Posts Tagged ‘treating hardened arterise’

Part 2: What is causing my Arteries to Harden?

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

We’ve learned from “Part 1” of the series “What is causing my Arteries to Harden?” that inflammation is the most common culprit of causing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. There are a lot of processes that have to take place for the arteries to harden. Understanding those processes and how to slow them down can help you lead a longer and healthier life, despite having hardened arteries.

We’ve discussed how diabetes and high cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis, so now we will look at some other factors to consider. Some people have inherited a predisposition that can lead them to suffer from this disease, even at an early age. The direct link is not known, but it is suspected to be related to the gene that can cause hereditary high cholesterol.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is caused when the heart pumps blood too forcefully around the body. This puts too much pressure on arteries and can cause damage to them. Vessels that are not elastic enough to withstand the pressure can dilate and balloon out. This is called an aneurysm. If an aneurysm bursts, it is usually a fatal event. Hardened arteries can’t handle the extra pressure that is put on them by hypertension. Hypertension causes inflammation, which leads to tearing, immune system over-activity, and atherosclerosis.

High blood pressure can be caused by many things, but essentially it is caused by the central nervous system over-reacting to oxidative stress. Basically, your brain recognizes chemicals and free radicals in your body and it’s trying to get rid of them by increasing the flow of blood. Humans don’t make their own vitamin C to clear out free radicals and combat oxidative stress, so we have to get it in our diets. It can be difficult to get enough vitamin C through diet alone, especially if you have high blood pressure, because it is in such high demand. Taking vitamins and supplements to reduce oxidative stress also helps to lower your blood pressure and protect you from further hardening of the arteries.

Now we need to talk about smoking. Smoking cigarettes puts you into the highest risk category for developing atherosclerosis, even higher than genetic factors alone. This is because smoking aggravates, accelerates, and worsens high blood pressure and high cholesterol. When you smoke, you immediately deplete any stores of vitamin C that you once had. As we’ve learned, vitamin C is essential for forming collagen and elastin so that your body doesn’t want to increase cholesterol and then use it for repairing arteries. Smoking creates a cascade of free radicals that your body can only handle by increasing your blood pressure.

Talk with your doctor about utilizing discount vitamins or wholesale supplements to help you control the things that are contributing to your atherosclerosis. Treating your body with natural vitamins and supplements can help you to lead a longer and healthier life.

About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people maintain good health with wholesale vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has provided the world with the best discount vitamins and wholesale supplements since 1970. Visit to buy high-quality, low-cost discount supplements today!