The Shocking Truth About Blood Pressure and Cholesterol
Dear Reader,
I’ve got a little quiz for you.
We have two diseases. But one is a real, dangerous disease and one isn’t.
The two diseases are high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
One harms your brain, and the other HELPS your brain….
Can you guess which one is the dangerous disease and which isn’t?
Time’s up!
The real disease is high blood pressure.
Researchers, publishing their working in the journal Hypertension, recently pooled information on around 7,000 people and charted their high blood pressure against the health of their brains.
The team ultimately found that middle-aged and senior participants who’s top (systolic) blood pressure number and bottom (diastolic) number were considered “high” experienced some form of accelerated decline in thinking skills as they aged.
See, your memories take a clear hit when you have high blood pressure for long periods of time.
What does this mean for you?
It means that even slightly elevated blood pressure numbers can be dangerous.
In fact, another recent study showed that controlling high blood pressure kept dementia risk LOW (no matter if people dropped blood pressure using drugs or lifestyle changes).
And it didn’t matter whether the people brought their blood pressure down using drugs or lifestyle changes — both improved brain function later in life.
But cholesterol is a whole other story.
Research has shown that having high cholesterol, especially in older folks, is great for your brain health. This may be because your brain, while only 4 percent of your weight, contains 25 percent of all the cholesterol in your body.
Now, eating food high in cholesterol has almost no effect on your cholesterol levels – because most of the cholesterol in you comes FROM your body (and NOT the food you eat).
If you want to keep your brain healthy, make sure you keep your blood pressure low, but don’t worry about eating that bacon and egg breakfast.
If you want to keep your heart and brain in good health, try this:
- Fish oils work by reducing inflammation and softening up arteries so that they stay flexible. I suggest you take between 1,000 and 3,000 milligrams a day.
- CoQ10 (CoenzymeQ10): This antioxidant/enzyme is found throughout our bodies and is used for energy production. Since your heart is one of the most energy-hungry organs in your body, it needs CoQ10. But CoQ10 goes beyond that, it is also a powerful antioxidant that works both inside and outside the cells. CoQ10 has been shown to lower inflammation, reduce blood clots, and help prevent skipped beats (like arrhythmias or atrial fibrillation).
- Vitamin C: Remember that we are one of a few mammals that cannot produce their own vitamin C. If you don’t supplement, you don’t get enough of this vitamin, so add it to your list.
- Antioxidants: There are many antioxidants to choose from like vitamins A, C, E, and other. But I prefer the plant phytonutrients such as carotenoids, polyphenols and flavonoids for great antioxidant protection. Examples include: green tea extract – called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), red wine extract (resveratrol), pycnogenol, olive leaf extract, curcumin, and others.
P.S. Looking to lower your blood pressure and PROTECT your brain health? Look no further! Click here and read about this easy and “sweet” solution to lowering your blood pressure, naturally!
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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