here are five of the most effective:

  1. Eat more anti-inflammatory foods. According to a 2022 study in the journal Nutrients, avoiding pro-inflammatory foods like red meat, unhealthy fats and sugar, and upping your intake of nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods can help reduce gut inflammation and improve your microbiota.10 The best anti-inflammatory foods include leafy green vegetables, berries, nuts, healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, and spices.
  2. Manage stress. Stress doesn’t just affect your brain. It also impacts your gut. But studies show that relaxation techniques like yoga, deep breathing, and meditation can effectively relieve stress when practiced on a regular basis. Findings in the British Medical Journal’s General Psychiatry have also shown that long term meditation activates several protective anti-inflammatory pathways and improves bacterial diversity in the gut.11
  3. Prioritize sleep. Studies show that making sure you get seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night can help to reduce gut inflammation and improve intestinal immunity. Getting enough zzzz’s also promotes a diverse microbiome.12 To improve the quality of your sleep, focus on keeping a consistent sleep schedule, making sure your bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet, and shutting off electronics an hour or two before turning in.
  4. Reduce or eliminate alcohol. While the occasional drink likely won’t do any long-term damage, alcohol can trigger inflammation, disrupt your gut’s bacterial balance, and damage your intestinal barrier when consumed in excess.13 If you routinely partake, limit yourself to two drinks per day if you’re a man and just one drink if you’re a woman.
  5. Take probiotics. Inflammation can develop due to an intestinal infection, antibiotic use, dysbiosis, or simply because you’re getting older.14 But a growing number of studies suggest that specific Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterum probiotic strains provide the body with powerful antipathogenic and anti-inflammatory tools that can ward off infections and tame inflammation.15 Research has found that a daily dose of probiotics not only fosters a healthy microbiome, it can also reduce intestinal inflammation by modulating immune and inflammatory mechanisms in the gut.16 To get the most from your probiotic, look for one that contains beneficial CFU counts and strains that have been clinically shown to support gut health. It’s also smart to choose a probiotic that is DNA verified to ensure you’re truly getting the strains that are listed on the label.

When to Call a Doctor

Although these changes can help to reduce inflammation, it’s wise to see your health care provider if symptoms persist. Ongoing digestive problems, weight loss, or fatigue could be a sign of something more serious such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to reduce gut inflammation and support a healthy microbiome. Long-term changes to your diet and lifestyle—and the addition of a supplemental probiotic—can be an effective first step in your journey to less inflammation and a healthier gut.

Two Common Probiotics May Improve Your Blood Pressure

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

According to the World Health Organization, high blood pressure, or hypertension, affects around 1.28 billion people globally—and nearly half of them don’t even know they have the condition.1 This is because high blood pressure typically doesn’t have any noticeable symptoms. For those who have been diagnosed with hypertension, medication and lifestyle changes can help to keep blood pressure in check. But new research suggests that two common probiotic strains can also lower BP.

Blood Pressure Recap

Hypertension occurs when the pressure of blood pushing against your artery walls is too high. According to the American Heart Association, hypertension is diagnosed when your blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mmHg or higher. Elevated (or pre-) hypertension is defined as 120 or higher.2 What do those numbers mean? The first number (systolic) signifies the pressure inside blood vessels when your heart beats. The second number (diastolic) indicates the pressure in your blood vessels between beats.

Since hypertension can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and vision loss, it’s important to know your numbers and your risk. Factors that can increase your risk include family history, poor diet, lack of exercise, being overweight, or tobacco and alcohol consumption.3 But, thanks to new findings, researchers now believe that your gut microbiome also plays an important role in regulating blood pressure.

How Your Microbiome Affects Blood Pressure

Over the past few years, a flurry of studies and study reviews have discovered that the balance of bacteria in your gut can have a significant impact on your blood pressure. While that might sound a little far-fetched to the average person, the researchers involved in these studies have the proof. They point to four ways in which supplementing with two specific probiotics—Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium—can effectively improve your microbiome and lower your blood pressure by:

  1. Regulating oxidative stress inside your arteries. Healthy arteries expand and contract as blood flows through them. However, oxidative stress—a situation where there are more harmful free radicals and not enough beneficial antioxidants—damages the inside of your arteries by reducing their ability to contract. This can lead to hypertension. But studies show that certain probiotics can keep these potentially damaging free radicals in check thanks to their powerful antioxidant properties.4 And that, in turn, reduces oxidative stress.
  2. Producing short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a group of fatty acids that are produced when the beneficial bacteria in your gut ferment dietary fiber. Taking a probiotic can support the production of SCFA. And that matters because SCFA’s act as signaling molecules (molecules that transmit information between your cells) to help regulate blood pressure. 4,5 
  3. Improving the function of your arterial cells. When the cells that line your arteries (your endothelial cells) malfunction, they can secrete substances that affect the function of your blood vessels. High blood pressure influences these substances in a way that damages your endothelial cells and makes hypertension worse. 4 But a clinical trial that appeared in the journal Circulation Research found that supplementing with probiotics improved vascular endothelial dysfunction and reduced inflammation in a group of men with coronary artery disease.6
  4. Reducing inflammation. Chronic inflammation inside your arteries doesn’t just play a role in atherosclerosis. It also contributes to high blood pressure by damaging your endothelial cells.7 Luckily, probiotics have anti-inflammatory properties that protect your arteries from the harmful effects of this vascular inflammation. One study review found that simply supplementing with probiotics improved both vascular inflammation and hypertension.8

Can Probiotics Help to Lower Your Blood Pressure?

While the science is still evolving, studies so far look incredibly promising. For instance, a recent review of 14 studies involving 15,494 participants found that supplementing with probiotics resulted in a significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This was especially true for those individuals over the age of 50.9

In another study review, this time analyzing 23 randomized controlled trials involving 2,037 individuals, a group of Chinese researchers found that those who took probiotics experienced an average 3.05 mmHg drop in their systolic blood pressure and a 1.51 mmHg reduction in their diastolic blood pressure. This led the researchers to conclude that probiotics could be a potential dietary treatment for hypertension.10

Of course, when it comes to high blood pressure, probiotics aren’t a magic bullet. Instead, they may be a beneficial add-on to an overall treatment plan that includes an antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory diet, regular exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

Podcast: How Aged Garlic Extract benefits every system in your body with James LaValle

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

We tend to compartmentalize our bodily systems, but they are all connected and the cardiovascular system is at the head of them all.

Learn the science behind how AGE can impact all of our systems, how to take it, how much to take, and what the research actually shows, on this episode of Vitality Radio, where Jared interviews James LaValle all about Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract. You’ll learn about its many benefits and how to use it to improve your overall health.

Click here to listen to the full segment of this podcast.

About James LaValle

James (Jim) LaValle, R.Ph., C.C.N, is a nationally recognized clinical pharmacist, author, board-certified clinical nutritionist, with over 40 years of clinical experience in natural products, lifestyle, drug/nutrient depletion, compounding pharmacy and peptides.  LaValle is best known for his expertise in performance health and integrative care.

LaValle is also the founder of Metabolic Code Enterprises, Inc. a web platform and practice solution enterprise, launching AIR Support and the Metabolic Code Assessment.

 

This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.

Top 10 Ways to Make Mornings (and the Day) Better

Posted on by Brianna Swyden

A morning routine can also help you feel more energized and focused throughout the day.1  Let’s look at 10 things you can do to make the most of your mornings.

  1. Get up earlier. Waking up at 5:00 a.m. may sound like torture. But look at the bright side. Early risers have more time for themselves during the peaceful early morning hours and that can translate to improved wellbeing and productivity throughout the day.2 Waking up early can also help align your daily routine with your circadian rhythm, which may lead to better sleep at night and more energy during the day.3 Ease into it by getting up half hour earlier than your regular weekday start time and see how having that extra “you” time feels.
  2. Don’t automatically reach for your phone. Checking the news or your emails as soon as you wake up isn’t great for your mental health or your productivity.4,5 Instead of helping you to get a jump on your day, it can make you feel reactive and chaotic as soon as you open your eyes. Instead, try leaving your phone in another room. If you use your phone as an alarm, switch it out for an old fashion alarm clock.
  3. Drink some water. Your body can lose up to a liter of water while you sleep. Counter early morning dehydration by drinking a full glass of water as soon as you wake up.
  4. Fit in a quick workout. Even if it’s just 15 minutes, exercise can get your blood pumping. If you don’t currently exercise, start with a brisk walk. If you’re already active, level up your workouts with some quick high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT alternates high and low intensity moves to build both strength and endurance. However you move, studies show that exercise can effectively reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.6 Research also shows that exercise—especially if you work out outside—also fosters creativity and helps to promote a better work-life balance.7,8
  5. Get some sun. Stepping outside and getting 20 minutes of natural sunlight increases your cortisol levels. Research shows that exposure to those morning rays elevates cortisol and that, in turn may contribute directly to increased energy and less fatigue.9
  6. Add a shot of cold water to your shower. Research shows that exposure to the cold can help improve your circulation and stress response.10 To get these benefits, try switching to cold water for the last 10-30 seconds of your shower.
  7. Brush and floss. Oral hygiene is critical for good overall health. Brushing and flossing twice a day can help to keep cavities and periodontal (gum) disease at bay by removing the dental plaque that accumulates each day.11 Practicing good oral hygiene can help to promote a healthier cardiovascular system since periodontal disease has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack.12
  8. Try meditating. Morning meditation fosters feelings of calm and promotes focus for the day ahead. Research also shows that a regular meditation practice reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as blood pressure, pain, and insomnia.13 Best of all, a 2018 study found that just 13 minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks was enough for most inexperienced meditators to notice positive changes.14
  9. Eat a healthy breakfast. Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? One meta-analysis found an association between eating breakfast and better heart health and less risk of mortality.15 What’s more, starting the day with a nutritious breakfast can leave you feeling full longer, with more energy for the day ahead. But instead of cold cereal or toast, opt for a healthy meal that includes high-quality protein for satiety, fiber-rich whole grains for your digestive health, and a healthy source of fat to support your cells and hormones. What about those days when there’s no time for breakfast? A powdered greens drink mix to the rescue! One study involving 63 healthy women found that those using a powdered greens drink mix for 12 weeks reported having more energy and greater wellbeing.16  Other studies show that green supplement powders can also boost your antioxidant levels and improve your immunity.17
  10. Don’t forget your supplements. Adding supplements to your morning agenda can give you a healthy edge that lasts all day long. For example, a growing number of studies have linked the state of your gut’s microbiome to the health of your digestive system, immune system, cardiovascular system, and even your brain! 18,19,20,21 Fortunately you can promote bacterial diversity and strength with a daily probiotic. Look for a probiotic that provides a variety of well-researched Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains proven to support good health from head to toe.

Another supplement that provides a wide range of health benefits is Aged Garlic Extract (AGE). Primarily known for its cardiovascular benefits, research shows that AGE also supports healthy blood sugar, cognition and memory, digestion, and immunity thanks largely to its powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.22,23,24,25,26,27

While all of these tips can lead to better mornings and happier, more productive days, to make sure they stick, adopt just one or two at a time before adding more. The more consistent you are, and the more rewarding you find these early morning habits, the more you’ll find them seamlessly folding into your daily life.