Coronary heart disease (CHD) occurs when plaque builds up inside your arteries. This build-up will eventually lead to atherosclerosis, which is basically the hardening of your arteries. Too much plaque inside your arteries will narrow, and reduce blood flow to your heart.
The smaller the blood flow, the less oxygen your heart gets. As a result you may start experiencing coronary heart disease symptoms such as chest pain, discomfort, pressure, tightness, dizziness, weakness or fatigue when you exercise or feel stressed.
How To Prevent Coronary Heart Disease?
The single best way to prevent coronary heart disease is to eat a heart-friendly diet. There’s nothing more important for your body than to get the nutrients it needs to keep your arteries clean.
Fortunately, nature offers an abundance of specific nutrients that come with amazing heart-protecting properties.
The following list of nutrients are definitely something you’ll want to focus on eating more of if heart health is a concern for you.
1. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is usually associated with bone health, but clinical evidence shows that it is just as important in the prevention of coronary heart disease (1).
In fact, individuals with vitamin D deficiencies have up to twice the risk of experiencing a cardiac-related event, such as a heart attack or stroke (2).
Exactly how vitamin D prevents heart problems is still not fully understood, but the connection is strong.
You can find out your vitamin D levels with a simple blood test at your doctor’s office. Your levels should be between 30-60 ng/ml (3).
Vitamin D is produced in the body via sun exposure, but there are also several dietary sources of vitamin D (4).
Eggs, sardines, mushrooms, and salmon are all great sources of vitamin D.
Aim for 1000-2000 international units (IU) per day. Combined with at least 10-15 minutes of sun exposure daily, there should be no need for supplementation.