Mens Health

Mens Health

 

 A happy heart sticks around

Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest silent killers in the UK and although there are factors such as weight and stress which are common when suffering there can be no obvious signs. A person can seem energetic with a healthy weight, but doesn't have a healthy diet and doesn't exercise. Diet and exercise are an important part of the bundle.

With cardiovascular health there are several different nutrients that can be supportive:

Essential fatty acids - there tends to be a misconception that fats are bad for cardiovascular health and therefore ‘low fat’ foods tend to be promoted. This isn’t quite right as essential fats are required by every cell in the body. The more research that is done, it's the type of fat you are consuming that is important.

Foods containing omega - 3 such as oily fish, nuts and seeds have a positive effect on increasing good fats (HDL) and lowering bad fats (LDL) in the blood to encourage circulation.

Coenzyme Q10 - this is a potent antioxidant that is required by tissue throughout the body providing 25% of its energy to heart lung and muscle tissue. The amount of CoQ10 that is made in the system as you get older may go down and its production by the body is blocked when taking statins.

Keeping fertility levels up

So many people in modern society are stressed due to high pressured jobs, working long hours and eating on the move. Stress drains the system by using up essential nutrients to support the energy glands.

As the energy glands and reproductive system tend to share pathways, fertility levels can be reduced.

There are certain nutrients below that are supportive to energy but have been more focussed on fertility:

Zinc - is a nutrient that most people are deficient in which is so important for male fertility by supporting sperm production.

Amino Acids - are commonly promoted to men in protein powders but don’t just have the benefit of building muscle. Amino acids such as l-arginine encourage nitric oxide which is a support to cardiovascular health by encouraging circulation; this therefore has a positive follow on effect by working as natural Viagra. However, if a man tends to suffer with cold sores, rather than having high a level of arginine, beetroot is a good alternative as it also naturally encourages nitric oxide.

Vitamin E - is found in nuts, seeds, oils and avocado and is supportive to sperm quality and a deficiency in this vitamin has been associated with the chance of a discarriage.

Lycopene - is the phytochemical that is active when tomatoes are heated. This nutrient has been classed as important in maintaining healthy cells in the prostate