by Kiki Powers MS

Created on: March 10, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

Nutrients and a Healthy Heart

Heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S., with one in four Americans suffering from some form of the disease. The good news is that while cardiovascular disease may be responsible for more American deaths than any other disease, it is also one of the most preventable of all life threatening illnesses. Current research confirms that we can greatly minimize our risk of cardiovascular disease through healthy lifestyle changes, which include nutritional supplementation.

How can vitamins and minerals reduce your risk of heart disease?
Key vitamins and minerals play a number of different roles in reducing our risk of heart disease. Some of the most effective cardio-protective nutrients are as follows:

Vitamin E is one of the better researched nutrients for protecting the heart and helping to prevent cardiovascular disease in a variety of ways. These include neutralizing free radicals, improving the ratio of HDL ("good") cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol, lowering triglyceride levels and reducing the accumulation of fatty arterial plaques (Arch Intern Med 1999;159(12):1313-20), (Amer Fam Phys 1999; 60 (3):895-904).

Folic acid, along with vitamins B-6 and B-12, is one of the most important of all nutrients for heart health for its role in reducing homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid formed during the metabolism of methionine. Elevated levels of homocysteine have many negative cardiovascular effects (Prog Cardiovasc Nurs 2002 Winter;17(1):35-41). Fortunately, folic acid reduces homocysteine levels naturally, especially when supported by ample amounts of vitamins B-6 and B-12 (Journal of the American Medical Association 2002 Aug 28;288(8):973-9).

Niacin, another vital nutrient for heart health, has been shown to favorably promote regression of coronary artery disease and decrease heart attacks, strokes and total mortality. Niacin also appears to increase HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol. Additionally, this important nutrient has been used safely and effectively in patients with type II diabetes, who often have low HDL levels (Curr Atheroscler Rep 2001 Jan;3(1):74-82).

Magnesium, according to a study in the International Journal of Epidemiology (1999 Aug;28(4):645-51), appears to play an important role in preventing heart disease. The study found that magnesium concentrations in the blood were inversely associated with mortality, from not only heart disease, but all-cause mortality. Magnesium appears to lower total

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