Coronary heart disease is an abnormality in the arterial blood supply to the heart muscle. This causes a failure of the heart muscle to perform adequately. According to the American Heart Association, final statistics in 2006 show that coronary heart disease is the single leading cause of death in America and responsible for one out of every six deaths. Although you can make a significant difference in the health of your heart muscle through nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplementation is not a substitute for a balanced diet that limits excess calories, saturated fat, trans fat and dietary cholesterol. Before adding any vitamin or mineral supplementation to your daily regimen, consult with your primary care physician to ensure that it does not interfere with any current medication or underlying medical condition.
Vitamin B
Three of the B complex vitamins -- B6, B12 and folate -- play a role in converting homocysteine into an amino acid used to build proteins within the body, according to Harvard School of Public Health. Without an adequate amount of these vitamins, your body builds up homocysteine, which leads to atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In a study published in the September 2004 issue of "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition," researchers from Italy found that individuals who had the highest intake of folate and vitamin B6 had the lowest risk of acute myocardial infarction secondary to coronary heart disease.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is found naturally in some foods and added to others. You also can take it as a dietary supplement. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant that helps protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. It is a fat soluble vitamin that can help prevent or delay the chronic diseases associated with free radicals. Physicians at Mayo Clinic recommend using vitamin E to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease because it may help prevent the buildup of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the arteries in the heart.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is another antioxidant found naturally in citrus fruits and vegetables and can also be taken in supplemental form. This antioxidant is responsible for reducing the buildup of plaque in the arteries of the heart by preventing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from sticking together and forming plaques, according to MayoClinic.com. In a study published in 2004 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," researchers concluded that individuals who had high supplemental intakes of vitamin C had a reduced incidence of major coronary heart disease events.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace mineral required in only small amounts in the body. It is incorporated into proteins that are important in antioxidant enzymes. In a study published in a 1998 issue of "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health," researchers found that lower levels of selenium in their subjects may have played a role in the increased risk of coronary heart disease found in the population.
References
- American Heart Association: Heart Attack and Angina Statistics
- Harvard School of Public Health: Three of the B Vitamins: Folate, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12
- European Journal of Clinical Nutrition; "Folate and Vitamin B6 Intake and Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Italy"; A Tavani, C Pelucchi, M Parpinel et. al.; September 2004
- MayoClinic.com: Can Taking Vitamins Help Prevent Heart Disease or Heart Attack
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; "Antioxidant Vitamins and Coronary Heart Disease Risk"; Paul Knekt, John Ritz, Mark Pereira et al; 2004
- Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health; "Vitamins, Selenium, Iron and Coronary Heart Disease Risk and Indians, Malays and Chinese in Singapore"; K. Hughes, CN Ong; 1998
