WHEN we look for supplements which can lower high blood pressure, we often enter into the webserver search bar terms such as ‘natural BP lowering supplements’, or ‘ best blood pressure supplements’. And of course we can gets lots of hits for products of this nature which we can then try, if we so desire.
But in today’s review I am going to take a slightly different tack and examine more closely a supplement which is designed to help the heart itself and discuss how nurturing heart health will indirectly assist with management of blood pressure too.
So here is my … Peak Cardio Platinum Review:
Peak Cardio Platinum
Price: US $39.95/bottle (month supply) + $4.49 shipping
Manufacturer: Peak Wellness Nutrition
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Healthy Heart helps blood pressure control
The reason I wanted to include this supplement in my review was because there is a definite link between a healthy heart which is operating efficiently at the core of the cardiovascular system, a strong circulatory system and healthy blood pressure.
So let’s see how this works:
All other things being equal, a strong cardiovascular system will be able to pump blood, and all the nutrients it contains, through and around the body’s incredibly long network of arteries, veins and blood vessels in order to service all the major organs in an efficient way and ensure all parts of the body are well-nourished with oxygen and nutrients. At the same time this system will enable the waste products to be collected and brought back via the lymphatic system to the kidneys for elimination.
In a healthy body all these systems work in balance and blood pressure is well controlled. Like any other muscle the heart itself needs to be both nurtured and worked out to keep it healthy and pumping efficiently. And many factors can challenge this, including poor diet, lack of movement, and not dealing properly with chronic stress.
So over time the cardiovascular system can be negatively impacted by these factors. For example plaque - a combination of calcium deposits and cholesterol - can start to build up on the inner lining of blood vessel walls which then eventually leads to stiffening of the arteries, or as it worsens a condition called atherosclerosis.
And to complicate matters the heart then has to pump harder to push the same volume of blood around the body which can lead to further blood vessel damage, partial blockages and increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and kidney damage. And high blood pressure becomes a symptom of this condition.
How does Peak Cardio help?
Peak Cardio Platinum contains 4 ingredients, as follows:
click image to enlarge
- Vitamin K2
- Nitrosigine®
- NSK-SD® Nattokinase
- CoQ10
Each of the above mentioned ingredients plays a different role in supporting not only the heart itself, but also the arteries and entire circulatory system.
So let’s take a closer look at each one:
VITAMIN K2 - MENAQUINONE MK-7
Interestingly this ingredient also features in Peak Wellness Nutrition’s other product which is recommended specifically for helping control blood pressure - Peak BP Platinum
And there is good reason for this. Vitamin K2 plays an important role in ensuring that the calcium which the body absorbs ends up where it belongs, namely in the bones, and NOT circulating around the body to be eventually deposited in the arteries as a constituent of plaque. However, studies show that it needs to be a certain form of Vitamin K2 - notably, the MK-7 Menaquinone to make this happen.
The best known study on the relationship between ingestion of Vitamin K2 and build up of calcium in blood vessels - The Rotterdam Heart Study¹ - which ran from showed clearly that those test subjects who took more Vitamin K2 in their diet were 57% less likely to suffer a coronary event than those who ingested the least amount. They also presented with less calcium deposits in their aortas.
Since calcium deposits cause arteries to become less elastic, this in turn can lead to increases in blood pressure as the heart ends up pumping harder to circulate blood around the body.
NITROSIGINE ®
Nitric Oxide (NO) is a molecule found in the inner lining of the endothelium (blood vessel lining) which signals arteries to open in order to allow blood flow and then relax again afterwards. This action helps maintain healthy circulation and normal blood pressure.
However as we get older the body production of NO drops and blood vessels lose this vital elasticity. So Nitrosigine ® is included in the supplement because it contains L-Arginine which helps the body to make NO on demand. The actual form in the supplement - Arginine Silicate is also beneficial for the endothelium by strengthening the artery walls and making them more flexible.
NSK-SD® NATTOKINASE
Nattokinase performs another important function in helping blood to flow more smoothly within the blood vessels by breaking down the clot forming factor fibrin. The body has a natural enzyme called plasmin which is released to break down clots and remove them as necessary, but as we age the body again produces less which then tends to cause blood to thicken. So this where Nattokinase - actually an enzyme which has been extracted from a popular Japanese food Natto consisting of fermented soybeans, comes in and serves as a sort of blood thinner. The NSK_SD® brand has been implicated in many studies which have looked at the effect of nattokinase on improving circulatory health problems both in Japan and in the States as well. One study in particular looked at the link between taking nattokinase and reducing blood pressure.
COQ10 - (Coenzyme Q10)
This is an amazing compound. Its main role is the production of energy within each and every cell in your body. The heart in particular however is especially sensitive to the levels of Co-enzyme Q10 and thus an insufficiency of COQ10 can adversely affect its functioning. Indeed patients on the cholesterol reducing statin drugs should always be prescribed a supplement of COQ10, since statin drugs interfere with the liver’s ability to produce COQ10 which can have potentially harmful effects for the heart’s ability to function properly.
As we get older, the production of COQ10 starts to drop until by the time we reach our 60’s, we are only making around 20% of the amount that we did in our 20’s.
Why I like this product
Based on a previous product review Peak BP Platinum - click HERE to go to the review in question - I can attest that this company follows strict standards to ensure its products are of the highest quality. The Manufacturer is dedicated to both Quality and Safety of its products by ensuring that they are:
- 100% Vegetarian
- Gluten-Free
- Non-GMO
- Synthetic Filler free - avoiding fillers such as silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate and other synthetic fillers which can compromise the quality of the end product
And… I particularly like the fact that the manufacturing process takes place exclusively at facilities within the United States 
which are FDA registered and inspected. The raw ingredients are sourced from around the world have to conform to the highest standards of purity and identity, thereby ensuring that what you get in the bottle are the exact ingredients listed on the product label
So, in conclusion… I am giving Peak Cardio Platinum a
4 out of 5 rating!
I believe that the ingredients in this supplement will not only help strengthen your cardiovascular system but also at the same time help keep your blood pressure on track. According to the Manufacturer you can take both Peak Cardio Platinum and Peak BP Platinum together as complimentary supplements!
If you would like to throw your 2 cents worth into this discussion, I would love to hear from you. Please leave me a comment below.
references:
¹Geleijnse JM, Vermeer C, Grobbee DE, et al. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study. J Nutr. Nov;134(11):3100-5.