Last week we looked at the importance of maintaining good blood flow and this week we discuss maintaining healthy blood vessels.
Blood vessels are a lot more than just pipes to hold blood. They are living tissues and can be greatly affected by disease. If the lining of blood vessels becomes damaged by free radicals or inflamed, the surface of vessels offers greater resistance thus increasing blood pressure.
Research by Rodrigo, R et al. (Hypertension Research, 2007) concluded that free radical damage to blood vessels is one cause of essential hypertension. In a following paper they conducted a double blind placebo trial on 110 people with essential hypertension and found a close relationship between antioxidant levels and blood pressure. Of real interest they noted significant decreases in blood pressure after giving antioxidant supplements. I have found that many people with essential hypertension can respond well to intensive nutritional therapy aimed at restoring the health of our blood vessels.
I am regularly contacted by people with various problems caused or worsened by poor circulation in their legs. These include general muscle weakness and pain, cramps, swollen ankles and feet, restless legs, and chilblains. People with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or people who smoke are at much higher risk of these common circulatory problems. The most important nutrients to help blood vessels are some antioxidant vitamins especially vitamin C and vitamin E and a wide range of botanical antioxidants including flavanols found in grape seed extract, ginkgo biloba, acai berry, bilberry, resveratrol and citrus bioflavonoids such as hesperidin. These nutrients help blood flow by reducing blood platelet aggregation and additionally help to maintain the integrity of blood vessel walls. These antioxidants strengthen the walls of blood vessels by ensuring that the proteins collagen and elastin are protected from destructive enzymes and from free radical damage.
Circulatory problems can respond very well to increased nutrient intake through careful food selection and appropriate supplementation. Once you have had medical advice it is worthwhile considering a complementary nutritional programme to help restore healthy circulation and in doing so you may gain a real improvement in your quality of life.