How to Keep Your Blood Vessels Healthy Naturally!

We can see the bottleneck traffic jams immediately in congested cities with road repairs and holiday traffic. We don’t see so quickly the bottlenecks in our blood flow caused by deteriorating vascular health or the damage to the blood vessels themselves. Several factors create “traffic jams” inside the blood vessels: sludged blood, clots, clumped red blood cells, and endothelial dysfunction. In this blog, we examine some of the lifestyle factors that improve endothelial function and promote vascular health.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is characterized by higher vasoconstriction, reduced vasodilation, pro-clotting, and inflammatory activity. To express it more succinctly, endothelial dysfunction promotes high blood pressure and inflammation inside the arteries and encourages undesirable clotting!¹

Understanding Vascular Health

Vascular health is more than just good cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides levels. Vascular endothelial cells compose the innermost lining of arteries. These cells make molecules and substances that open blood vessels up and improve blood flow. Vascular endothelial cells also make compounds that cause blood vessels to constrict and dilate. These endothelial cells respond to different physical and chemical stimuli.

The Problem with Meat

Inflammation fuels all stages of the development of atherosclerosis. Meat contains certain long-chain saturated fats that elevate LDL cholesterol and produce inappropriate inflammatory responses.² Additionally, the consumption of long-chain saturated fats from meat reduces blood flow through the blood vessels.

Go Plant-Based!

Eat a well-balanced, predominately plant-based diet of whole plant foods. A meta-analysis of randomized control studies found that substituting red meat with high-quality plant protein sources, but not with fish or low-quality carbohydrates, leads to more favorable blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides) and lipoprotein changes.³ A review study found that a healthful plant-based diet reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 40 percent, the risk of coronary heart disease by 40 percent, and fully or partially opens blocked arteries in 91 percent of patients.⁴

However, going vegetarian and substituting refined grains and sugar for saturated-fat-laden meat will not reduce one’s risk of cardiovascular problems.⁵ Sugar consumption increases the risk of coronary heart disease whereas whole grains reduce it.⁶

More Vegetarian Advantages

Regarding blood pressure, vegan and vegetarian diets reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Individuals in one study who excluded meats entirely had significantly lower blood viscosity than those eating meat occasionally (less than once a week).⁷ This means better blood flow and blood pressure. Diets rich in whole plant foods reduce inflammation. However, if refined carbohydrates take the place of meat in the diet, there is no cardiovascular benefit to a vegetarian diet.⁸

Lower blood pressure reduces the risk of atherosclerotic changes. Compared to high saturated fat diets and low carbohydrate diets, a vegetarian diet improved brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation.⁹

Watch the Fat Intake!

A cafeteria diet (CAF) containing a variety of highly palatable, high-salt, high-fat, and low-fiber, energy dense foods promotes endothelial dysfunction and increases the risk for hypertension.¹⁰

When we eat high-fat meals, the fat molecules temporarily disrupt nitric oxide production, preventing the arteries from increasing blood flow in response to physical activity. High fat diets impair nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and impair NO stability and synthesis.¹¹ Aged cheese, ice cream, pudding, and custards have oxidized cholesterol that pushes inflammation inside the arteries.

On the other hand, diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids seem to show beneficial effects on endothelial function.¹² Nuts contain the amino acid, arginine, a precursor to nitric oxide. Nuts, seeds, and avocadoes are the best fats for heart and immune health.

Limit the Sugar and Refined Carbs

Consuming sugar-laden foods causes a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries.¹³  The endothelial layer makes molecules and compounds that open up blood vessels and improve blood flow.

Sugar, especially when combined with saturated fat from meat, compromises the ability of blood vessels to dilate. A single junk food meal – composed mainly of saturated fat – is detrimental to the health of the arteries. Eating one meal of junk food decreases the ability of blood vessels to dilate by 24%.¹⁴

Caveats for Vegetarians

Vegans and vegetarians who do not get sufficient B12 and omega-3 fats have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.¹⁵

Vegans and vegetarians are at risk for B-12 deficiency.¹⁶

Unfortunately, B-12 deficiency promotes inflammation in the arteries and impairs the ability of arteries to dilate.¹⁷

Good, vegetarian sources for omega 3-fats include chia seed, flaxseed, organic non-GMO soy, walnuts, and leafy greens.

Healthful Foods for the Arteries

Legumes and Nuts

Arginine is an amino acid from nuts and legumes that is a precursor to nitric oxide, a molecule that, in moderation, helps the arteries to dilate and reduces platelet clumping. Walnut consumption encourages the elasticity and flexibility of the arteries, regardless of people’s cholesterol levels.¹⁸

Soluble Fiber

Soluble fiber promotes cholesterol excretion and exerts anti-inflammatory activity. Sources of soluble fiber include legumes, berries, apples, figs, pears, broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, nuts, flaxseed, oats, and barley. Use organically grown whole grains if possible. Why? Pesticides may increase the risk for heart disease and stroke even in apparently healthy men.¹⁹

Colorful Plant Foods

Colorful plant foods are loaded with antioxidants. Why are they important to vascular health? Excess production of free radicals produce endothelial dysfunction. Both potassium-rich foods, found in fruits and vegetables, and magnesium from leafy greens and whole grains help the arteries to relax. Polyphenols in grapes and berries encourage the production of nitric oxide.²⁰

Exercise

In sedentary humans, arterial stiffness in the central (cardiothoracic) circulation increases with advancing age, even in healthy men and women. Frequent, regular moderate exercise helps to keep the arteries elastic.²¹ The imbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidants is linked to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Persistent moderate and vigorous exercise exerts anti-oxidant effects.²² Regular physical activity has been shown to promote the activities of antioxidant enzymes and stimulate glutathione levels in body fluids.^{23 24}

Temperance

Smoking

Carbon monoxide from smoking makes tiny holes in the intima of arteries and reduces nitric oxide production. Additionally, smoking increases the risk for undesirable clot formation. Cigarette smoking turns the entire body into a breeding ground for infection which may allow artery-clogging plaques to take hold. Even in young adults (18 to 30 years old), one cigarette increases the stiffness of the arteries by 25 percent.²⁵

Second-Hand Smoke

A 30-minute exposure to the level of secondhand smoke that one might typically inhale in an average group setting was enough to result in blood vessel injury in young and otherwise healthy lifelong nonsmokers. Not only that, but exposure to secondhand smoke impedes the function of the body’s natural repair mechanisms. These mechanisms are activated in the face of blood vessel injury. In this research many of these effects persisted 24 hours later.²⁶

Obesity

Obesity can increase the loss of elasticity in arteries, especially the aorta. Weight loss enhances the elasticity of arteries.²⁷ Lifelong wise caloric restrictions has been shown to prolong lifespan, reduce atherosclerosis, and improve endothelial function.^{28 29}

Caffeine

Granted there is conflicted information on coffee and endothelial dysfunction. One study showed that in healthy volunteers, the equivalent of two cups of caffeinated coffee reduced the body’s ability to boost blood flow to the heart muscle in response to exercise.³⁰ When one engages in physical exercise, myocardial blood flow has to increase to match the increased need for oxygen.

Hydrate with Water!

Minor dehydration may promote cardiac disease and arterial hardening in young, healthy men. In fact, by impairing the ability of blood vessels to dilate, mild dehydration significantly reduces vascular function nearly as much as smoking a cigarette.³¹

Sunshine

A lack of vitamin D, even in healthy people, is linked with stiffer arteries and an inability of blood vessels to relax even after controlling for factors such as age, weight, and cholesterol. In one study, people with vitamin D deficiency had vascular dysfunction comparable to those with diabetes or hypertension.³²

Sleep

Long-term interrupted sleep or brief arousals from a sleep period leads to actual changes in the structure of blood vessels.³³ It damages the elastic fibers in arteries, encourages vascular endothelial dysfunction, and increases inflammation in the arteries.³⁴

Challenge

• Define your two weakest links in cardiovascular health.
• Create two specific goal-focused strategies to correct them.
• Commit to your goals for a definite time frame.
• Each day review how your daily activities subverted your attention from achieving your goals and what intervening steps help you achieve your goals.

Work Cited:

Defagó, María Daniela et al. “Influence of food patterns on endothelial biomarkers: a systematic review.” Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) vol. 16,12 (2014): 907-13. doi:10.1111/jch.12431

de Oliveira, P.A. “Unsaturated fatty acids improve atherosclerosis markers in obese and overweight non-diabetic elderly patients,” Obesity Surgery, vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 2663–2671, 2017.

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