Heart Health: More Good News For Heart Health

Happy Christmas!

When we need a graphic symbol of romantic love, we use the geometric shape we call the 'heart shape' - a sort of international symbol that expresses how we feel towards a husband or a wife, a boyfriend or a girlfriend, whomever it is that makes your heart beat a little faster.

Okay, we're starting today on a slightly corny note, but hey it is Christmas, so please bear with me.

But what about your heart - not the shape, but that visceral motor beating in your chest? What is it that makes your heart beat stronger?

Easy answer: vitamins B and E.

Hearts of Italy
I admit this is not news that will stop the presses. A number of important studies have concluded that B vitamins (folic acid, B6 and B12) and vitamin E neutralise oxidative damage that contributes to heart disease.

But two recent studies, published just days apart, have provided striking new evidence of the ways that the cardiovascular system is protected by vitamin B supplements and dietary sources of vitamin E.

I'll begin in Italy where a team of researchers at the A Cardarelli Hospital in Naples 'borrowed' subjects from a large 4-year study designed to investigate the causes of chronic diseases in women.

The A Cardarelli team enlisted a group of 307 women between the ages of 30 and 69 to find out how middle-aged women (their words, not mine) would respond to antioxidant vitamins in relation to carotid atherosclerosis - the formation of plaque in the two main arteries on either side of the neck, and a marker that suggests artery disease may be present elsewhere in the body.

The test began with a high-resolution ultrasound of each woman to detect early signs of plaque build up in the carotid arteries. Clinical interviewers then used an exhaustive questionnaire to determine each subject's dietary habits, as well as medical history, drug use and personal habits, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.

None of the women took vitamin supplements, which was one of the criteria to qualify for the study. After the questionnaire was completed, blood samples were taken from each subject over a 6-month period to measure their levels of the antioxidant vitamins E and A.

Of course, I've already tipped my hand about the results, so it will be no surprise that the researchers observed that women who had higher levels of vitamin E in their diets were far less likely to show early signs of carotid atherosclerosis.

In addition, women who had low levels of dietary vitamin E were determined to be at high risk of developing plaque in their arteries. Vitamin A, however, did not appear to play a part in preventing plaque build up.

The report notes that the dietary sources of vitamin E came from fresh vegetables, legumes and a high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids from olive oil. A more specific list of the primary food sources of vitamin E, include: dark green leafy vegetables, avocados, whole grains, nuts, dried beans, vegetable oils, seafood, eggs, and organ meats such as liver and kidney.

Hearts of Switzerland
And of course no e-Alert that discusses heart health would be complete without at least a passing reference to homocysteine. In several cardiovascular studies, folate has been shown to lower homocysteine, an amino acid that causes oxidative damage to the inner lining of the arteries. Now a new study from the University Hospital in Bern, Switzerland, can be added to that list.

The Bern team designed its study specifically to test the effects of B vitamin supplements on 553 patients who had undergone a coronary angioplasty. Half of the group received a supplement of folic acid, vitamin B6 and B12, while the other half received a placebo.

Following up on the patients for a full year, the researchers found that the B supplement not only slowed the development of plaque build up in the arteries, but actually prevented it from occurring. Their conclusion: B vitamin and folate supplements may significantly lower homocysteine levels.

As I say, the conclusions from these new studies are not really 'news.' Nevertheless, they provide a reliable course of action for anyone who's had an angioplasty, for anyone who has high homocysteine levels, and for anyone who simply wants give their heart two of the things it clearly loves: B & E. ur boss!