Heart disease is a broad term used to describe a variety of conditions that affect your heart, including coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmias and heart infections. Phyllis Balch says in her book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" that the heart requires proper nutrition and poor nourishment has a profoundly negative effect on the heart. As such, a healthy diet is extremely important, and certain supplements can help to provide extra nutrients for optimal heart function in heart disease sufferers. Some supplements can interact negatively with medications, and be toxic in high doses, so it is important that you talk with your health care practitioner before taking any new supplement.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 can increase oxygen delivery to the heart and it has been shown to prevent recurrences in individuals who have had a heart attack, says Balch. Coenzyme Q10 also helps to boost the immune system, support the adrenal glands, reduce toxins in the body and perhaps most importantly, it enhances the metabolism of fats. This is important because when fats are properly metabolized the chances of them building up and clogging the arteries that direct blood to the heart, becomes reduced. Balch recommends taking 50 to 100 mg of Coenzyme Q10, three times daily.
Essential Fatty Acids
A mixed essential fatty acid, or EFA supplement that contains a blend of fish oil such as salmon oil, and black current seed, primrose or flaxseed oil, may also be beneficial. Balch says that EFAs can help to lower unhealthy triglyceride levels, reduce blood pressure and prevent hardening of the arteries. Take EFA's as directed on the bottle.
Calcium and Magnesium
Calcium and magnesium are two essential minerals and they work the best when they are taken together. They are considered vital for a healthy heart and are required for the cardiac muscle to function properly. David Rowland says in his book "The Nutritional Bypass" that calcium is helpful for a variety of functions in the body, however if you are deficient in magnesium, calcium can become dangerous and contribute to a build-up of plaque on your arterial walls. Magnesium is therefore essential to prevent this and it also helps to regulate the pulse and heart beat, says Rowland. For therapeutic purposes, Balch recommends taking divided doses of these two minerals and to consume a total intake of 1,500 to 2,000 mg of calcium daily and 750 to 1,000 mg of magnesium.
Amino Acids
Protein breaks down into amino acids in the body, and certain amino acids are considered beneficial for heart disease sufferers. Rowland says that l-cysteine hydrochloride helps to reduce free radicals that might otherwise contribute to heart damage and to breakdown and safely eliminate harmful substances such as lead from the arterial tissues. Dl-methionine performs the above mentioned functions, whilst also detoxifying the body and breaking down and eliminating harmful fats so that they do not build-up in the arteries and heart.
References
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing"; Phyllis Balch; 2003
- "The Nutritional Bypass"; David Rowland, PhD; 2006
