The miracle heart: it beats on average 60 times a minute, 4,000 times an hour and 95,000 times a day. It is our engine of life, pumps around 70 milliliters of blood into our veins with just one heartbeat and transports around 300 liters of blood through our body in an hour. Without the heart muscle, all of our organs, cells or tissue could not be supplied. Day after day, night after night, second after second, the heart is at work: it delivers peak performance throughout our entire lives, which we are usually not even aware of. These arguments are just a selection of reasons why it is so important to strengthen the heart. In the following article we will tell you ways in which you can strengthen and maintain your mitochondria and therefore your heart health.
Without mitochondria the human body cannot survive
The key to good heart health lies in the mitochondria. The small power plants in our cells supply our entire body and therefore also our heart. Without them nothing works and we wouldn't be able to survive.
Mitochondria turn the oxygen and food they consume into the body's most basic fuel: adenosine triphosphate (ATP). If you eat bad, flammable foods, this fuel is also defective and the mitochondria cannot function at their best. Mitochondria also break down cellular waste to use it as fuel and supply the body with it. However, if the mitochondria are overstressed, waste builds up in the body and the mitochondria weaken. As a result, the body is unable to cope with even small daily exposures to toxins such as pesticides or pollution.
Healthy mitochondria ensure a stable and healthy heart
Our heart muscle contains more mitochondria than other muscles - approximately 5,000 to 10,000 mitochondria per cell. All of these little power packs are absolutely necessary because our cells in the heart have a lifelong, permanent job, day in and day out, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without a single interruption and until the end of our lives. This is also the reason why the basis for a long, healthy life and good heart health also lies in the health of the mitochondria.
Arteries fail because of chronic inflammation
In the context of conventional medicine, there is still a lot of confusion about how one can successfully keep one's heart muscle healthy in the long term and what exactly causes heart disease.
Cholesterol is not always the cause when it comes to heart attacks and strokes. In most cases, our body's arteries fail due to chronic inflammation, which needs to be prevented. Inflammation is actually intended to protect the body - in this case, a swarm of white blood cells surround the area and protect the body from infections. In chronic inflammation, the white blood cells are in constant use, so to speak, and the body is overloaded. The result is a counteraction - the body begins to work against itself. In the case of the heart, chronic inflammation causes even more profound damage by causing a buildup of fatty deposits. However, our body thinks that these deposits are foreign and begins to fight them off with the white blood cells. After a short time, however, the blood cells are overloaded, are no longer able to fight and the fat deposits break down. Their contents enter the blood and create a clot that blocks normal blood flow. This clot causes heart attacks.
To keep the arteries strong and free of these fatty deposits, body-wide inflammation should be reduced as much as possible. The best way to do this: maintain the health of your mitochondria!
5 ways to strengthen mitochondria and keep our heart healthy
Minimize exposure to environmental toxins
Most chronic inflammation in the body is the result of unwanted pollutants in the body, such as pesticides, molds, or dietary toxins (called mycotoxins). Research has shown that environmental toxins have a negative impact on the healthy functioning of mitochondria. This in turn also affects the functions of the blood vessels and arteries. In order to maintain the function of our mitochondria, we should eliminate these three poisons from our lives as best we can:
Pesticides
In order to consume as few pesticides as possible (e.g. glyphosate), it is advantageous to switch to organic food as much as possible. It also makes sense to cleanse your body of toxins that have already been stored; For example, during a sauna session, some toxins are transported out of the body through sweat.
Environmental molds
Mold, for example as a result of water and moisture damage, definitely has a negative impact on the function of our mitochondria. In order to protect the body as much as possible from the toxins caused by mold, we should make sure that our living space is as mold-free as possible. As a preventive measure, for example, commercial test products that check the air for mold particles or probiotic sprays (for bathrooms) can be used to prevent mold infestation from breaking out in the first place.
Mycotoxins
Mold toxins (mycotoxins) are metabolic products of mold that can get into food in various ways. They are widespread throughout nature. To protect your body from these toxins, it is advisable to eat properly produced and high-quality foods, store them in a cool and dry place and check them for impurities before consumption. Avoiding gluten, grains, corn, dairy products, mushrooms and unfiltered alcohol can also help prevent mycotoxins. It is better to use organic vegetables and wild-caught fish, which also help to bind mycotoxins in the body.
Avoid overeating and sugary carbohydrates
Overeating can cause LPS (lipopolysaccharides) to be produced, which can lead to mitochondrial inflammation and other diseases. Lipopolysaccharides are compounds based on fat-like and sugar components that act as antigens in the body. However, if they break down, they have a toxic effect and have negative effects on the entire bloodstream.
Bind the toxins in the body and eliminate them
It is possible to free the body of accumulated toxins through certain nutritional supplements that bind the toxins in the body and help to eliminate them. Some foods, such as artichokes, berries (because of the antioxidants) or lemons, also support the detoxification processes in the body.
Increase bile flow throughout the body
Bile helps us to properly digest fats and break down toxins. Bile is produced in the cells of the liver but stored in the gallbladder. With insufficient bile, the body has great difficulty binding and excreting toxins. To stimulate bile production, saturated fats such as grass-fed meat and butter can be consumed. Foods that contain alfatoxins and impair liver function (and therefore bile production) should be avoided. These include peanuts, corn, milk, cheese and soybeans.
