How to Reduce Plaque Naturally

Your arteries are the major blood vessels that your heart uses to pump blood throughout the rest of your body. Unfortunately, your arteries can narrow or thicken due to an accumulation of plaque, or fatty deposits, along the walls of these blood vessels. This accrual of plaque can eventually harden and restrict blood flow which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. You can reduce your plaque naturally by changing your lifestyle patterns and incorporating natural foods and supplements to help your body get rid of plaque.

Things You'll Need

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Niacin

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Instructions

• 1

  Look at your lifestyle habits and change them.

  Your lifestyle can have a heavy impact on plaque buildup in your arteries. Start exercising routinely if you are sedentary. This can help improve blood flow. Stop smoking and eating foods heavy in salts and bad fats such as trans-fats since foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol can cause an increase in plaque. Add nutrient dense foods that are high in fiber and low in sodium to your diet. Healthy foods that are low in salt and saturated fats can help you reduce and avoid plaque build-up.

• 2

  Increase your intake of whole grains and take out the refined, processed grains. Capital College states that people who consume whole grains regularly can slow arterial plaque build-up, lower triglycerides and help the health of carotid arteries due to the phytochemicals and antioxidants within these foods.

• 3

  Supplement your nutrition by consuming omega-3 fatty acids. Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, and eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, are omega-3 fatty acids that come from cold water fatty fish and vegetarian sources such as seaweed. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that these essential fatty acids help lower triglycerides and blood pressure, reduce the risk of blood clots, improve your arterial health and reduce the amount of arterial plaque naturally.

• 4

  Take a niacin supplement daily as part of your daily health routine. Niacin is a B-vitamin which is shown to raise your high-density lipoprotein levels, or good cholesterol. Harvard Medical School states that niacin can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, since niacin raises HDL cholesterol which removes lower-density lipoproteins, or bad cholesterol, and arterial plaque.