Be Heart Smart
Be Heart Smart
Learn more about the nutrients that can help support your ticker.
| Be Heart Smart | ||
| Supplement | Supportive Action | Notes |
| Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) | Lowers high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and plaque buildup in blood; raises good cholesterol. | Garlic contains a natural inhibitor of the enzyme that increases blood pressure. |
| Coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) | Can help lower blood pressure. Improves the heart’s pumping ability in people with cardiovascular disease. Useful for angina and arrhythmia. | If you’re on cholesterol-lowering meds (statins), seriously consider taking this supplement, as your prescription inhibits your body’s natural production of CoQ10. Most of the body’s naturally circulating CoQ10 exists in the ubiquinol form, which is also available as a supplement. |
| Fish Oil | Anti-inflammatory, reduces risk of heart attacks and strokes, lowers triglycerides, raises HDL. | Fish oil supplements can interact with prescription meds such as blood pressure medication. Check with your healthcare practitioner before taking. |
| Magnesium | Helps maintain normal heart rhythms and may help lower cholesterol. One study of women suggested a link between higher intake of magnesium and reduced risk of sudden cardiac death. | People with a history of heart and kidney diseases should use this mineral under a doctor’s supervision. Magnesium supplements may increase the side effects of certain drugs, so consult your healthcare practitioner before taking. |
| Psyllium | Reduces cholesterol absorption in the intestines. | People with a high fiber intake have a significantly lower risk for cardiovascular disease. |
| Vitamin C | Fights against the free radicals that can lead to heart disease. | A deficiency of vitamin C also contributes to a deficiency in L-carnitine, a compound that helps the heart work more efficiently. |
| Vitamin D | Reduces risk of cardiovascular-related death. | A 10-year Harvard School of Public Health study showed that men with vitamin D deficiencies were more than twice as likely to suffer a heart attack than those with adequate levels of this nutrient. |
Download the complete Heart Smart Chart here
“aged Garlic extract lowers Blood pressure in patients with treated but uncontrolled Hypertension . . .” by K. ried et al., Maturitas, 10/10 n “aged Garlic extract Supplemented with B
vitamins, Folic acid, and l-arginine retards the progression of Subclinical atherosclerosis” by M. J. budoff et al., Prev Med, 8–9/09 n “membrane omega-3 Fatty acid Deficiency as
a preventable risk Factor for comorbid coronary Heart Disease . . .” by r. K. McNamara, Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol, 9/16/09 n “plasma and Dietary magnesium and risk of Sudden
cardiac Death in Women” by S. e. Chiuve et al., Am J Clin Nutr, 2/11 n Real Cause Real Cure by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, and bill Gottlieb ($31.95, rodale, 2011) n “relation of changes in
coronary artery calcium, Bone mineral Density measured computed tomography, and aged Garlic extract” by N. ahmadi et al., american Heart association/american Stroke association, Scientific Sessions, 11/11 n “role of coenzyme Q10 (coQ10) in cardiac Disease, Hypertension, and meniere-like Syndrome” by a. Kumar et al., Pharmacol Ther, 12/09 n “role of Dietary
magnesium in cardiovascular Disease prevention . . .” by S. bo and e. Pisu, Curr Opin Lipidol, 2/08 n The Sinatra Solution, Metabolic Cardiology by Stephen T. Sinatra, MD ($18.95, basic Health, 2011) n
Smart at Heart by Malissa Wood, MD, and Dimity McDowell ($14.99, Celestial arts, 2011) n “ubiquinol-induced Gene expression Signatures are translated into . . . reduced low Density lipoprotein
cholesterol levels in Humans” by C. Schmelzer et al., IUBMB Life, 1/11
About the Author
Lynn Tryba
Lynn Tryba is the former editor-in-chief at Taste for Life magazine. Over the past 20 years, her journalism has appeared in Psychology Today and Robb Report, among other national magazines.
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