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In America, cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death for decades. Recently, there’s been a large push for a greater awareness around personal risk factors of heart disease, as well as family history. With awareness, you can take the necessary steps to manage your risk factors and make heart-healthy choices: eating healthily, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and so on.
In the last few years, CBD has also been examined for its potential assistance in managing heart health. While the possibility is exciting, untrustworthy CBD sellers will make just about any claim to try and move their products, so it’s important to look at the facts.
Ongoing Research on CBD and Heart Health
CBD won’t cure heart failure, high blood pressure, and the like, but it may help ease some of the symptoms associated with heart disease. There are several studies that have found CBD may help lower blood pressure and reduce the spiking of blood pressure. If you experience anxiety that effects your blood pressure, CBD may also be an effective combatant.
Inflammation is a large contributing factor of heart disease, as inflamed blood vessels make it more difficult to pump blood throughout the body. CBD may have anti-inflammatory properties, which is why researchers are interested in its effect on relaxing blood vessels to improve blood flow.
If CBD is effective in relaxing blood vessel walls, that, in turn, may also help reduce excess cholesterol. LDL cholesterol, the “good cholesterol,” contributes to the risk of cardiovascular disease. In animal studies, researcher have found that CBD may raise levels of HDL cholesterol, the “good cholesterol.”
Using CBD to Improve Heart Health
So, what does all that mean? It’s important to remember that research on CBD is minimal and limited at this time. This is a new product, and we have yet to discover everything about it, including its long-term effects on heart health. As of now, the FDA has only approved one CBD-related drug to treat a certain form of epilepsy, so it’s safe to say we still have a lot to learn.
While research may be promising, we can’t make any definitive claims about the effectiveness of CBD and heart disease, and you shouldn’t trust a CBD seller who does. If you are interested in trying CBD, do so with the knowledge that it can’t be used as a replacement for proper heart disease management and medication.
Talk to your doctor before adding any CBD products to your routine, as some CBD products may interact with certain types of heart disease medication. And as always, before trying any CBD products, find a trustworthy and reputable seller willing to share their full ingredient list, as well as their farm locations and growing practices.