Heart-rate variability (HRV) — the time differences between one heart beat and the next — can be a good predictor of overall health.
Lower HRV is associated with negative health outcomes, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, obesity, and psychiatric disorders.
If you want to remain healthy, you should focus on increasing your HRV over time. There are several ways to do this, including regular exercise, good sleep, and stress reduction.
Diet can also play an important role in elevating (or reducing) your HRV. Here are a few foods and specific nutrients to include in your diet to benefit HRV:
Omega-3s / Fish
Omega-3 consumption is associated with increased HRV. This has been observed for both eating fish as well as supplementing with fish oil. Additionally, the Mediterranean Diet — which has fish as a central component — is linked with improved HRV and cardiac function.
Multivitamin
Taking a daily multivitamin has been shown to improve memory and cognition, especially in people with cardiovascular disease. Taking a multivitamin-mineral with 300mg of guarana has also been shown to produce HRV benefits, as well as improving decision-making and regulating the autonomic nervous…
