What is Cardiometabolic Health? Cardiometabolic function describes the way your body changes food into fuel (metabolism) and how the fuel then directly impacts how well your cardiovascular system works to provide nutrients and oxygen to the entire body, and remove wastes (sometimes called “toxins”) to be cleared from the body.
Cardiometabolic health refers to a combination of risk factors for disease affecting the cardiovascular system: cardiac rate/rhythm and ability to pump blood (ejection fraction), blood pressure, blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and lipid levels to name a few of the most common ones we can measure on lab tests. Other risk factors include a family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess body weight, especially visceral fat mass “beer belly”).
Since heart attack and stroke are leading causes of death in the US, it is important to focus on the many steps we can take on our own to improve cardiovascular health. Early diagnosis, prevention strategies and appropriate treatments are essential for reducing your risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
The good news is that most of the risk factors for cardiometabolic health are within our control, and small steps can make a big difference.
If you have diabetes, pre-diabetes, or insulin resistance; high cholesterol and/or high triglycerides; high blood pressure and/or excess body weight, your risk increases dramatically:
- About 2 out of every 3 patients with diabetes will die of heart disease.
- Nearly 50% of Americans have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.
- Your risk of cardiovascular disease is 2 to 4 times higher if you have diabetes.
- Women with diabetes have a higher risk of heart disease than men with diabetes do.
- If you have diabetes, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by getting comprehensive treatment.
To see how you measure up, take a look at these five measures that were used by researchers to estimate how many people in the US have optimal cardiometabolic health.
- body mass index <26 and waist circumference in ideal ranges (<35” for women and <40” for men)
- normal blood sugar (without taking medicine to lower blood sugar)
- ideal cholesterol levels (without taking medicine to lower cholesterol)
- normal blood pressure (without taking medicine to lower blood pressure)
- no evidence of cardiovascular disease, such as a prior heart attack or stroke.
They found that just 6.8% of the US population had optimal cardiometabolic health in 2018, down from 8.,4% in 2004. Even worse, cardiometabolic health rates have fallen even more by 2024. The researchers also pointed out that excess weight and elevated blood sugar are the two biggest culprits as well as population disparities:
- Between 2000 and 2018, the proportion of those with ideal body weight fell from 34% to 24%, while those with normal blood sugar levels fell from 59% to 37%.
- Poorer cardiometabolic health was more common among people who were nonwhite, male, poor, less educated, or older.
We suspect that COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns which led to physical activity decreased and unhealthy habits increased had an even more severe adverse effect on cardiometabolic health. Sadly, these destructive health habits are hard to reverse.
So, what can you do to improve your cardiometabolic health?
- Start by knowing your important health numbers. Get your blood pressure, lipids, blood sugar, and body measurements checked. And check out our Faith Over Fear programs on January 9, 2024 and January 7, 2025, to learn more about important lab tests and biometric measures for good health.
- Plan to address any abnormal levels with a health care professional.
- Stay active. Gradually increase daily physical activity and if appropriate work up to a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity (walking, biking, swimming, etc) per week. This equates to 30 minutes 5 days a week with two days rest. Just the right amount of exercise to establish a daily habit and not overdue it.
- Physical activity helps lower blood sugar levels and increase insulin sensitivity. In addition to a daily exercise session, walking for 10 -15 minutes after eating is a great way to minimize blood sugar spikes and insulin release after a meal.
- Lose excess weight by eating higher fiber, low glycemic, real food through a whole food, balanced diet such as a Mediterrean Diet.
- Reduce intake of processed and unrefined food products. This helps lower systemic inflammation associated with chronic illness including heart disease and diabetes.
- Begin strategies such as intermittent fasting, eating protein-based breakfasts, food sequencing during meals – eating vegetables and protein before starches and whole grains, then finishing with lower glycemic whole fruits such as berries for dessert.
- Quit smoking. Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for poor cardiometabolic health and many other health problems.
- Supplement nutritional deficiencies as appropriate (see important lab values to check) as listed in Dr. Vliet’s Vaccine Injury Treatment Guide.
- Monitor your progress. Keep a log of activity, food intake, supplements, lab tests from your physician, and body measurements. Having these marks of progress is great incentive for continued positive changes in your actions to stay healthy.
Nutraceutical Supplements to Support Your Cardiometabolic Health
When you need a little extra boost to achieve your goals, supplements that support cardiometabolic function may be just what you need and can be found in Truth for Health’s newest product, TruCardioMetabolic™ Protect.
TruCardioMetabolic™ Protect combines Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), the plant alkaloid berberine, and biotin in one convenient formula. This unique combination supports glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, helps maintain healthy blood lipid metabolism, assists the body maintain normal HbA1c levels, provides antioxidant support and positively influences adipogenesis (the formation of and growth of fat tissue). All important components of cardiometabolic health and in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease.
For those interested in the science behind each of these ingredients:
Berberine is a naturally occurring botanical extract commonly isolated from plants such as Oregon grape, barberry, and goldenseal. Research has demonstrated that berberine helps regulate glucose and lipid metabolism, positively influences cell signaling, provides antioxidant support, and impacts immune health. Of more recent interest is the influence of berberine on cardiometabolic health, including its effects on adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), gene transcription and signaling factors that influence adipose tissue differentiation, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.
- AMPK is responsible for maintaining and replenishing cellular energy stores. AMPK activation stimulates glucose uptake and fat oxidation while it suppresses lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis. Cumulatively, AMPK activation leads to beneficial metabolic states in liver, muscle, and peripheral tissues. Of the natural products known to activate AMPK, berberine is one of the most prominent. It is this mechanism that is thought to be central to the beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, cytokine activity, and cardiovascular health observed in patients taking berberine.
- Berberine positively influences fat cell size. This effect is significant because it has been reported that fat tissue composed of a high number of small fat cells is more sensitive to insulin than fat tissue (with the same lipid content) composed of a low number of large fat cells.
- In a human study, individuals taking 900 mg/d of berberine for three months showed decreases in waist circumferences and BMI (body mass index) as well as significant decreases in leptin levels, leptin/adiponectin ratio, and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).
- Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) also known as glycated hemoglobin or glycosylated hemoglobin, serves as the definitive measure of a person’s average blood sugar level for a three-month period. Maintaining HbA1c within a healthy range is an important aspect of cardiometabolic wellness. In one study, researchers found that 1,500 mg/d of berberine had significant beneficial effects on HbA1c, glucose metabolism, and triglyceride metabolism. In another study, it was found that 1,000 mg/d of berberine significantly decreased HbA1c and had positive effects on blood lipid metabolism.
- Overall, it is evident that berberine has excellent potential as an agent that supports cardiometabolic health.
Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a multifunctional antioxidant also known as thiotic acid. It has numerous effects that complement berberine. These effects include reducing oxidative stress, regenerating antioxidants, increasing glutathione synthesis, boosting antioxidant defense systems at the gene-expression level, stimulating AMPK activation, affecting adipocyte differentiation, and increasing insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. Furthermore, ALA inhibits nuclear factor-κB (Nf-κB), a transcription factor that activates many proinflammatory genes in the vasculature, making ALA an excellent pairing to berberine for cardiometabolic health.
Biotin is added to offset the long-term use of lipoic acid that lowers the activities of pyruvate carboxylase and beta-methylcrotonyl CoA carboxylase in vivo by competing with biotin.
I started taking this product about 6 months ago to assess how it works before I added it to the Truth for Health store products. I have been really pleased with the positive changes I can already see in gradual loss of body fat, and reduced desire for sweets!
Since I have a lot of sensitivities to various plants and medications, I have been pleased with the lack of any negative side effects with our TruCardioMetabolic™ so I hope you will give the natural medicines and healthy lifestyle changes a chance to help you achieve your weight loss goals before you turn to the riskier prescription medicines for the “quick fix” that may be costlier to your health and your pocketbook!
SHOP HERE
https://shoptruthforhealth.com/products/trucardiometabolic-protect
To Your good health,
Dr. Vliet
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Truth for Health Foundation focus on Little Pharma™. represents a return to our roots in Biblical and Hippocratic medicine, where God’s design for our bodies and health, and God’s design of natural medicines from nature, is the focus. We bring you reliable resources and our expert guidance to safely and effectively use natural medicines from God’s “pharmacy” to improve your health and resilience. Our goal is to empower all of us to become less dependent on Big Pharma, Big Health Insurance, & Big Medicine.
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With the concerns about both the usual “flu” and the media reports on “avian flu” as well, we encourage you to stock up on essential “immune boosting” natural medicines!
“Flu shots” and “COVID shots” don’t reduce your risk of getting sick, and both have the risk of serious side effects especially when combined. New studies showing increased risk of getting COVID after getting a flu shot as well as a higher risk of strokes in those who received both injections! We urge you to turn to our natural medicines with our top quality, cGMP-compliant professional formulas for TruImmune™Boost, TruNAC™, TruImmunoglobulin,™ TruC with BioFlav™ (Vitamin C with complete Bioflavonoids), Tru BioD3™, TruZinc™, TruFuits & Berries™, and TruProBiotic™ Daily to replenish critical bifidobacteria depleted by COVID shots and viral illnesses.
