TriVita Asks What’s The Connection Between Mental, Dental Health & Your Heart

by Brazos Minshew, TriVita’s Chief Science Officer

Previously, we discussed the effect of loneliness on heart health. Powerful chemicals from the brain alter the way the heart functions. The heart and blood vessels respond with inflammation. Arteries harden, the efficiency of the heart muscle is reduced as the heart enlarges, and heart failure results.Heart health, dental health
Coronary artery disease (CAD) usually progresses slowly over many years. The first sign of CAD is often a fatal heart attack. Because CAD is silent, it becomes imperative to practice preventive medicine such as testing for C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as blood pressure and cholesterol. However, another form of heart disease progresses quite rapidly. It is called “single-artery disease.”

Other triggers of heart disease are related to dental health. Curiously, dental health and mental health are also strongly related. How does this happen? Which comes first in this triad of triggers for heart disease?

 

Single artery disease clogs a single artery while all or most other blood vessels remain clean. It can happen when injury or infection creates inflammation in the absence of disease:

• Dental infection: One of the most common bacteria comes from a dental infection. Bacteria from inflamed gums can escape into the bloodstream and attack a single blood vessel in or near the heart.
• Inflammation: Inflammation in the gums attracts white blood cells by means of protein messengers called cytokines. Some of these messengers leak into the bloodstream and attract white blood cells. White blood cells infiltrate the infected area because of the messenger cytokines. Cytokines that leak into the bloodstream and enter the heart may send the wrong message. It may also result in white blood cells attacking an artery in the heart. This is the beginning of single artery disease: white blood cells attracted by cytokines penetrate a single artery in the heart and cause blockage.

Smoking increases the number of bacteria in the mouth and causes LDL cholesterol to become stickier. This bad habit also increases inflammation in the entire body. Bacteria, LDL and inflammation make for a lethal combination for CAD and single artery disease.

Dental health, mental health
Mental illness comes in a variety of different forms: from anxiety and bipolar disorder to depression, schizophrenia and beyond. Among the common manifestations of these disorders is lack of attention to dental care. Irregular brushing and flossing will lead to a buildup of potentially lethal bacteria. As a result, cardiovascular disease is a common companion of mental illness.

Other aspects of personal care suffer from this same inattentiveness, including diet, exercise and rest. As you know, these habits are foundations for physical and mental health. Without these essentials in place, the health spirals downward and heart failure is one of many possibilities.

Conclusion
It seems that illnesses such as CAD and heart failure are much more complex than we ever imagined. Emotional distress, dental neglect, smoking and inflammation may all combine to create vascular disease. Constant attention to the 10 Essentials of Health and Wellness and normal biological needs like dental care can help us avoid many triggers for CAD and heart failure.

Essential #4 concerns nutrients that every body needs. Essential fatty acids like those found in TriVita’s OmegaPrime can help protect against inflammation. Vitamin C can also help reduce inflammation by cooling oxidative stress and TriVita Sublingual B-12, TriVita HCY Guard helps reduce inflammatory homocysteine. I especially like TriVita Adaptogen 10 Plus because it helps reduce the impact of stress while providing antioxidant protection. Nutrients and nurturing – including proper dental care – give us the best foundation for a life of meaning and purpose.

Take Control of Your Health

• Practice good dental hygiene
  • Brush at least twice daily for two minutes
  • Floss after meals
  • Get dental cleanings and checkups twice a year
• Take Healthy Aging nutrients
  • A multiple vitamin/mineral supplement
  • TriVita Omega-3 supplement
  • A Sublingual Vitamin B-12
  • A Vitamin C supplement
• Reduce stress and use adaptogens when needed
• Learn and live TriVita’s 10 Essentials!

Source: TriVita Weekly Wellness Report February 28, 2009

Study Confirms The Value Of Adaptogen 10 Plus

Our research team discovered that it helps raise nitric oxide levels – essential for good health
By Dr. Nathan S. Bryan

Nitric oxide or NO is one of the most important molecules in our body. Like a policeman directing traffic in a busy intersection, nitric oxide directs the communication between the busiest cells in the body: brain cells, blood cells, immune system cells and cells from every body system where communication is critical. Nitric oxide is so important that no organ in your body could function without it. In fact, a Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three scientists in 1998 responsible for discovering its actions. It keeps our blood pressure normal, helps us think clearly, helps our body fight off infections, and even prevents the development of blood clots and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Many of the “diseases of aging” are no more than a deficiency of nitric oxide.

Recently, my team tested Adaptogen 10 Plus for nitric oxide activity. This study helps confirm the incredible value of Adaptogen 10 Plus. We discovered that it contains natural NO metabolites that help to restore normal nitric oxide biochemistry within our body. This important benefit is in addition to its high antioxidant capacity and adaptive stress molecules.

As we age, our body gradually loses its ability to produce nitric oxide. Stress, pollution and a nutrient-deficient diet also reduce our nitric oxide reserves. A healthy diet, sleep, exercise and the rest of the 10 Essentials (see pg. 2) contribute to nitric oxide activity – and to good health!

As a professor of medicine, I supervise cardiovascular research in the heart health field. My field of specialty is nitric oxide: how to get it and how to keep it. The people in our research center suffer from a host of nitric oxide-related disorders including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease – the list seems endless.

In every case I see that the higher we can raise the nitric oxide levels, the better the patient responds. Restoring nitric oxide production has become one of the main strategies at treating and protecting against many diseases.

It makes sense that Adaptogen 10 Plus would activate a high amount of nitric oxide because research has revealed that most high-antioxidant foods nourish NO. TriVita’s Adaptogen 10 Plus helps us combat stress, a nitric oxide killer.

The amount of NO in Adaptogen 10 Plus has been shown to help protect against vascular inflammation, reduce injury from a heart attack or stroke and restore NO homeostasis (a sense of balance) in animal models. This unique blend of antioxidants and nitric oxide metabolites is essential for brain and heart health. Combining a regimen of Adaptogen 10 Plus with the 10 Essentials will help ensure optimal health.

Source: VitaJournal December 2008 pg 20.