One way of preventing heart disease is to make sure that you body has sufficient antioxidants.  Antioxidants help to prevent damage to blood vessels by neutralizing chemicals that can damage them.  These chemicals are called Free radicals, and they can damage many types of tissues in the body.  They play a big role in the aging process, so limiting them can slow the aging process. 

Free radicals are oxidized molecules in our bodies that damage our cells.  Sources of free radicals include environmental toxins, foods we consume, and natural body metabolic processes.  It is surprising to most when they hear that the body produces something that can damage itself.  No worries, because the body also makes antioxidants in the form of glutathione and melatonin to neutralize them.  The body must maintain a balance between the free radicals that it produces and the antioxidants it produces to neutralize them. When the free radicals outnumber the antioxidants, the body is in a state of oxidative stress.  This imbalance allows free radicals to damage our tissues, including arteries and veins.  Blood vessels have elastic properties which help pump the blood throughout the body and to keep blood pressure in a normal range.  Damage to the blood vessel walls by free radicals will cause scar tissue to be laid down, which decreases the elasticity of blood vessels.  This can lead to atherosclerosis and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of stroke and heart disease, respectively. 

There are steps you can take to assist your body in relieving oxidative stress.  Avoid exposure to free radicals like fried foods, excessive sunlight, alcohol, tobacco, certain medications, and pesticides.  Consume foods that are high in anti-oxidants.  Foods like berries are known to be high in antioxidants.    If adopting a diet high in antioxidants is a challenge, we have a fruit and vegetable drink mix that is very high in antioxidants called Fs & Vs Immune Blend.

When choosing an antioxidant supplement, you want to make sure it:

Has a high ORAC value. Antioxidant strength is measured in units called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) and the higher the ORAC score, the stronger the antioxidant support. The average person in the US. consumes about 1,200 ORAC units daily.
Is made from whole foods and not synthetically manufactured.
Contains antioxidants that can cross the blood-brain barrier and the blood-eye barrier for protection of the brain and eyes. Astaxanthin and lutein are antioxidants that are capable of this.
Contains glycine, which the body can use to make its own antioxidant; glutathione
Contains glutathione.  Glutathione is produced by the liver and is the most abundant antioxidant in the body.  Therefore, you also want your supplement to contain herbs that help the liver detoxify.

Fs & Vs Immune blend meets all of these requirements and has an ORAC value of 3000/serving.  At his midtown Manhattan office, Dr. Phelts does a quick non-invasive test to see if you are under oxidative stress.  He also tests to see if Fs & Vs Immune Blend can help to balance your antioxidant levels.  If you are in the 10016, 10017, 10018 zip code areas, give us a call at 212-286-2012 to schedule your appointment with Dr. Phelts at his 10016.