Besides Omega-3s, These 6 Nutrients Also Help Healthy the Heart

Various problems and disorders experienced by the heart and blood vessels are mostly caused by lifestyle, one of which is diet.

The habit of eating unhealthy foods, such as fatty foods, high cholesterol, and minimal fiber, is believed to be one of the triggers for the emergence of heart health problems.

Read: 4 Benefits of Vitamin K2 for the Body, Can Keep your Heart Healthy!

The American Heart Association recommends consuming nutritious foods for a healthy heart. For heart health, start including this nutrient in the diet daily.

6 Nutrients Help Healthy Heart

Omega-3 is one of the nutrients that is believed to help maintain heart health. Quoted from Ndtv.com, in addition to omega-3s, it turns out that there are many other nutrients that can also help maintain heart health, you know.

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What are they? Let's see the list below!

1. Fiber

Fiber is the first nutrient to help a healthy heart. In addition to being beneficial for digestive health, fiber is also the number one nutrient for protection against heart disease. There are two types of fiber from food, namely soluble fiber, and insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber absorbs water and is found in oats, nuts, apples, and other fruits. Its function is to bind cholesterol and sugars, as well as prevent their absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Soluble fiber also helps reduce cholesterol levels in the body.

Insoluble fiber comes from grains, nuts, and some types of fruits, and vegetables. This is what is often called "fiber" in the true sense, which serves to increase the weight of feces.

2. Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFA)

Did you know that MUFA as a nutrient to help a healthy heart is a monounsaturated fat that can lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.

Sources of MUFA include olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, and sesame oil.

Other sources of MUFA are nuts such as almonds, nuts, walnuts, and avocados.

3. Folate

Next on nutrient that helps a healthy heart is folate. Homocysteine is a type of amino acid that is associated with the hardening of blood vessels, which is the main cause of coronary artery disease.

Research shows that B vitamins are able to lower homocysteine levels, and folic acid reduces the thickening of arterial walls.

The results of a study reported in the journal Clinical Nutrition showed that folic acid lowered the risk of stroke by 12 percent by lowering homocysteine levels in the blood and reducing the thickening of the arterial walls.

Good sources of folate are spinach, soybeans, and supplements.

4. Quercetin

Next, quercetin is one of the nutrients that help a healthy heart. Apples are known to be an excellent food for heart health. That's because apples are a source of flavonoid quercetin which has anti-inflammatory properties and can lower the risk of plaque buildup as well as LDL cholesterol.

Quercetin is also widely found in citrus fruits, onions, parsley, sage, and tea.

5. Lycopene

Lycopene is an antioxidant that is widely found in tomatoes. A number of clinical studies have proven the role of lycopene in lowering blood pressure and reactive C protein - a marker of heart inflammation.

6. Magnesium

Last but not least on the nutrient that helps a healthy heart is magnesium. Magnesium helps maintain nerve and muscle function, as well as keep the heart rhythm stable. High magnesium intake is associated with a much lower risk of heart disease and coronary arteries.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recommends the intake of high-magnesium food sources such as whole grains, soybeans and tofu, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and spinach.