Zinc & Angina

Angina pectoris, or simply angina, is a term used to describe the chest pain that results from obstruction of your coronary arteries. Angina is a manifestation of coronary heart disease, or CHD, and it is a warning sign of an impending heart attack. CHD is a chronic condition that evolves over several years, and many risk factors increase your risk for a heart attack. Nutrition -- including consumption of zinc and other minerals -- plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of CHD.

Atherosclerosis

CHD is the end result of a process called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The hallmark of atherosclerosis is a thickening in your arterial wall called a plaque. Plaques are caused by the accumulation of oxidized cholesterol within specialized white cells residing beneath the inner lining of the blood vessel. Once a plaque begins to form, it triggers a localized inflammatory response, which perpetuates its own growth. Antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory elements in your diet, such as zinc, can slow or even reverse this process to some degree.

Zinc Function

Zinc is an essential trace element that serves a wide array of functions in your cells and tissues. Zinc acts as a cofactor for many enzymes, including several dehydrogenases that are involved in energy metabolism and detoxification processes. Zinc participates in the formation of bone, tooth and connective tissue, and it is needed for the production of DNA and RNA. As part of the superoxide dismutase enzyme complex, zinc performs important antioxidant functions in your body.

Zinc Benefits

Zinc's role in preventing or ameliorating atherosclerosis may stem from several actions, according to a study published in the 2006 issue of "Medical Hypotheses." Zinc prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which is the pivotal event in plaque formation. Zinc also reduces the accumulation of calcium in atherosclerotic plaques, thereby helping to maintain arterial flexibility. And high-dose zinc -- 300 mg per day -- prevents the release of inflammatory cytokines from immune cells, inhibits the activity of substances that cause cells to adhere to one another and may even help to remove oxidized LDL from existing plaques.

Considerations

Zinc may play a role in ameliorating atherosclerosis and helping to prevent coronary heart disease. Its ability to actually remove oxidized LDL from established plaques has been demonstrated in some clinical studies. For example, a 2006 literature review conducted by George Eby Research in Austin, Texas, involving 16 coronary heart disease patients and published in "Medical Hypotheses" reported that zinc in daily doses of 300 mg can abort angina symptoms and possibly reverse atherosclerosis. However, zinc has not been proven to prevent or cure CHD.

Recommendation and Precaution

Recommended dietary allowances for zinc vary from 2 mg for infants to 13 mg for young pregnant women. Higher doses -- 50 to 60 mg daily -- are commonly used as nutritional supplements. Since zinc interferes with copper absorption, Elson M. Haas, M.D., author of "Staying Healthy with Nutrition" recommends taking additional copper when you increase your zinc intake; a zinc-to-copper ratio of 15-to-1 is ideal. Ask your doctor if zinc supplementation is appropriate for you.