The key nutrients needed to prevent heart attacks, strokes and heart failure

(NaturalHealth365) Statistics on heart disease – the number one killer in the nation – are truly disturbing, with the U.S. CDC reporting that the condition claims the lives of roughly 610,000 Americans every year.  In addition, a shocking 5.1 million people in the United States are affected by heart failure.

With the odds of surviving past the five-year mark currently standing at 50 percent, it’s clear that more effective prevention and treatment options are needed.

As you know, Western medicine attempts to treat heart disease with medications, including beta blockers, statin drugs and diuretics.  But natural health experts point out that these drugs feature unwanted side effects – and fail to address the root cause of heart disease.  Fortunately, according to researcher and physician Matthias Rath, M.D., there is a better way.

The proper use of micronutrients through Cellular Medicine, says Dr. Rath, can help eliminate heart disease as we know it.

Prevent heart attacks by understanding the danger of micronutrient deficiencies

According to Dr. Rath, the founder of the Dr. Rath Research Institute, heart disease is actually an early form of scurvy, a severe vitamin C deficiency.

Unlike animals, humans lack the ability to synthesize vitamin C in the body, opening the door to deficiencies that can have life-threatening consequences – such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke and more.

Deficiencies occur due to the lack of vitamin- and mineral-rich fruits and vegetables in the standard American diet, along with modern farming, storage and food preparation techniques. These factors all conspire to strip the body of micronutrients, especially vitamin C – and contribute to the current scourge of heart disease.

Long-term vitamin C shortages can cause cracks and fissures in fragile arterial walls. In an effort at repair, the body deposits lipoproteins in artery walls, leading to the accumulation of artery-clogging plaque and, ultimately, atherosclerosis – a leading cause of coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke and dementia.

In addition, long-term, chronic micronutrient deficiency weakens the pumping function of the heart and impairs circulation, making it difficult for the kidneys to filter the blood and remove excess water from the body. This leads to edema (or swelling), and can ultimately cause heart failure, in which the heart is not able to pump enough oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.

And, just to be clear, the symptoms of heart failure include: shortness of breath, edema, dizziness, wheezing and fatigue.

Alert: Micronutrient supplementation yields dramatic results in clinical study

Dr. Rath reports a pilot clinical trial in which heart failure patients followed a micronutrient supplementation regime for six months – while continuing to take their usual medications. At the beginning of the study, 70 percent of the patients had “extensive” impairment of daily activities, with 30 percent reporting “moderate” limitations.

Dr. Rath noted that the participants experienced increased cardiac pumping action, decreased shortness of breath and improved quality of life.

An impressive 80 percent of the participants reported improvements of at least one grade, as measured by the New York Heart Association Scale.

Irregular heartbeat disappeared in 80 percent of the volunteers, and severe fatigue disappeared in 90 percent.  Perhaps most encouragingly – 50 percent of the patients reported they could resume “normal lives” again.

In an additional study, participants augmented their regular medications with Dr. Rath’s Cellular Recommendations regimen for two months.

Their ejection fraction (a measurement of the amount of blood the heart pumps into circulation with every beat) increased by an average 20 percent – a remarkable improvement.

Cellular Recommendations offer heart-protective nutrients

Dr. Rath maintains that conventional heart medications rob the body of essential vitamins and minerals – such as magnesium, B-complex vitamins and CoQ10 – that are needed for regular heart contractions and healthy heart function.

But the Cellular Recommendations – which involve specific amounts of assorted minerals, vitamins and amino acids – can address the deficiencies that cause heart problems, while providing life-sustaining bioenergy to nourish heart muscle cells.

The formula advised by Dr. Rath includes numerous natural “superstars” that have shown their value in protecting against heart disease.

In addition to vitamin C, the Recommendations include vitamin E – which provides antioxidant protection and helps to preserve cell membranes – and B-complex vitamins, which supply bioenergy and improve heart function and physical endurance.

CoQ10, a vitamin-like nutrient, works to improve heart muscle function, while the amino acids carnitine and taurine protect mitochondria, the “power centers” of the cells.

Additional studies: Micronutrient supplementation improves heart conditions and prolongs survival

Extensive scientific research supports the ability of micronutrients to protect against life-threatening heart disease.

In a study published in the prestigious American Heart Journal in 2011, researchers examined the association between vitamin C levels and heart failure in over 21,000 adults between the ages of 39 and 79.

The team found that higher vitamin C levels significantly reduced the risk of heart failure – with people with the lowest levels of vitamin C displaying the highest risk of developing the condition.

In a clinical study published in the American Journal of Medicine, supplementation with vitamin B-1, or thiamine, increased the left ventricular ejection fraction by 22 percent in patients with heart failure. The participants, who continued to take their conventional medications, also experienced decreased edema.

And, clinical studies at the University of Texas have demonstrated that a combination of CoQ10 and carnitine, taken along with regular prescribed medication, dramatically improved survival rates in patients with heart failure.

75 percent reached a three-year survival rate, as opposed to a mere 25 percent of the patients in the control group, who took only their conventional medications.

Not only are these findings impressive by anyone’s standards, but they measure the most important benefit of all – extending life!

Of course, consult with an integrative physician before adding any supplements to your daily health routine – and don’t stop any prescribed medications unless advised to do so by your doctor.

Clearly, the Cellular Recommendations, as advised by Dr. Rath Research Foundation, offer intriguing potential as a safe, natural means of protecting against deadly heart conditions.  Your integrative doctor can help you decide if the Cellular Recommendations are right for you.

Sources for this article include:

DrRathResearch.org
DrRathFoundation.org
NIH.gov