Nutrients for Preventing Coronary Artery Disease:
The results from a study published in the Journal of Nutrition suggest that certain nutrients when taken together may help to prevent coronary heart disease. Specifically, they studies a combination including:
- eicosapentaenoic acid
- docosahexaenoic acid
- oleic acid, folic acid,
- vitamins A, B-6, D, and E
From the Study:
“Certain nutrients have been shown to be effective in preventing coronary heart disease. We hypothesized that a daily intake of low amounts of a number of these nutrients would exert beneficial effects on risk factors and clinical variables in patients that suffered from myocardial infarction (MI) and were following a cardiac rehabilitation program.”
“The supplemented group consumed 500 mL/d of a fortified dairy product containing eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, oleic acid, folic acid, and vitamins A, B-6, D, and E.”
Results:
- lower total and LDL-cholesterol
- lower apolipoprotein B (levels of apolipoprotein b are associated with heart disease risk)
- lower C-reactive protein (marker of inflammation)
- no changes in heart rate or blood pressure
At the very least, this study showed that this supplement combination did lower LDL-cholesterol levels though parameters such as heart rate and blood pressure were unaffected.
“Plasma total and LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations decreased in the supplemented group (P<0.05), and plasma total homocysteine decreased in both groups. There were no changes in heart rate, blood pressure, or cardiac electrocardiographic parameters in either group.”
Reference:
- Carrero JJ, Fonollá J, Marti JL, Jiménez J, Boza JJ, López-Huertas E. Intake of fish oil, oleic acid, folic acid, and vitamins B-6 and E for 1 year decreases plasma C-reactive protein and reduces coronary heart disease risk factors in male patients in a cardiac rehabilitation program. J Nutr. 2007 Feb;137(2):384-90.
About Jarret Morrow, M.D.
[...] is one mechanism that promotes atherosclerosis. Consequently, it was once thought that taking antioxidant vitamins (Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Beta-carotene) might be a simple solution to decrease vascular oxidative [...]