Cardiovascular disease remains the #1 cause of death worldwide, responsible for approximately 17.9 million lives every year– but what if focusing on the health of your metabolism is the key to reducing your risk? Metabolism comprises all of the cellular processes in your body that keep it functioning properly; it converts the food you eat into the energy you need to do everything from breathing to digestion. When metabolic processes are impaired, however– potentially leading to serious conditions like type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome– the risk for cardiovascular-related diseases like heart attack, stroke, and hypertension greatly increases too.

At L-Nutra Health, we believe the future of heart health lies not just in reactive care, but in proactive, personalized metabolic support delivered by clinical experts who specialize in lifestyle medicine and longevity science. Together, we work to help you improve your metabolic health, reduce your chance of developing cardiovascular disease in the first place, and experience the freedom of living a longer, more disease-free life.

Understanding The Metabolic-Cardiovascular Connection

To fully understand the relationship between metabolism and cardiovascular health, we must first look at the way glucose, insulin, and fat storage impact blood vessels and heart function. Insulin is the hormone responsible for facilitating glucose uptake for the body’s cells to use as energy. When this process is compromised, however, the elevated glucose levels (blood sugar) can lead to the following heart-related problems:

• Endothelial dysfunction. High levels of glucose in the blood can damage the endothelium (inner lining of the blood vessels), making it difficult for them to widen to let blood pass through easily; this causes blood pressure to rise, otherwise known as hypertension.
  
  
• Dyslipidemia. Insulin resistance can make it harder for the body to maintain a healthy balance of lipids (fats). Over time, an abnormal amount of harmful lipids like cholesterol can contribute to plaque buildup in the arteries.
  
  
• Chronic Inflammation. The over-production of pro-inflammatory proteins is often triggered by insulin resistance. These can create low-grade inflammation throughout the body, making it harder for the heart and other organs to function optimally.

All of these metabolic-related complications can also contribute to harmful hormonal imbalances and oxidative stress in the body, in addition to a higher risk for arteriosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke in the long-term. As a result, the damage metabolic dysfunction causes to the cardiovascular system essentially ages it prematurely, leading to an overall decrease in longevity. 

Unfortunately, many of these concerns often go undetected until they become much more challenging to treat. Metabolic syndrome, for example, is a condition comprising several key cardiovascular risk factors like high levels of blood glucose, cholesterol, visceral fat, and blood pressure - but most people don’t notice symptoms until they become severe, and the various tests used to diagnose the condition are not always performed by healthcare professionals unless specifically requested. That’s why it’s never too early to start practicing preventative habits that may help improve your metabolic and cardiovascular health, and set you up for long-term wellness.

How To Support Metabolism For Improved Cardiovascular Health

Here’s the good news about the metabolic-cardiovascular relationship: metabolism can be modified by incorporating healthy lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, periodic fasting, stress reduction, and weight management. These interventions have not only been shown to improve key metabolic biomarkers and cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure but also encourage cellular rejuvenation, which can help mitigate pre-existing damage too. 

At L-Nutra Health, our lifestyle medicine board-certified medical doctor and specially trained Longevity Registered Dietitian team curates individualized health plans based on your unique biomarkers, medical history, and lifestyle goals. We take a multidisciplinary approach to empower precision lifestyle medicine that’s always personalized to you. Whether you're pre-diabetic, managing high cholesterol, or aiming for optimal cardiometabolic health, our team collaborates to deliver interventions that are clinically shown to improve body composition, lower A1c, reduce insulin resistance, and promote fat-focused weight loss while improving body composition, which is essential for glucose control and long-term cardiovascular health. Additionally, recent clinical evidence showed a significant reduction in blood pressure.

To learn more about how L-Nutra Health can help with tailored protocols, reach out to book a complimentary call with our team today.