Even in the 17th century,
physicians recognized that longevity was tied to heart health. The human
circulatory system is made up of 60,000 miles of arteries, veins, and vessels,
and the heart pumps 1,800 gallons of blood through this labyrinth every day.
That’s a lot of hard work for your heart muscle, and as you age the heart
becomes vulnerable to diseases like atherosclerosis, which is caused by high cholesterol levels. Recent research points to a potential dietary aid
for lowering cholesterol and protecting against heart disease. Annatto, a
natural spice used as red food coloring and sourced from the seeds of the
achiote tree, not only lowered cholesterol levels, but also reduced
inflammatory markers of heart disease in test patients.
How Cholesterol Causes Heart Disease
There are two types of cholesterol:
LDL cholesterol, which clogs arteries, and HDL cholesterol, which clears
arteries. Your blood vessels also have to contend with another type of fat
called triglycerides, also tied to heart disease.
Cholesterol contributes to heart
disease by accumulating in the blood and binding to the walls of your arteries.
This causes the arteries to harden, a process called atherosclerosis. When your
arteries narrow and harden, blood flow to the heart becomes hindered. Blood
carries oxygen to your heart, and when this flow is impeded, cardiovascular disease sets in. You may suffer from chest pain and other
disorders…and when blood flow to the heart is completely blocked, a heart
attack occurs. To prevent atherosclerosis and ensuing cardiovascular disorders,
it’s important to keep your cholesterol levels regulated.
How Annatto May Help
Vitamin E consists of 8 molecules: 4 tocopherols
and 4 tocotrienols. Alpha-tocopherol is the type of vitamin E primarily used in
multivitamins, but research indicates that this type of tocopherol may actually
interfere with the uptake and function of tocotrienols. Tocotrienols are found
in 3 main food sources: rice, palm, and annatto, but annatto is the only
tocotrienol that doesn’t contain alpha-tocopherol, and so isn’t impeded
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