Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) cause one out of every three deaths worldwide. Approximately 50,000 people die every year due to cardiovascular diseases in the Philippines. In most cases, heart attacks and strokes are caused by a combination of risk factors, including tobacco use, unhealthy diets, obesity, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels. (1)
Understanding your heart
Your heart has an essential job in keeping your body running. It pumps blood through your circulatory system to nourish organs and tissues in the body. The right side of your heart sends blood to the lungs, filling up with oxygen. The left side pumps this oxygen-filled blood through your arteries to nourish bodily organs and remove excess waste.
Aging can alter the composition of blood vessels and arteries, restricting blood flow to the body. With age, arteries may become stiff and hard or develop plaque, hindering blood from flowing freely to and from the heart. This may cause your heart to pump harder, raising your heart rate or blood pressure. Over time, restricted blood flow can weaken the heart, leading to heart disease.
To enjoy your senior years, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s never too late to adopt healthy habits that enhance your quality of life.
The power of CoQ10
Health stores, pharmacies, and supermarkets carry various dietary supplements. Some supplements contain a single ingredient however many contain a combination of ingredients, like CoQ10 and tocotrienol.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant that the body produces naturally. It is present in every cell of your body. However, the highest concentrations are found in organs with high metabolism rates, such as the heart, kidneys, lungs, and liver.
The human body’s ability to produce CoQ10 peaks between 20 and 30 years old and declines as we age, when we need to rely more on external sources, such as food and supplement(s). (2)
CoQ10 is an essential cofactor for energy production and a powerful antioxidant. A low level of myocardial CoQ10 is related to the severity of heart failure. (3)
In another clinical study, long-term CoQ10 usage of patients with chronic heart failure at 100mg to 300 mg per day is safe, improves symptoms, and reduces major adverse cardiovascular events. (4)
Tocotrienols: the next generation Vitamin E to help fight “inflammaging”
Another supplement that is beneficial to the heart is tocotrienol.
Initially discovered in 1938 as a “fertility factor,” Vitamin E has eight different isoforms that belong to two categories, four saturated analogs called tocopherols and four unsaturated analogs referred to as tocotrienols. Because of its unique molecular makeup, tocotrienols are approximately 50 times more active as an antioxidant than tocopherol. Tocotrienols possess powerful neuroprotective, anti-cancer and cholesterol-lowering properties often not exhibited by tocopherols. (5) The unsaturated chain of tocotrienol allows an efficient penetration into tissues with saturated fatty layers, such as the brain and liver.
No wonder some refer to tocotrienols as the “next generation Vitamin E”.
Taken regularly, clinical studies show that tocotrienols may be effective against battling “inflammaging” the process of certain organs in the body developing low grade inflammation due to oxidative stress, often associated with diseases due to ageing: ie. Cardiovascular/ heart problems. (6)
Clinical studies have also demonstrated the efficacy of tocotrienols in addressing problems due to high cholesterol and being helpful for patients suffering from ischemic heart disease. In clinical trials on patients with high cholesterol, tocotrienols significantly reduced the cholesterol found in the blood.
Tocotrienols have a broad range of medicinal properties and are used as antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antipyretic, antithrombotic, anticancer. Tocotrienols are cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and nephroprotective. (7)
One supplement, two benefits
CoQ10, along with tocotrienols, are effective antioxidants in the human body’s cells. Together, CoQ10 and tocotrienol fight disease-causing free radicals. Supplementation of CoQ10 with tocotrienol has been shown to markedly decrease atherosclerosis (thickening of the walls of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery) and inflammation, both of which are precursors to heart disease. (8)
Vivaro Health Sciences understands the need for supplements that provide optimum benefits to patients. Taking Bia Care with CoQ10 and Tocotrienol daily helps generate energy in your cells to help your body fight the daily stresses of age, pollution, and an unhealthy diet. Taken regularly, Bia Care puts you ahead in your defense against cardiovascular problems due to inflammaging!
To know more about this powerful combination of CoQ10 and tocotrienol, visit www.vivaro.com.ph.
BIA’s range of products are available at selected Mercury Drug outlets in Metro Manila, on the vivaro.com.ph website, and on Shopee & Lazada.
