Heart Healthy Nutrients

Did you know that heart disease is the number one cause of death in America?

Dr. Decker Weiss is a health-oriented cardiologist in Arizona, and he says that more times than not, he can deal with heart conditions with nutrition better than any medical intervention.

He went on to say that his patients with congestive heart failure usually suffer with it because medical interventions themselves will often cause the heart to weaken.

When a cardiologist says that, I listen.

Whether you're dealing with cholesterol or atherosclerosis, I think it's a good idea to visit with your doctor about a nutritional protocol. I'd first ask about diet. While I'm very optimistic about adding healthy fats like olive oil, fish oil, and flax to the diet, I'm worried that heart patients may eat too many grainy carbs. If they could switch that to healthy carbs like vegetables and Phase 1 fruits, I think they could really make progress.

As for heart supplements, CoQ10 is a superstar. Early studies on CoQ10 showed that it could reduce symptoms of congestive heart failure. It may also be useful in managing high blood pressure and angina. People who take statin drugs for high cholesterol are at risk for depleting their bodies of CoQ10. This could be a disaster since part of what it does is help produce energy, and it does this especially well in the heart.

Cholesterol control can be supported with things like red yeast rice and artichoke extract. Certain spices are also really nice choices. Cayenne pepper, turmeric, rosemary, and ginger root all have impressive heart-healthy properties. So does hawthorn berry. Hawthorn is an all around heart tonic. It appears that this herb may lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels by naturally inhibiting the ACE enzyme. This is something certain pharmaceutical drugs do, but hawthorn does it without the side effects. If you're dealing with narrowing of the arteries and plaque, this could be incredibly useful.

Another nutrient that can relax the arteries is the amino acid arginine. Taken in sufficient doses, arginine can be a really healthy way to keep the blood flowing and the arteries strong. So stay optimistic. You have a lot of good choices that can keep your heart strong.

Would you like more information about heart nutrients? Give me a call or visit the Cholesterol Control, CoQ10 or Heart Life pages.

I'm Guy Evans, and now you know!