Physical activity… do I really have to?
Physical activity has not been our friend for a long time, at least in the past and present period. And now, the first association with starting any physical activity is somehow thought-provoking – oh, now we need to work hard again, sweat, and just wait until the heart starts beating in a hurry… And with that thought, we usually give up, or delay the start of doing anything indefinitely. And our first thought about exercise and the activity of our body should be – it is good for our overall health, and especially of our heart and blood vessel health!
What we should know is that regular exercise, and physical activity in general, helps stop and prevent high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and many other chronic diseases. Despite these well-known benefits, most people are not physically active on a daily basis. There are a lot of reasons for that – laziness, apathy, you are lulled into the well-known everyday life, lack of desire and will, but sometimes there are also health problems. One of the reasons may be the mistaken belief that exercise requires the heart hard work and the fear that our health may get worse.
Most people have blurred the distinction between exercising for health and well-being and exercising for fitness in an athletic sense. And the real truth is that if you exercise to be healthy, it takes very little effort to see the huge benefits of minimal or moderate physical activity.
Minimal to moderate physical activity – longer and healthier life
A recently published article in The American Journal of Cardiology [1],
listed research on the health effects of both exercise ranges, from minimal to maximal. Modest activity, even just an hour of walking or, say, working in a garden on a weekly basis, has been associated with lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death from a variety of causes. This claim was proved by an analysis that included more than 320,000 surveyed adults. It was revealed that people who exercised moderately, even just 15 minutes a day, lived on average three years longer than their completely inactive peers.
Although more exercise is better for your health, the optimal measure would be 45 to 60 minutes of daily moderate exercise. Even just walking or a brisk walk may have positive effects.Thus, people lose pounds, blood pressure balances, and blood cholesterol levels fall
.
Exercise, excuses, and what else…?
Despite the excuse that exercise is too hard or tiring for them, many people state that they do not have time for physical activity. But if you do your daily routine, you can usually find a way. Let’s say you add a shorter or longer walk, or just climb the stairs, instead of using the elevator. Try to aim for a daily goal of only 30 minutes of moderate walking. You can do this in series of 10 minutes and at any pace that suits your body. And we dedicate one quote to people who still claim to be too busy to exercise … “Those who think they don’t have time for physical activity, sooner or later have to find time for illness.”
And if you ask what vitamins and minerals are important for the work and the general condition of our heart and blood vessels, as well as our general health and fitness, the answer is as follows.
Magnesium, as well as physical activity, helps your heart maintain a healthy rhythm
Magnesium is a key mineral for a healthy heart rhythm. It is involved in the transport of electrolytes, such as calcium and potassium, into cells. Electrolytes are important for the transmission of nerve signals and the maintenance of muscle contractions during normal heart function. Studies [2] show that magnesium deficiency or limited magnesium intake leads to irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmias.
In a review published in May 2019 in the journal Cardiology Research and Practice, a number of research projects [3] showed that low magnesium levels in the blood can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In addition, low magnesium levels have been associated with atrial fibrillation, the most common heart disorder.
Vitamin B6 helps prevent clogged arteries and reduces the risk of heart disease
Studies [4]
show that people with low levels of vitamin B6 in the blood face almost double risk of getting heart disease, compared to those who have higher levels of vitamin B6 in the body.
This is related to the role of vitamin B6 in reducing high homocysteine levels, which is associated with the development of several diseases, including heart disease [5].
Studies have just shown the beneficial effects of vitamin B6 in preventing heart disease, as evidenced in the following study [6]: 158 healthy adults who had siblings with heart disease were divided into two groups: one who received 250 mg of vitamin B6 and 5 mg of folic acid every day for two years, and another group receiving placebo.
The group taking B6 and folic acid had lower homocysteine levels and better heart rate tests during exercise than the placebo group. This placed the group in the population with an overall lower risk of developing heart disease.
Vitamin K2 is beneficial for heart function
Adequate intake of vitamin K2 has been shown to reduce the risk of damage to blood vessels [7], because it activates MGP (Matrix Gla Protein), which calcium deposition on the walls of blood vessels. Calcium is then available for other important roles in the body, leaving the arteries healthy and flexible.
However, vitamin K deficiency results in inadequate activation of MGP, which significantly impairs the process of calcium removal and increases the risk of vascular calcification, plaque formation, and atherosclerosis in the last resort [8].
Vitamin K2 is essential for bone and cardiovascular health. Without vitamin K2, calcium is not properly directed to the enrichment of bone content, but accumulates in the walls of blood vessels and soft tissues.
A Rotterdam study [9] assessed the relation between vitamin K intake and the occurrence of heart disease, aortic calcification, and mortality from these causes, based on a study population of 4807 healthy men and women over the age of 55. The study found that optimal intake of vitamin K2 in the diet reduced arterial calcification by 50%, cardiovascular risk by 50%, and mortality from these causes by 25%.
Magnall® Cardio
How can physical activity, without worries and fears, improve your heart health and general health again? Or are you already working hard, actively exercising and want to give your heart extra strength and freshness? We have a solution for you, containing all three listed minerals and vitamins.
Magnall® Cardio is a unique formulation of magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin K2. Magnall® Cardio supports your heart and blood vessels in performing physiological functions.
The ingredients of Magnall® Cardio also affect the balance of electrolytes in the body [10], prevention and protection of the heart and blood vessels from blockage and damage, help increase the elasticity of blood vessels and thus contribute to normal heart rhythm and good cardiovascular health.
It is recommended for people with cardiovascular problems, type 2 diabetes, as well as for athletes and people under great physical exertion, as well as for all people who care about the health of their heart and blood vessels [11].
Stay healthy and active with Magnall® Cardio!
Reference:
[1] Gerald F. Fletcher, Carolyn Landolfo, Josef Niebauer, Cemal Ozemek, Ross Arena and Carl J. Lavie; “Promoting Physical Activity and Exercise”; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; Volume 72, Issue 14, October 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.08.2141; https://www.onlinejacc.org/content/72/14/1622
[2] Artur Cieslewicz, Katarzyna Korzeniowska, Jerzy Jankowski, Natasza Balcer-Dymel; “The role of magnesium in cardiac arrhythmias”; Journal of Elementology 18(2/2013); https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272894239_The_role_of_magnesium_in_cardiac_arrhythmias ;
[3] Paolo Severino, Lucrezia Netti, Marco Valerio Mariani, Annalisa Maraone, Andrea D’Amato, Rossana Scarpati, Fabio Infusino, Mariateresa Pucci, Carlo Lavalle, Viviana Maestrini, Massimo Mancone , and Francesco Fedele; „Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: Screening for Magnesium Deficiency“; Volume 2019 |Article ID 4874921 | 10 pages | https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4874921 https://www.hindawi.com/journals/crp/2019/4874921/
[4] Ping-Ting Lin 1, Chien-Hsiang Cheng, Yung-Po Liaw, Bor-Jen Lee, Tsung-Wen Lee, Yi-Chia Huang; “Low Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate Is Associated With Increased Risk of Coronary Artery Disease”; Nutrition. Nov-Dec 2006;22(11-12):1146-51. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2006.08.013. Epub 2006 Oct 10; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17045461/
[5] E G Vermeulen 1, C D Stehouwer, J W Twisk, M van den Berg, S C de Jong, A J Mackaay, C M van Campen, F C Visser, C A Jakobs, E J Bulterjis, J A Rauwerda; „Effect of Homocysteine-Lowering Treatment With Folic Acid Plus Vitamin B6 on Progression of Subclinical Atherosclerosis: A Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Trial“; Clinical Trial Lancet; 2000 Feb 12;355(9203):517-22. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(99)07391-2; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10683000/ ;
[6] Isto.
[7] L.J. Schurgers, et al., ‘Regression of Warfarin-Induced Medial Elastocalcinosis by High Intake of Vitamin K in Rats,’ Blood 109, 2823–2831 (2007);
[8] E.C. Cranenburg, et al., ‘The Circulating Inactive Form of Matrix Gla Protein (ucMGP) as a Biomarker for Cardiovascular Calcification,’ J. Vasc. Res. 45, 427–436 (2008);
[9] . Geleijnse, et al., ‘Dietary Intake of Menaquinone is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: The Rotterdam Study,’ J. Nutr. 134, 3100–3105 (2004);
[10] B M Altura 1; “Introduction: Importance of Mg in Physiology and Medicine and the Need for Ion Selective Electrodes”; Review Scand J Clin Lab Invest Suppl; 1994;217:5-9.
[11] Jiang Wu, Pengcheng Xun, Qingya Tang, Wei Cai, and corresponding authors; ““Circulating magnesium levels and incidence of coronary heart diseases, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies”; Published online 2017 Sep 19. doi: 10.1186/s12937-017-0280-3; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5606028/
