Taking good care of your body means that you are able to maintain adequate amounts of the minerals, vitamins and nutrients that are needed to ensure a totally healthy well-being. Also, it is very important to note that the heart requires a significant amount of attention too, in order for it to be able to function well and be able to have a healthy circulation of blood around the body. When the heart is healthy, it is able to respond efficiently to the body’s changing needs for oxygen and nutrients, which vary with different activity levels throughout the day and night. There are several vitamins and minerals that specifically support the heart in these important tasks.
Potassium is a mineral that is quite important to how the heart can function more properly. At the most basic level, potassium is essential to the rhythmic, smooth and continuous pumping of the heart. This is because potassium supports the nerve transmissions and greatly takes part in making sure that every muscle in the body gets to move. Potassium greatly helps in regulating a person’s heartbeat.
Aside from being an important factor in keeping our teeth and bones healthy, Vitamin D is also important to the heart’s health and its ability to function properly. In fact, recent research has showed that meeting the standard recommended daily intake levels of Vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of death caused by heart failure. Sufficient intake of Vitamin D has been connected with reducing inflammation, which is a common cause of heart disease. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently, as well as affects the structure of the cells located in the heart. Read the rest of this entry »