If you've been told by your doctor that you have buildup of atherosclerotic plaques---cholesterol and other fatty material---in your arteries, you may be looking for a way to clean them out. While there are ways to do this over time, there are no shortcuts, and citric acid won't help.
Citric Acid
Citric acid is an acidic substance common to citrus fruits---and often confused with vitamin C, which is something else entirely---but also critical to the process of human metabolism and energy production. Citric acid has the chemical formula C6H8O7, and has three separate groups called carboxylic acids. Each of these consists of a carbon atom with a double bond to an oxygen atom, a single bond to another oxygen, and a single bond to a carbon. They give citric acid its acidity.
Use of Citric Acid
When you burn nutrient molecules---carbohydrates, fats or protein---for energy, you convert them into molecules called acetyl-CoA. These you chemically combine with another molecule called oxaloacetate, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." The resulting molecule is citrate, which is essentially interchangeable with citric acid in the human body. You then continue to process citric acid, generating energy and eventually regenerating oxaloacetate.
Cleaning Your Arteries
Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, takes place when fatty substances including cholesterol deposit and build up on the inside surfaces of your arteries. This narrows the arteries, restricting blood flow, explains the American Heart Association. While it's important to clean your arteries out, unfortunately, there's no scientific evidence that citric acid can do the job. In fact, citric acid has no way to get out of cells---or out of the digestive tract---into the bloodstream.
Effective Strategies
If you're interested in cleaning out your arteries, your best bet is to engage in activities that promote good cardiovascular health, as these will help reverse atherosclerosis over time. If you smoke, you should quit, and if you don't exercise, you should start. Eating a diet low in saturated and trans fat helps to reduce the amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream, and prevents further plaque development. If you're overweight, losing weight can also help.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D., and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
- American Heart Association: Atherosclerosis
Member Comments