Blueberries and strawberries contain flavonoids, which help dilate arteries, reduce plaque buildup and increase blood flow.
Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries pack a big punch when it comes to arterial health. These deeply hued fruits are chock-full of polyphenol compounds such as quercetin and anthocyanins, which exert powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
Fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and lemons contain antioxidants shown to decrease inflammation and prevent blood clots from forming, allowing blood to flow easily through the body. This popular seasonal fruit is super high in L-citrulline, which studies show combats hypertension.
Vasodilators are medications that open (dilate) blood vessels. They affect the muscles in the walls of the arteries and veins, preventing the muscles from tightening and the walls from narrowing. As a result, blood flows more easily through the vessels.
Packed with potassium, bananas can help improve blood flow by lowering blood pressure. Too much sodium in your diet can cause high blood pressure, but potassium helps the kidneys remove extra sodium from your body, which then passes through your urine. This helps relax blood vessels and enable blood flow.
Apples and citrus fruits are two wonderful choices that are both high in rutin. In addition, leafy greens play an important role in healthy circulation. They help form red blood cells, which circulate oxygen. Greens including spinach are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which also help build strong veins.
Green Tea: May Lower Your Cholesterol if You're an Avid Tea Drinker. For your heart health, it pays to go green. Powerful antioxidants in green tea — especially one called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG — can help prevent atherosclerosis and plaque buildup in the arteries.
Optimal Vitamin K2 intake is crucial to avoid the calcium plaque buildup of atherosclerosis, thus keeping the risk and rate of calcification as low as possible.
Through angioplasty, our cardiologists are able to treat patients with blocked or clogged coronary arteries quickly without surgery. During the procedure, a cardiologist threads a balloon-tipped catheter to the site of the narrowed or blocked artery and then inflates the balloon to open the vessel.
High in potassium, foods like bananas can stop fatal blockages from occurring and inhibit the hardening and narrowing of arteries.
Trans fats, saturated fats, excess salt, and added sugars can all negatively impact circulation. Eating a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oily fish, and nuts may help improve circulation. Exercising regularly, staying hydrated, and avoiding smoking also help improve circulation.
Blueberries contain neuroprotective polyphenols, and new studies reveal they beneficially increase blood flow to the brain. Scientifically reviewed by: Dr. Vanessa Pavey, ND, in May 2022.
Drinking teas, such as green or black tea, rooibos tea, or ginger tea may be good heart-healthy substitutes for other beverages. A study from 2011 found that drinking 6 cups of rooibos tea per day for 6 weeks helped to lower the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood in adults who were at risk for heart diseases.
Drink: Tea
Black and green tea are associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, and short-term studies suggest it's good for your blood vessel health.
Examples: Brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, playing tennis and jumping rope. Heart-pumping aerobic exercise is the kind that doctors have in mind when they recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity.
Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure used to open a narrowed or blocked blood vessel, which could be an artery that carries blood from the heart to the body or a vein that carries blood back to the heart.
PCI is also called percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). There are several types of PCI procedures, including: Balloon angioplasty. A small balloon is inflated inside the blocked artery to open the blocked area.
Atherosclerosis, sometimes called "hardening of the arteries," occurs when fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up in the walls of arteries. These deposits are called plaques. Over time, these plaques can narrow or completely block the arteries and cause problems throughout the body.