Valentine’s Day seems like a great day to remember dear ones who aren’t any longer with us – and to muse on heart health of the literal kind.

In our world we think of Tim Bickerstaff, close companion, co-founder of Herbal Ignite and a diabetic who died from a massive heart attack 18 months ago.

It’s estimated 80 per cent of all deaths from diabetes are caused by heart disease, and increasingly science is digging deep into the downhill sequence that takes so many men from high blood pressure and insulin resistance to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Heartening Health

Among the different types of these illnesses, cardiomyopathy—which leads to heart muscle damage—is the leading heart-related cause of deaths among diabetics.

So it’s heartening to see research into two readily available and inexpensive foods which are showing good results in improving heart health – grapes and garlic oil, not of course taken together…

In the first, scientists at the University of Michigan Health System found rats fed a grape-enriched diet had lower blood pressure, better heart function, and reduced indicators of inflammation in the heart and the blood than rats who received no grape powder.

Lower Heart Stress

Rats also had lower triglycerides and improved glucose tolerance. The effects were seen even though the grape-fed animals had no change in body weight.

The researchers also looked for signs of inflammation, oxidative damage and other molecular indicators of cardiac stress.

Again, the rats who consumed the grape powder had lower levels of these markers than rats who did not receive grapes.

Grapes for Metabolic Syndrome

There is no well-accepted way to diagnose metabolic syndrome which is really a cluster of characteristics: excess belly fat (for men, a waist measuring 40 inches or more and for women, a waist measuring 35 inches or more); high triglycerides which can lead to plague build-up in the artery walls; high blood pressure; reduced glucose tolerance; and elevated c-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation in the body.

Those with metabolic syndrome are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

But the U-M study suggests that it may be possible that grape consumption can change the downhill sequence that leads to heart disease by prolonging the time between when symptoms begin to occur and a time of diagnosis.

Garlic Oil Reverses Heart Damage

In a second study with good news for diabetics showed cardiac abnormalities induced by diabetes can be reversed in as little sixteen days of by taking garlic oil according to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Groups of rats with diabetes were either given a diet that contained garlic or corn oil. The team of investigators discovered that because garlic oil contained a high amount of antioxidants, it reduced the risk of cardiovascular complications in the rats that consumed it as opposed to the animals that were fed corn oil.

The authors of the report concluded that “garlic oil possesses significant potential for protecting hearts from diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy.”

Natural Support for ED

Erectile dysfunction is often an early warning sign of both heart disease and pre-diabetes conditions. If you notice problems with getting or maintaining an erection is a great idea to get yourself checked by a medical professional for these issues, and take steps to address them if there are early warning signs.  Meantime, natural herbal supplements like Herbal Ignite can help support erectile function without unpleasant side effects.

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About the author

Jenny W
First career as newspaper and magazine journalist with daily newspapers and magazines, then as an editor who successfully launched a new national Sunday newspaper and NZ House & Garden magazine. First woman editor of NZ Listener. Enjoying a second career as a business owner and entrepreneur, health products marketer, social media habitué, blogger and web marketer. Still learning and loving it.

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