Boosting Cardiac Output: Resolving Anemia and Chronic Inflammation's Impact

Anemia, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation can adversely affect cardiac output.

Note: This story reflects my decades of research and personal experiences related to anemia. This post does not include health advice. It is only for information and awareness purposes.

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The purpose of this story is to highlight the importance of cardiac output and how other health conditions might impact it. My focus is on anemia, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation affecting this condition adversely. As I experienced these conditions in my younger years and solved them with healthy lifestyle choices and professional support, I mention some of my approaches and share my literature review on these topics to make this a valuable and practical piece.

Cardiovascular diseases are widespread. Globally, around 18 million die from cardiovascular diseases. One person dies every 36 seconds in the US from cardiovascular diseases, according to CDC. Around 659,000 people in the US die from heart disease each year.

In a recent story, I wrote an article summarizing my anemic situation in my younger years, which also affected my cardiovascular health and concerned my cardiologist about my cardiac output.

Anemia is a health condition characterized by a deficiency in red blood cells and low hemoglobin caused by various factors. In my case, the culprit was nutritional deficiencies exacerbated by other chronic conditions causing low hemoglobin levels. My red blood cell counts were lower than the normal range.

During that time, I also struggled with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune conditions.

I was unaware of the underlying anemia that was contributing to symptoms of chronic fatigue, heart weakness, and brain fog. All systems and organs, including the heart, brain, lungs, liver, and blood, are connected.

Then, my caring cardiologist warned me about the effects of anemia and chronic inflammation on my cardiac output. His supportive consultation and timely treatment taught me the importance of this critical term for my heart health, which I’d like to unfold in this story briefly.

The cardiologist, hematologist, gastroenterologist, rheumatologist, and endocrinologist, with the coordination of a general medicine specialist, worked together to improve hemoglobin levels and increase the number of red blood cells.

This process enhanced oxygen delivery to the tissues, heart, and other organs, significantly improving my overall health and well-being.

This improvement reduced the workload on my heart by enhancing its capacity to pump blood more effectively and improving the function of the heart muscles. This solution was an excellent preventative measure for my cardiovascular health, which is now optimal.

This story is not about diagnosing or treating cardiac output issues. Instead, it is about creating awareness and lowering the risks with healthy lifestyle habits and support from qualified healthcare professionals.

What is cardiac output?

Cardiac Output (CO) refers to the amount of blood the heart pumps in one minute. It is calculated by multiplying the amount of blood pumped with heartbeats) and the heart rate.

CO is an essential metric for assessing heart function. An average cardiac output value can vary based on different factors such as age, body size, and overall health.

Cardiologists use standard ranges to diagnose and monitor heart and circulatory conditions and create treatment plans. They can use CO measurement to assess the heart’s ability to pump blood and monitor treatments' effectiveness.

If a patient experiences heart failure, a low cardiac output may indicate that the heart does not function properly. A high cardiac output may indicate that the patient’s heart is overactive. Therefore, the patient might need treatment or medication to improve heart function.

A low cardiac output (cardiac output syndrome) indicates that the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s demands.

A low cardiac output can lead to decreased oxygenation of tissues and organs, causing symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, and diminished exercise tolerance.

A high cardiac output might indicate an overactive heart. This condition happens when the heart beats too fast for too long. It leads to reduced efficiency of the heart muscles. Usually, anemia, fever, or thyrotoxicosis can cause a high cardiac output.

Known causes of cardiac output syndrome are heart disease, heart failure, heart valve problems, and arrhythmias. Usually, the underlying culprits, apart from genetics, are atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation.

Relationship between heart rate variability and cardiac output

Recently, I posted an article about heart rate variability (HRV). A subscriber who experienced cardiac output issues wanted to know whether HRV relates to cardiac output. I see a close relationship based on my experience and reviews.

HRV is the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats, reflecting the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic parts of the autonomic nervous system.

So, my point is alterations in HRV can indicate changes in cardiac output, as an increase in sympathetic activity can lead to an increase in heart rate and cardiac output, while an increase in parasympathetic activity can lead to a decrease in heart rate and cardiac output.

HRV can also reflect changes in cardiac function, such as an increase in contractility or changes in preload and afterload, as I explain in the next section via an analogy offered by a scientist.

Explanation of cardiac output with an anology

This paper uses the analogy of bike rides to explain cardiac output, covering key concepts such as heart rate, contractility, preload, and afterload.

The author resembles managing heart rate to riding a bike. I summarize the analogy to articulate the key components.

“For example, just like the faster a cyclist pedals, the faster a bike goes, the faster the heart beats, and the more blood is pumped. However, cardiac output may be affected if the heart beats too fast or too slowly.

Contractility refers to how strongly the heart muscle contracts. If the cyclist pedals harder, the bike goes faster. If the heart muscle contracts more strongly, the cardiac output increases. But then, the excessive effort can lead to fatigue and a drop in cardiac output.

Preload is how much the heart muscle is stretched before contracting. If the heart muscle is stretched more, it will contract stronger, increasing cardiac output. This is like a tailwind that allows cyclists to go faster without effort.

Afterload is the force the heart has to work against to pump blood. If the road is smooth or has a gentle downhill slope, the bike goes faster for the same amount of effort. If afterload is reduced, cardiac output increases significantly if contractility is impaired.”

Measurement of Cardiac Output

Heart rate and blood pressure monitoring devices can show changes in cardiac output in general. However, cardiologists use various invasive or non-invasive devices and methods to determine cardiac output.

Some commonly mentioned devices and methods in the literature for cardiac output determination are transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography, electrical bioimpedance, impedance cardiography, pulse contour analysis, and MRI/CT scans.

As documented in this paper,

“Accurate measurement of cardiac output (CO) is crucial in medical practice, especially for high-risk patients. CO monitoring, combined with fluid and inotropic support, can improve patient outcomes.

Various CO measuring devices exist, each with its own limitations. No single device can meet all clinical needs, so a combination of devices may be used.

These devices provide numerical information to guide treatment.”

Importance of Cardiac Out for Health and Wellbeing

Chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and sleep apnea can impact cardiac output and overall heart health. Awareness of chronic conditions is crucial.

Various tools and supplements are marketed to improve cardiac output. However, some claims are not supported by scientific evidence yet. Besides, some of them might cause side or adverse effects.

Therefore, confirming their use with qualified specialists like cardiologists before investing in and using those tools and supplements is essential.

Lifestyle Factors That Might Improve Cardiac Output

In this section, I highlight critical lifestyle factors that can improve cardiac output by allowing the heart to pump blood efficiently based on my experience, insights from a cardiologist, and a comprehensive literature review on the topic.

1 — Lowering oxidative stress and chronic inflammation

During my anemic period, I also had excessive oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which concerned my cardiologist.

I understood that oxidative stress could increase heart rate, which could adversely affect cardiac output. In addition, oxidative stress further increased my chronic inflammation, which was more critical for my heart health.

I also learned chronic inflammation could negatively impact cardiac output by weakening the heart muscles, reducing their capacity to contract, causing tissue damage, and leading to atherosclerosis (plaque in arteries).

Therefore, making the healthy lifestyle choices I covered in the next section significantly lowered my oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which solved my anemia and autoimmune conditions and prevented the manifestation of cardiovascular diseases.

2 — Personalized and regular exercise and solid sleep regimen.

I always knew the importance of exercise for health. However, I was doing it wrong by imitating the protocols of others.

For example, during the anemic situation with arthritis, I was trying to run long distances, which increased oxidative stress and joint inflammation and put more pressure on the heart.

I learned that the right workouts could increase heart strength by increasing cardiac output. This is because exercise increases the amount of blood pumped by the heart, leading to increased stroke volume.

With this awareness, I stopped long-distance running and replaced them with short, high-intensity training, calisthenics, and moderate weight lifting.

Exercise is excellent for lowering stress and inflammation in the long run. However, to make this process effective, we need to rest and recover timely. My other mistake was trying to overdo exercise before recovering, thinking of the “no pain, no gain” principle, my motto in those days.

This poor action significantly increased my cortisol levels, creating a high risk for my cardiovascular health. I was fortunate to receive its timely diagnosis from an endocrinologist who also taught me the importance of restorative sleep.

When I slowed down, recovered timely, meditated, worked in a flow state, and started getting restorative sleep, oxidative stress, elevated cortisol, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, and chronic inflammation significantly diminished, making my cardiologist, hematologist, endocrinologist, and family physician happier.

3 — Fixing nutritional deficiencies and creating alternative energy.

The biggest problem with diet was the deficiencies of essential micronutrients. Lack of essential nutrients increased oxidative stress, and inflammation caused other health conditions I mentioned previously.

Changing my diet from high-carb and solely plant-based to omnivorous and later to a keto-carnivore diet sustainably solved nutritional deficiencies, especially Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, zinc, carnitine, choline, and omega-3 fatty acids.

The second issue related to nutrition was metabolic inflexibility. My body depended heavily on glucose as I was on a high-carb diet. Refraining from healthy fats was in my blind spot, causing metabolic disorders. I didn’t know healthy fats could make my heart healthier indirectly.

Learning about the importance of healthy fats and removing fat phobia allowed me to have a more flexible metabolism using glucose and fat molecules as energy sources.

However, the most significant shift happened when I learned about the importance of ketosis and making the body fat-adapted. Ketosis sustainably solves the chronic inflammation issue and lowers chronic inflammation cardiovascular health risks.

I documented the effects of solving chronic inflammation by increasing β-hydroxybutyrate naturally. When my inflammatory blood markers like CRP significantly improved, I lost notable visceral fat and gained lean muscles. My caring cardiologists informed me about lowering cardiovascular risks substantially.

Summary and Takeaways

Cardiac Output (CO) refers to the amount of blood the heart pumps in one minute. It is calculated by multiplying the amount of blood pumped with heartbeats)and the heart rate. CO is an essential metric for assessing heart function.

It is possible to improve cardiac output via healthy lifestyle choices. Apart from personalized exercise, rest, restorative sleep, and quality nutrition, refraining from toxins and pathogens is also critical to improving heart health.

One of the low-hanging fruits is to stop smoking and refrain from drugs and excessive alcohol consumption.

I was fortunate to quit smoking and alcohol use at a young age due to their other side effects on me. I also did not use any drugs. However, our environment continually exposes us to toxins and pathogens.

Therefore, I paid particular attention to removing heavy metals from the gut via activated charcoal and initiating autophagy and mitophagy via fasting, thermogenesis, and joyful movements like hopping on a trampoline to remove the garbage from my cells, tissues, and organs.

Apart from improving my lifestyle habits, my cardiologist advised me to start with supplements CoQ10 and TMG (lowering homocysteine), and he endorsed using citrulline malate to increase my nitric oxide levels as a preventative measurement for my cardiovascular health.

By improving our heart health, we can also enhance brain health. Besides, our brain health can contribute to mental health by preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, I believe that metabolic and mental health are interrelated.

Even though healthy lifestyle factors can contribute to cardiovascular health, heart health is highly complex, and many other factors, such as genetics and environment, affect it.

Therefore, it is essential to get regular checks to gain awareness of cardiac output issues and improve the condition with support from qualified healthcare professionals.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.