Heart nutrition is the art and science of choosing healthy foods, supplements and lifestyle modifications that benefit the heart and the rest of the cardiovascular system, positively impacting cholesterol levels and overall health.
Heart disease has risen dramatically over the decades, and poor nutrition plays a major role (whereas the right substances play a substantial role in maintaining heart nutrition). When vital nutrients and compounds for cardiovascular health are missing, heart nutrition is not possible. Key substances include CoQ10 (coenzymeQ10), selenium, chromium, Vitamin D3 (natural Vitamin D), magnesium, Vitamin B6 and chromium. Statin drugs can actually increase deficiencies in these key substances, worsening heart health.
Magnesium relaxes muscles, including the easing of heart arrhythmia, and controls high blood pressure, along with reducing anxiety – and countless other benefits. The modern diet, combined with poorly farmed and mineral-depleted soils, means that as many as ninety five percent of us have inadequate levels of this vital mineral.
Silicon: It’s not just for computer chips! Over fifty years ago, it was determined that silicon plays an important role in heart nutrition. It helps hearts and blood vessels on account of its role in the elasticity and strength of the tissue in the cardiovascular system. In addition, it is a semiconductor; this means that it plays a role in transmitting messages from and through the nervous system – which almost certainly suggests it plays a role in regulating the electrical function of the heart.
And what about Vitamin D3? This multipurpose nutrient has gotten an incredible amount of positive press in the last couple of years. Modern science has confirmed that Vitamin D3 has cardioprotective (heart protecting) properties. A lack of D3 actually reduces the ability of heart muscles to contract, which results in a distorted heart structure, endothelial dysfunction and plaque formation. Additionally, low D3 levels are linked to high blood pressure, high triglycerides, diabestes and congestive heart failure.
Vitamin B6 was first found, fifty years ago, by Dr. Harry McCully, to play a role in heart disease. He found that homocysteine was elevated in people who had heart disease, due to a lack of Vitamin B6. Later, Dr. John Ellis noted that high dose Vitamin B6 therapy resulted in lower numbers of heart episodes, and longer life spans in those who had heart problems.
What about other vitamins, such as Vitamin C? A deficiency of Vitamin C can lead to a weakening of the arterial walls; Vitamin C triggers the repair of arterial walls, which halts the progression of lesions in the blood vessels. And nearly a century ago, Dr. Kenneth Turner of the Harvard Medical School, found that rabbits, when given potassium iodine, developed virtually no atherosclerosis or high cholesterol, even with an unhealthy diet.
Stay tuned for the next part in our series about heart nutrition, which will discuss heart-healthy foods!
