Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure is actually controlled primarily by the brain and kidneys. There is a hormone called antidiuretic hormone (ADH) that is produced by the hypothalamus that balances the amount of water that’s in your blood. High water concentrations improve the volume and pressure of your blood. It’s more so about balance and staying hydrated.

Blood Glucose

Blood pressure rising in response to rising insulin levels. Insulin raises primarily through carbohydrate consumption. This means that the more your blood glucose spikes throughout the day, the higher your blood pressure will be. High blood glucose can damage the blood vessels and nerves that control your heart.

The Truth About Cholesterol

Cholesterol is one of the most widely misunderstood molecules that exists. Based on biased research back in the 20th century. The main argument is that cholesterol is bad because it clogs arteries, but there’s no context. Today you will discover the benefits, and physiology of cholesterol. First, we need to talk about why we have it in the first place. The benefits include needed to build our cell membranes, used to build sex hormones, converting UVB from sunlight into vitamin D, structural fat for the brain, and supporting myelin for nerves. About 90% of our cholesterol is made it the liver independent of diet. Why would we naturally make 90% of cholesterol? This is because it’s very important. When experts say that cholesterol is bad, they bring up HDL, and LDL. This stands for high density lipoprotein, and low density lipoprotein. Is the word cholesterol in there? No, because those are carrier proteins, not Cholesterol. So, cholesterol is not bad itself, but when it gets caught up in the wrong places via certain carrier proteins it can be problematic. Here is the turn, they say that LDL is bad, and HDL is good, but this isn’t the full story. LDL only becomes problematic in the presence of high inflammation, and high blood glucose. When this happens, LDL is converted into VLDL, or very low dense lipoprotein. This is a very small molecule that make it more likely that cholesterol will get caught up in the wrong places, like the heart. So, what’s more important to focus on is the LDL-HDL ratio, which should be about 2-1, or 3-1. Also keeping inflammation, and blood glucose in check will prevent VLDL. You can easily keep those factors in check with proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise.

Exercise

walking-Walking is the fundamental form of movement that we know we are designed to do. We are not necessarily designed to move heavy weights in a linear, repetitive motion. We can do it, and it has a lot of benefits, but our genes don’t expect us to do it. The gym simulates the movement we would naturally get in nature. Before we learned to ride animals, and other forms of transportation, we walked everywhere. Today, we have a lot less of a need for this, but what are the health outcomes of walking less. Walking has been shown to reduce blood glucose. Diabetic patients were have their blood glucose measured around the clock, and when they took walks, their blood glucose was regulated. Another study shows that people who talk a postprandial walk have a much better blood glucose response to the meal. The muscle contractions help clear glucose from your blood. Also, it’s been shown to improve blood pressure. Hypertensive patients who take walks experienced a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure than those who did not. Another study showing elderly patients with hypertension who underwent a 12 week walking program significantly lowered their blood pressure.