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it's one of the most important organs so
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what supplements can we use to keep the
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heart healthy keep watching to find out
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i'm katie braun product developer at my
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protein the heart is one of the most
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important organs in the body
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continuously working to keep us moving
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and breathing but even as early as our
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20s our circulatory system can start to
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build up plaque which can affect our
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blood pressure and artery function
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although the death rate from heart
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disease has reduced by more than three
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quarters since the 1960s it is still one
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of the leading causes of death worldwide
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and in the uk specifically it's
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estimated more than half of uk adults
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will get a hard or circulatory condition
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in their lifetime it's clear that taking
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care of your heart is a no-brainer there
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are a lot of risk factors for poor heart
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health including heart disease diabetes
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high blood pressure high cholesterol and
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things that we can't change like
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genetics our age and gender all of which
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put us at a different level of risk a
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range of lifestyle factors can also play
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a role including if you smoke if you
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exercise regularly or if you're stressed
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and not getting enough sleep there are
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also a number of dietary factors that
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are associated with heart health if
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you're struggling to maintain a healthy
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balanced diet or if you're particularly
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low in a certain nutrient for example
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for some people this is where
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supplements could help our first tip for
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heart health is to increase your fiber
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intake fiber is important for the heart
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as it helps to remove artery clogging
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ldl cholesterol here's where the biology
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lesson comes in ldl means low density
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lipoprotein it's perceived as being a
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bit of a villain in the cholesterol
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world as ldls carry cholesterol and
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deposit it within your artery walls over
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time it builds up as plaque and can lead
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to a range of wider heart health
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problems we'd prefer to have as few of
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these as possible in the body the
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opposite is hdl high density
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lipoproteins which carry cholesterol in
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the blood back to the liver to be broken
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down rather than deposited back to the
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fiber the idea is that soluble fiber the
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sort that dissolves in the stomach and
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in the intestines forming a gel helps
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lower ldl cholesterol by forming a
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barrier and stopping it being absorbed
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through the intestines and into the
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bloodstream linking to heart disease
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specifically a systematic review from
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2016 of available studies has found
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increasing whole grain intake by roughly
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a portion per day can contribute to a 22
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lower risk of heart disease the
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recommended fiber intake is 30 grams a
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day with great sources including dried
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fruit nuts beans vegetables and whole
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grains try focusing on high fiber snacks
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to help your gut accommodate to an
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increase in dietary fiber why not try a
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high fiber nuts and seeds mix if you're
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interested in finding out more about
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fiber watch this video where richie
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our second tip is to increase your
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stanol intake stanos are a substance
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found naturally in plants and work to
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reduce cholesterol levels by binding to
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cholesterol sites in the body they have
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a similar chemical structure to
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cholesterol which helps to reduce
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cholesterol absorption in the gut
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although the effect varies between
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individuals there's evidence to show
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that plants sterols and stannols can
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help to reduce ldl cholesterol levels by
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up to 15 percent when 2 grams a day is
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regularly consumed as part of a healthy
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balanced diet as well try balancing your
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salt intake if you're making a habit of
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sprinkling a lot of salt onto every meal
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it could increase your risk of stroke
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and cardiovascular disease by increasing
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blood pressure adding potassium to your
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diet could mitigate this effect
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supporting the relaxation of blood
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vessel walls and lowering the pressure
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potassium is an electrolyte that is
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vital for signaling to and from the
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heart there could be some supplements
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that might be a helping hand when it
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comes to heart health too the first one
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omega-3s a healthy intake of omega-3s
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can help to keep your heart happy as
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they help to reduce blood pressure plus
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the stretch ability or vasodilation of
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blood vessels this helps to maintain a
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healthy blood flow full of omega-3 fatty
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acids fish oil from either fish itself
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or concentrated in a supplement can
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reduce levels of triglycerides in your
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blood by up to 30 in simple terms
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reducing the levels of fats we've got
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some evidence too that consuming fish
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can lower your risk of heart disease
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that's why in the uk advice is to
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consume at least two portions of fish a
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week at least one of which should be
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oily but i know this isn't as easy as it
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sounds so why not give supplements a go
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if salmon isn't your saturday night
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dinner go to richie explains more about
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omega-3 in this video try coq10 this
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one's got a technical name co-enzyme
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cutane or coq10 for short it supports
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other enzymes in the body to carry out
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essential functions including energy
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production and absorption of other
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nutrients supplements have been
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researched for effects on blood pressure
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and are gaining popularity as a
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treatment for the effects of cholesterol
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lowering drugs called statins why
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because these drugs can sometimes lower
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the coq10 levels in your body that are
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created naturally so supplement can help
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to top these up it's hypothesized that a
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deficiency of coq10 because of statins
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could cause muscle pain and weakness but
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evidence isn't totally conclusive but
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seriously heart problems aren't a joke
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if you have any symptoms of heart
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disease or any other heart related
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problems please speak to your doctor if
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you have any more questions for me leave
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them in the comments below and i'll get
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back to you and if you're new here or
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haven't done it yet remember to like
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this video and subscribe to the my
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protein youtube channel for more great
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evidence-based nutrition information
