Vitamins and Minerals and Heart Health

Heart health is important to everyone in modern society. Commercials on TV, ads in newspapers and magazines, and Internet sites are all touting the benefits of many treatment choices for heart disease. It could be a pill for lowering cholesterol or a cereal that claims to increase your heart health. One commercial shows a man eating a bowl of cereal before he has his cholesterol checked and another commercial for a different brand has a mother telling her daughter she is eating the cereal for good heart health.

Antioxidants have been promoted as preventing heart disease and stroke, and antioxidants come from several food sources. Examples of antioxidants are vitamin E and beta-carotene. Clinical studies show there is a direct connection between the dietary intake of vitamin E and lower rates of heart disease. Antioxidants block the oxidative change of LDL and slow the process of atherosclerosis.

Folic acid and other B vitamins are linked to prevention of birth defects and are important to heart health. They work by getting rid of homocysteine, an amino acid that attacks blood vessel walls. High levels of homocysteine in the blood pose a risk of cardiovascular disease independent of other risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and high cholesterol. Levels can be kept low by increasing folic acid intake. You can do this by eating more fruits and vegetables and taking vitamin supplements.

Homocysteine is also linked to narrowing of the carotid artery. This major artery takes blood to the head and neck. If the carotid artery is not in good condition it could suggest coronary or cerebrovascular disease. This amino acid is linked to folic acid and is recognized as an indicator of folic acid intake. If the level of this amino acid is high it points out the person needs extra B12.

One recent study shows that people with high levels of homocysteine are two times as likely to suffer from clogged arteries. A study shows that 25 percent of middle age men do not have enough B6, and over 50 percent of them showed shortages in B12 and folic acid. In a survey of elderly patients the study found 30 percent of the group had high homocysteine levels. These people who had high levels of homocysteine were also found to have cerebrovascular and peripheral artery disease. Homocysteine may be an even bigger danger than cholesterol in developing heart disease.

Shortages in B6, B12, and folic acid are now known to be more common than previously thought. This signals that supplements are needed to ensure we have a healthy cardiovascular system. A clinical study proved that vitamin supplements would drop the homocysteine, and methylmalonic acid.

Unlike cholesterol, the amino acid homocysteine is not found in foods. It is impossible for dieticians to recommend a low-homocysteine diet. Folic acid, which is good for lowering these levels are found in dark green leafy vegetables and organ meats.

Taking vitamin supplements will not hurt you and in the long run may allow you to have a healthier heart.