During a recent study, researchers had a total of 70 patients in a hypertension clinic take either supplements containing antioxidants or a placebo over the course of six months. At the beginning of the trial and at the three- and six-month marker, the team conducted several cardiovascular tests on each participant.

The results of the trial showed that individuals who had been given the antioxidant capsule had more elastic arteries, which is a sign of improved heart health. Also, the investigators discovered that these patients had better blood sugar and cholesterol levels than those who took the placebo.

Reuven Zimlichman, lead author of the study, stated that "antioxidant supplementation significantly increased large and small artery elasticity in patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors." He added that "this beneficial vascular effect was associated with an improvement in glucose and lipid metabolism as well as significant decrease in blood pressure."

In addition to antioxidants, increasing one’s intake of vitamin B can also lead to improved cardiovascular health, as a report published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart showed that vitamin B-6 and folate can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease in women.

Results from a study conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center reveal that there are ways to help boost circulation, which can protect individuals from medical complications caused by clogged arteries.

When a patient is athletic, their blood flow is much more aggressive at pushing the blood through the vessels, which could lead to fewer clogs. Researchers believe that these findings should help physicians properly tell their patients how to stay healthy and avoid any life-threatening predicaments.

"Obviously we should all be exercising to get our hearts pumping fast, which increases blood flow force through our vessels with all of these molecular benefits," said the study’s coauthor Zheng-Gen Jin, Ph.D. "Beyond that, the designers of future therapies may manipulate HDAC5 to fine-tune the action of protective genes."

There are more than 5 million patients who suffer from the disease, which deals with the plaque build-up in arteries that can limit blood circulation to the limbs, which can ultimately cause an amputation.

According to a study found in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was revealed that exercises help with the creation of a protein known as PGC-1alpha, which helps with the generation of new blood vessels in leg muscles. The protein senses poor circulation in the body and works to fix the problem. Researchers noticed that exercise helps boost this process, known as angiogenesis, faster.

"Our data strongly suggest a new paradigm for the process of angiogenesis in response to exercise, demonstrating that upstream beta-adrenergic signaling, likely stemming from increased nerve activity, triggers angiogenesis," the authors wrote.

You need to reverse the acid overload and return to an alkaline state to avoid these sure signs of body imbalance:

• Poor circulation
• Joint and muscle pain
• Irregular heartbeats
• Weak veins and arteries
• Low energy and fatigue
• Premature aging

To help eliminate food chemicals, additives and toxins, plus the everyday toxic invaders from the air you breathe and the water you drink… you need to maintain an optimum pH alkaline/acid balance of 7 to 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 14. This pH scale measures 1 as being highly acidic, while 14 is highly alkaline. By reaching this pH balance goal, you can avoid excess acid that can cause damage to your colon, lungs, kidneys and skin, plus you can boost your immunity so you virtually never get sick!

You can also increase the amount of alkaline-forming foods you consume. These foods can help restore your pH balance, as well. Try to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, plus high-fiber foods and whole grains. Avoid dairy, sugary snack foods and processed items. By evaluating the food you put into your body, you can help maintain a healthy pH balance and avoid the ravages of old age and sickness.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Florida conducted a study which found patients who had exercised regularly before a stroke occurred were significantly more likely to have milder impairments and were better able to care for themselves, compared to those who exercised rarely or not at all.

"It makes complete sense that a person who exercised before a stroke would recover quicker," says Mayo Clinic neurologist Dr. James Meschia, the study’s lead investigator.

"A brain that generally has good blood and oxygen flow from aerobic exercise will be in a better position to compensate for neurological deficits caused by a stroke," he adds.

According to the National Institutes of Health more than 780,000 Americans die of stroke each year, making it the third leading cause of mortality.

Some people have turned to nutritional supplements that may normalize circulation and promote blood vessels function, including horse chestnut, ginger and ginkgo biloba extracts.

A researcher from the University of Illinois has found that trans fats – which are abundantly present in processed foods such as margarine – interfere with multiple enzymes that are key to the regulation of blood flow.

The study showed that in addition to interfering with the production of arachidonic acid from linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), trans fats also reduce the amount of prostacyclin needed to keep blood flowing. As a result, blood clots may develop more easily, leading to life-threatening complications such as stroke.

Authored by professor emeritus of veterinary biosciences Fred Kummerow, the research appears in the August 2009 issue of the international journal Atherosclerosis.

Kummerow, who is 94, has spent six decades studying lipid biochemistry, and is a vocal advocate for a ban on trans fats in foods.

"The industry would be helped by an FDA ban on trans fat that would save labeling costs, medical costs and lives," he believes.

Those who would like to change their lifestyle and improve their eating habits may consider the alkaline diet.

It is rich in rich in citrus fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts and legumes and may boost bone health into old age.

So what causes the plaque to deposit within the walls of your blood vessels? It could be the result of several reasons such as high blood pressure levels, poor diet, prescription drugs, high cholesterol levels or even cigarette smoke.

But now scientific studies show that an amazing amino acid has proven to reduce plaque deposits… restore healthy blood flow… and help rebuild strong arteries. Simply known as EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid), this natural substance attaches itself to harmful plaque and toxins. Since your body recognizes EDTA as a foreign substance, it is quickly eliminated from the body—carrying with it all the heavy metals and plaque deposits.

Not only does EDTA help eliminate the plaque that can cause a fatal heart or brain disaster, it helps flush toxins and chemicals from your system, too. Think that you aren’t exposed to heavy metals or toxins? Check out these common sources of lead poisoning from household and industrial sources:

• Leaded house paint
• Lead-arsenate pesticides
• Motor vehicle exhaust
• Car batteries
• Mascara
• Painted children’s toys
• Canned food and juices
• Newsprint
• Hair dyes
• And thousands of other everyday items!

That’s why it’s important to include oral EDTA in your daily regimen in order to help improve your cholesterol, blood pressure, poor circulation and eliminate your toxic exposure.

The study was conducted at the University of Missouri and involved blood vessels isolated from the body. Atomic force microscopy was subsequently used to apply a controlled force to proteins located on the surface of smooth muscle cells on the blood vessel wall.

Under the force, the smooth muscle cells reacted, constricting or contracting depending on the proteins that were targeted, allowing scientists to determine exactly which proteins participate in which process.

Given that high blood pressure causes blood vessels to contract and low pressure causes them to relax, the scientists believe the experiment brings them closer to understanding vascular diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

"This research provides new clues for the cause of vascular diseases … and may be used in the future as a possible therapeutic target," says Professor Gerald Meininger, director of MU’s Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.

In the meantime, lifestyle changes that may help those at risk of heart and metabolic conditions include a healthy diet, appropriate body weight, smoking cessation and routine screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.

There is a growing consensus that exercise may help prevent or manage the symptoms of diabetes, arthritis as well as heart disease.

For example, by temporarily boosting the heart rate it contributes to better blood circulation around the body and greater oxygen saturation. This, in turn, has been shown to improve heart health and boost the immune system.

"Exercise is not just about losing weight and looking good in a bathing suit. It’s about being healthy," says Dr. Andrea Boyd, assistant professor of physiological and technological nursing in the Medical College of Georgia School of Nursing.

"Exercise isn’t a complete magic bullet for [chronic] illnesses," she adds, but it works well with other health resources such as a proper diet.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $76 billion in annual direct medical costs can be attributed to physical inactivity which has been associated not only with obesity and diabetes but also cancer, depression and osteoporosis.

When left alone, plaque in your arteries can be a death sentence. It sets the stage for a dangerous blockage to your heart or brain—the deadly duo of health disasters that kills more than ONE MILLION Americans each year.

By mid-life, plaque in your arteries veins and capillaries begins starving vital organs for oxygen and nutrients they need to function:

• You may suffer memory lapses and find it harder to reason and react as quickly as you used to.
• Your blood pressure may rise, your heart can begin skipping beats and you may suffer shortness of breath and occasional chest pain.
• Your joints begin deteriorating, growing stiff and achy.
• You have trouble sleeping, your muscles lose strength and your energy levels plummet.
• Your eyesight and hearing may begin to dim.
• Your skin begins to lose its youthful glow, wrinkles appear and sexual problems begin to plague you.
• Your immune system weakens, leaving you susceptible to infections and inevitably catching “whatever’s going around.”

Good news! More than 50 years of solid, scientific studies have proved that a simple nutrient is both safe and up to 82 percent effective at clearing plaque and other toxins from your arteries.

What is it? This nutrient is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, but commonly known as simply EDTA. The minute this amazing amino acid enters your bloodstream, it bonds with rogue calcium deposits that have glued fatty cholesterol to your artery walls, and dissolves plaque and flushes it out of your body with your urine.

So if you want to sweep your arteries clear so you never have to worry about a heart or brain event… unhealthy cholesterol and blood pressure… or the common problems of aging… then look to the simple and amazing nutrient EDTA—with more than a half a century of proof and doctor recommended!