Health-Diets.NET

From The Nutritional Health Bible by Linda Lazarides (1997). This free database is provided for interest only. Linda's later writings refer to more up-to-date research.

• Consumption of "trans" fatty acids
• Deficiencies of magnesium, selenium, chromium, antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin B6 or essential fatty acids
• High homocysteine levels
• Poor fibre intake
• Poor fruit and vegetable intake
• Poor HDL/LDL ratio in blood
• Smoking
• Use of contraceptive pill.

A review of the literature concludes that heart disease patients suffer significantly from magnesium deficiency. Rasmussen HS et al: Magnesium og kardiovaskulaer sygdom. I og II. Ugeskr Laeger 150(8):477-480, 1988.

Many patients with variant angina have magnesium deficiency, according to the measurements of 24-hour retention rates in patients compared with controls. Goto K et al: Magnesium deficiency detected by intravenous loading test in variant angina pectoris. Am J Cardiol 65(11):704(4), 1990.

The magnesium content of local drinking water was assessed for men who had died from heart disease and control cases in southern Sweden. Compared with the areas with the lowest levels of magnesium in drinking water, those with the highest levels had only 65% of the risk of death from heart attack. Rubenowitz E et al: Magnesium in drinking water and death from acute myocardial infarctioin. Am J Epidemiol 143(5):456-62, 1996.

Low selenium status is associated with a significantly higher risk of heart disease. Salonen et al: Association between cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction and serum selenium in a matched-pair longitudinal study. Lancet July 24:175-179, 1982.

A review of the literature shows that chromium is implicated in most of the known factors of heart disease risk. Chromium deficiency causes high circulating insulin levels. Since chromium levels have been found to be very much lower in patients with coronary heart disease than in normals, chromium deficiency may be a causative factor in heart disease. Simonoff M: Chromium deficiency and cardiovascular risk. Cardiovasc Res 18(10):591-6, 1984.

Low chromium levels in the aorta are found to correlate with coronary heart disease. Newman HAI et al: Serum chromium and angiographically determined coronary artery disease. Clinical Chemistry 24:541-4, 1978.

Insufficient dietary chromium is associated with adult-onset diabetes and coronary heart disease. Chromium deficiency is very common. Well-controlled studies on dietary supplementation with chromium have demonstrated beneficial effects on glucose tolerance, blood fats and insulin binding. Anderson RA: Essentiality of chromium in humans. Sci Total Environ 86(1-2)75-81, 1989.

In a study comparing selenium status in 84 heart attack patients and 84 controls, the patients had significantly lower levels. Kok FJ et al: Decreased selenium levels in acute myocardial infarction. JAMA 261(8):1161-4, 1989.

Several studies have found a favourable change in plasma lipids in those consuming higher amounts of oily fish, or fish oil supplements. Das G: Fish oil in heart disease. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 27(12):569-77, 1989.

A high intake of trans fatty acids from foods made with partially hydrogenated fats may increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Willett WC et al: Intake of trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among women. Lancet 341(8845)581-5, 1993.

Compared with individuals on a low dietary intake of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from seafood, those consuming at least one meal of oily fish per week have a 50% reduced risk of heart attack. Siscovick DS et al: Dietary intake and cell membrane levels of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the risk of primary cardiac arrest. JAMA 274(17):1363-7, 1995.

Test subjects with atherosclerosis (arteries narrowed by cholesterol deposits) had significantly lower levels of selenium than controls. The investigators postulate that risk of atherosclerosis is increased with low selenium levels, particularly if polyunsaturated fat intake is high. Kok FJ et al: Do antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids have a combined association with coronary atherosclerosis? Atherosclerosis 86(1):85-90, 1991.

After studying homocysteine (a risk factor for heart disease) and nutrient levels in a group of 1160 elderly survivors from the Framingham Heart Study, the researchers concluded that high homocysteine levels in the elderly can be attributed to vitamin deficiency in a substantial majority of cases. Selhub J et al: Vitamin status and intake as primary determinants of homocysteinemia in an elderly population. JAMA 270(22):2693-8, 1993.

Plasma concentrations of vitamins C and E and carotene were measured in 6,000 men aged 35 to 54. A low level of all these nutrients, particularly vitamin E, was found to be associated with a higher risk of angina. Riemersma RA et al: Risk of angina pectoris and plasma concentrations of vitamins A, C and E and carotene. Lancet 337(8732):1-5, 1991.

The dietary intake of vitamin C in winter and summer was measured in 96 individuals aged 65 to 74 years. The average intake varied from 65 mg per day in winter to 90 mg per day in summer. It was found that an increase in dietary vitamin C of 60 mg daily (about one orange) was associated with a decrease in the potential for blood clotting which represented a 10 per cent lesser risk of heart disease. Khaw KT et al: Interrelation of vitamin C, infection, haemostatic factors, and cardiovascular disease. BMJ 310(6994):1559-63, 1995.

The serum of 5,056 Canadian men and women aged 35 to 79 years with no history of coronary heart disease (CHD) were analysed for folate levels over a 15-year period, during which 165 of these individuals died from CHD. It was found that those who died had on average signficantly lower serum folate levels than others. Morrison HI et al: Serum folate and risk of fatal coronary heart disease. JAMA 275(24):1893-6, 1996.

In view of the increasing use of drug therapy in heart disease, the commonly accepted dietary principles of reducing saturated fat and increasing exercise are now thought inadequate. An increased consumption of leafy green vegetables, nut, seeds and pulses is advocated to take into account the beneficial effects of soluble fibre, vegetable protein, antioxidants, isoflavonoids, extra amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, and monounsaturated fats against factors which promote the development of heart disease. Jenkins DJ: Optimal diet for reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis. Can J Cardiol 11 Suppl G:118G-122G, 1995.

Oestrogen promotes the shift of magnesium into bone and soft tissue. In individuals with a magnesium deficiency, high levels of oestrogen as found in the contraceptive pill may, as a result, encourage a calcium/magnesium imbalance which can lead to an increased risk of blood clotting and embolism. Seelig MS: Increased need for magnesium with the use of combined oestrogen and calcium for osteoporosis treatment. Magnes Res 3(3):197-215, 1990.

Selenium supplementation seems to exert an anti-atherogenic effect on blood lipids. Tarp U et al: Effects of selenium supplementation on serum lipids. 2nd meeting of the Int Soc for Trace Elem Res in Humans, 1989

Higher intakes of chromium, copper and selenium have beneficial effects on risk factors associated with heart disease. Chromium supplementation has been reported to increase HDL cholesterol and to decrease triglycerides and total cholesterol. Individuals with the highest total cholesterol and triglycerides usually respond best. Anderson RA et al: Trace elements and cardiovascular disease. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol (Copenhagen) 59 Suppl 7:317-24, 1986

A meta-analysis of 27 studies relating homocysteine to atherosclerosis and 11 studies of folic acid effects on homocysteine levels concluded that by reducing homocysteine levels, a higher folic acid intake could significantly protect against heart disease. Boushey CJ et al: A quantitative assessment of plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for vascular disease. Probable benefits of increasing folic acid intakes. JAMA 274(13):1049-57, 1995.

In a study on 100 men with hyperhomocysteinaemia, treated with folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 or a combination of the vitamins, it was found that folic acid was the most effective in reducing homocysteine levels and that the combination treatment was not more effective than folic acid alone. Ubbink JB et al: Vitamin requirements for the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in humans. J Nutr Oct 124(10):1927-33, 1994.

Supplementation with folic acid reduces both high and normal plasma homocysteine levels, especially if combined with vitamin B12. Brattstrom L: Vitamins as homocysteine-lowering agents. J Nutr 126(4 Suppl):1276S-80S, 1996.

Compared with a control group, 1035 patients with coronary heart disease given 400 or 800 iu vitamin E daily for one year experienced only half the number of heart attacks. Stevens NG et al: Randomised controlled trial of vitamin E in patients with coronary disease: Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS). Lancet 347:781-6, 1996.

In a study on 44 men with angina, 22.7% of the patients became free of exercise-induced angina after taking supplements of the amino acid L-carnitine for four weeks, compared with only 9.1% on placebo. Cherchi A et al: Effects of L-carnitine on exercise tolerance in chronic stable angina: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled crossover study. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 23(10):569-72, 1985.