Today, we’ll explore the five worst drinks for your circulation. Consuming these beverages can significantly increase your risk of developing serious health issues, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, and ultimately, heart attack, stroke, liver problems, and kidney problems. What’s alarming is that these diseases often progress silently, causing substantial damage before symptoms even appear.
High blood pressure is a prime example of a condition that often has no symptoms. People may only discover they have it when they experience kidney damage or heart failure. This is because high blood pressure puts excessive strain on the artery walls, overloading the heart and arteries. This can lead to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a condition in which the heart muscle thickens, reducing its pumping efficiency and potentially leading to heart failure, kidney damage, and other complications if untreated.
Moreover, high blood pressure can cause small cracks in your arteries, leading to atherosclerosis. In this condition, arteries become clogged with plaque, which causes them to narrow and harden, thereby restricting blood flow. If a plaque ruptures, it can trigger a clot, which can block the artery and lead to a heart attack or stroke. Hypertension is a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis.
In addition, poor circulation can also cause blood to move too slowly through your veins, leading to clot formation and blockages. This can lead to symptoms such as leg pain, swelling, varicose veins, leg cramps, skin discoloration, and the feeling of heaviness in the limbs. If a blood clot in your legs breaks loose and travels to the lungs, it can cause a blockage in one of the arteries in the lungs, a serious condition known as a pulmonary embolism.
Now, the problem with drinks is that we often consume them without thinking. We grab a drink with lunch, dinner, or when we’re hot, without much thought about what we’re putting into our bodies. However, some of these drinks are not as harmless as they seem. In this video, we’ll look at five drinks that people with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, liver problems, kidney problems, and especially those with circulation problems should avoid.
Circulatory problems are the leading cause of death globally, and account for the majority of heart attacks and strokes that claim millions of lives every year, so we need to be cautious about these drinks.
Let’s begin with our Number 5: “Sugary Drinks”.
Our fifth drink to avoid today is sugary drinks. These drinks include soda, iced tea, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, and even some flavored waters. What makes them so unhealthy? They contain a lot of added sugar, such as high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners, as well as high levels of sodium.
Consuming added sugar has serious health consequences, including weight gain, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, insulin resistance, and fat in the liver. This is why it is crucial to limit your intake of sugary drinks.
Research has consistently shown that regular consumption of sugary drinks significantly increases the risk of heart disease and neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
A study published in the journal Circulation, which tracked 40,000 men over two decades, revealed that daily consumption of one sugary beverage increased the risk of heart attack or death by 20% compared to those who rarely consumed such drinks.
Furthermore, another study in the same journal found that consuming one or more soft drinks per day was associated with a nearly twofold higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to consuming less than one serving per week.
The problem with sugary drinks is that they can cancel out the benefits of other healthy habits. For instance, let’s say you have a nutritious lunch, like a grilled salmon fillet seasoned with lemon and herbs, accompanied by a colorful mix of roasted vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, and sweet potatoes, and a small serving of quinoa or wild rice. This meal is nutritious, providing lean protein, fiber and vitamins, and complex carbohydrates.
However, if you decide to drink 2 liters of soda because it is hot outside, you are essentially undoing all the good of that healthy meal. What is the point of eating well if you are drinking something that is going to harm you, which is full of sugar?
So, what are the alternatives? Water, tea without sugar, and sparkling water with squeezed lemon are excellent choices. You can also consider homemade iced tea, smoothies made with unsweetened almond or coconut milk, and herbal teas like ginger, hibiscus, and rooibos.
Next, let’s discuss alcohol. Number 4 is “Excessive Alcohol”.
While it is widely known that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful, moderate alcohol consumption has been linked to benefits for heart health and circulation, particularly when it comes to red wine. In fact, many of us may know elderly individuals who consumed 1-2 drinks daily and lived hale and hearty to a ripe old age.
However, it is important to note that any amount of alcohol can harm the health of your liver and intestines, making your intestines more porous and increasing the risk of leaky gut syndrome, inflammation, and food intolerance. This, in turn, raises the risk of cancer.
Furthermore, alcohol consumption can contribute to increased blood pressure, damage to the heart muscle, and atherosclerosis, leading to conditions such as alcoholic heart disease. It also increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that heightens the risk of blood clots, stroke, and heart failure.
Alcohol also interferes with the absorption of essential nutrients, such as B vitamins (particularly B1, B9, and B12), vitamin C, and minerals like zinc, magnesium, and calcium.
Given these risks, moderation is key when it comes to alcohol consumption. Moderation is generally defined as up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.
Some people may claim they only drink on Saturday, but then they consume a couple of bottles. That is excessive, and concentrating excess drinking in just one day can be just as dangerous as spreading those doses throughout the week.
Therefore, if you choose to drink, do so in moderation and be aware of the risks to protect your health.
Next, at Number 3, we have “Fruit Juices”.
Let’s talk about our third drink of the day that many people consider healthy. Fruit juices, especially the commercial kind, are often perceived as healthy, but they can cause high blood sugar levels due to the concentrated carbohydrates and lack of fiber.
This issue arises because when you drink juice, you’re not consuming the whole fruit, including the pulp and peel, which are rich in fiber. As a result, this leads to a rapid absorption of sugar, causing a spike in blood glucose levels, which is harmful to your health.
Commercial juices like orange juice are a prime example of this problem. They are rich in vitamin C but lack fiber and often contain added sugar, making them an unhealthy option. Therefore, the best alternative is to consume the fruit in its natural state, eating it whole, or juicing with the skin and pulp to benefit from both the fiber and the juice.
At Humber 2, we have “High-Caffeine Drinks”.
The second type of drink we should limit or avoid is those with high caffeine content. Specifically, energy drinks contain significantly higher levels of caffeine compared to other caffeinated beverages, including caffeine-enriched drinks, strong or espresso-style coffee, and certain types of tea, such as green tea, black tea, and yerba mate.
Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine can increase blood pressure, which may be temporary in some individuals but can lead to sustained hypertension in those who are more sensitive. For example, a person who is particularly sensitive to caffeine but still consumes coffee daily may experience a cumulative effect of caffeine on blood pressure. This is especially true since many people don’t just drink one cup of coffee; they consume multiple cups throughout the day.
Furthermore, adding sugar to coffee can amplify its negative effects, similar to energy drinks that combine high levels of caffeine with large amounts of sugar. This can lead to arrhythmias, or heart rhythm disorders, that can affect your sleep. Poor sleep, in turn, can have a ripple effect on cardiovascular health, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart problems.
Given these risks, the options are clear: it is best to avoid energy drinks, especially those loaded with sugar. If you are sensitive to caffeine, consider switching to decaffeinated coffee or teas that are naturally caffeine-free, such as chamomile tea, rosemary tea, and hibiscus tea.
Before we reveal the number one drink that harms your circulation, let’s take a moment to address a related issue that may be affecting you right now.
Are you suffering from foot or leg pain? If so, there’s a safe and natural therapy that can provide fast relief in just 15 minutes. In fact, it’s possible to fix painful, swollen legs for good in less than 30 days. Check out the details below at the end of this video.
And finally at number one, we have “Drinks With Artificial Sweeteners”.
The first drink that can harm your circulation is one that contains artificial sweeteners, such as zero-calorie soda, diet soda, energy drinks, and iced tea that uses sucralose or aspartame. These drinks are often marketed as healthier alternatives to regular sugary sodas, appealing to those who want to reduce their sugar intake or manage their weight.
However, research suggests that artificial sweeteners can impact your body’s metabolism and alter the balance of good bacteria in your gut. This can have a ripple effect on various bodily functions, as these beneficial bacteria play a crucial role in keeping you healthy. Changes in gut bacteria have been linked to an increased risk of insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Just because a drink doesn’t contain sugar or calories doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Zero-calorie soda and artificially sweetened drinks are definitely NOT healthy options. To substitute with healthier sweeteners, consider stevia and monk fruit.
There you have it The five drinks that you should avoid because they can wreak havoc on your circulation, contributing to the clogging of your arteries and veins.
For those of you who have health issues, such as poor circulation, diabetes, high cholesterol, anxiety, high blood pressure, or trouble sleeping, it is important to recognize that these problems are linked to your daily habits. If you do not address the root cause of these issues, taking medication, getting tested, or even talking to a doctor, will not solve the problem.
If you have hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, or are overweight, you need to change your habits and daily behaviors, as they are the source of the problem. The origin of your fatty liver, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar is what you eat, your lack of physical activity, smoking, drinking, and getting anxious or stressed about everything.
That is what causes these problems, and if you do not change what is causing them, there is no point in trying to manage the symptoms or prevent further health complications.