What’s good for your heart and your brain?

Heart health and brain health are two of the biggest health concerns, especially as we age. They are the most essential organs in the body, and caring for and about them is paramount to good overall health. 

Luckily—thanks to some truly excellent research, we’ve found a whole host of things you can do, or may already be doing that benefit both the heart and the brain. 

TL;DR Boost your intake of nutrients like omega 3, vitamin B12, and anthocyanins to help protect and boost the health of your heart and your brain; and for the extra mile, work in regular exercise, meditation, and laughter too. 

Nutrients for the heart and the brain

Omega 3

❤️ For the heart, omega 3 has a starring role. It improves blood pressure and cholesterol, prevents blood clots, prevents plaque build-up in the heart, and reduces inflammation.

🧠 In the brain, DHA omega 3 is needed for optimal emotional health, cognition, memory, learning and more.

Vitamin B12

❤️ Vitamin B12 helps to maintain the health of your blood, as well as the formation of red blood cells and protects against stroke and heart disease. 

🧠 It also contributes to the development of brain structure and function, balances your mood, helps with memory, protects against brain atrophy, and is key to the maintenance of healthy nerve cells.

Anthocyanins

❤️ For the heart, anthocyanins fight inflammation, increase protective HDL ‘good’ cholesterol, and are antiplatelet (protect you from heart attacks). 

🧠 In the brain, anthocyanins protect against premature cell ageing, protect neurons from injury from toxins, and suppress inflammation. They also improve brain signalling and help memory, learning, and overall cognitive function.

Heart and brain activities—exercise, meditation, and laughter

Exercise

❤️ Getting your blood pumping with exercise may seem like an obvious one for your cardiovascular health—with benefits for the heart ranging from lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and an increase in ‘good’ cholesterol. 

🧠 But, for the brain, exercise also helps to increase blood flow and oxygen to the brain, promotes brain plasticity, helps brain cell growth, improves your memory, and releases all the lovely feel-good hormones like endorphins, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.

Meditation

❤️ Regular meditation can lower blood pressure, as well as improve cholesterol and blood glucose levels. It can also lower the heart rate, increase circulation and blood flow, and even possibly reverse blockages in the arteries. 

🧠 In the brain, meditation regulates emotions, and increases oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain, improving concentration. It also balances the nervous system and increases alpha activity (relaxing your brain).

Laughter

❤️ We all feel better after a good laugh, but what’s happening to our most essential organs? Laughing increases the heart rate, improving oxygen-rich blood flow, and vascular and blood vessel function. It also lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation in the arteries, and increases ‘good’ cholesterol. 

🧠 In the brain, laughing triggers the release of endorphins which elevate your mood. It also lowers stress hormones, improves brain function, and may improve your short-term memory.  

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I'm the Co-Founder of 'braincare' company; Heights.

We make the highest quality brain focussed natural smart supplements taken daily by some of the sharpest brains in Europe, and create content from science designed to help you reach your heights. And it has all the heart and brain nutrients you need to feed your brain the love it deserves!