Your Family - April 2017

86 yourfamily.co.za

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HARD-WORKING

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM IN OPTIMUM HEALTH

Y

ou know that feeling when you’ve had a good workout

and you’re ‘pumped’ – you feel alive! Well, your body’s

circulatory system feels it too, as it helps blood flow faster

around your body. Unimpeded blood flow is essential for good

health, but what exactly are the benefits?

‘Blood is made up of several components: plasma, red

and white blood cells and platelets,’ explains Colin Bicknell,

consultant cardiologist at London’s Imperial College Healthcare

NHS Trust. ‘Plasma is mainly water, but it contains dissolved

nutrients – vitamins, minerals, energy, protein and lipids (fats) –

that are essential for all the processes of your body to function

effectively. These nutrients are also used in chemical reactions

that keep your organs working healthily. The cellular part of

blood has red blood cells, which primarily carry oxygen, crucial

for cells to stay alive, and white blood cells, which are involved

in fighting infection. The last major component of blood is

Sugary snacks aren’t just detrimental to your waistline,

they also affect your blood. Excess blood sugar coats

haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells, and causes it to

become sticky. These sticky cells interfere with circulation

and prompt cholesterol to build up on the inside of blood

vessels, narrowing them and further hampering circulation.

But it doesn’t stop there. ‘High intakes of sugar will require

more insulin to be released from the pancreas to turn it

into glycogen, and high levels of insulin are associated with

a thickening of the blood, which reduces oxygen supply

and impairs circulation,’ says Dr Marilyn Glenville, a leading

nutritionist specialising in women’s health, and author of

The Natural Health Bible for Women (Marilynglenville.com).

A reduced oxygen supply makes you feel fatigued, so it

can be tempting to snack on more sugar to give yourself a

much-needed energy boost. ‘During hypoglycaemia, when

blood sugar drops too low, you may get a craving for more

sugar in order to raise your blood glucose level, but taking

on more sugar requires more insulin to be released, which

fuels a vicious cycle,’ explains Dr Glenville.

LET IT FLOW

Go online to find

out more about

the benefits of

ditching sugar.

platelets, which are involved in the vital process of clotting at the

site of injury to prevent excessive bleeding.’

So, blood is life, but it couldn’t do its job without an effective

transport system. ‘Blood is pumped round your body by your

heart, delivered by a series of blood vessels called arteries and

returned by another set of blood vessels called veins,’ says

Colin. Collectively known as the circulatory or arterial system,

this structure ensures your body’s organs and cells get the life-

sustaining nutrients, oxygen and platelets they need. ‘Think of

it like your home geyser system. The heart is the geyser that

needs to pump effectively so hot water can move round. The

arteries and veins are like the pipes. If they’re blocked, the

system doesn’t work.’

It’s important that your circulatory system works well, so

read on to discover five ways you can give yours a boost.

REDUCE SUGAR INTAKE

muscular artery

lumen

outer elastin

vein outer layer

blood cells

smooth muscle

inner elastin

connective tissue

inner lining