Heart Health

Angina – Heart Health Through Good Nutrition and Supplementation
By Sonja VanderDol

The arteries that supply blood to the heart are called the coronary arteries. If the blood vessels to the heart narrow, the amount of blood the heart receives may not be enough to provide the oxygen it needs. This lack of oxygen causes mild or severe pain to the chest area and is known as Angina Pectoris. Angina is often brought on by exertion or stress and can usually be alleviated by resting.

Angina can be a warning sign of impending heart attack. If the coronary arteries that carry oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle become obstructed, the flow of blood is cut off completely, and a heart attack will result. The most common causes of obstruction are atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries), and blood clots or thrombus in the presence of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Optimum nutrition and supplementation are the primary preventative measures for any of these conditions:

-Vitamin C together with lysine can help reverse atherosclerosis.
-Antioxidants help prevent damage to the walls of the blood vessels.
-Fish Oils rich in EPA and DHA thin the blood and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, whilst Vitamin B3 raises HDL (good) cholesterol. Good HDL cholesterol is needed to keep bad LDL cholesterol out of the arteries. (Not all cholesterol is bad!).
-Co-enzyme Q10 increases oxygenation of heart tissues and has been shown to prevent recurrences in individuals who have had a heart attack.
-Calcium and Magnesium are both very important to the proper functioning of the cardiac muscle.
-Chromium reduces blood fats and LDL, whilst raising HDL.
-Selenium is needed to make the antioxidant glutathione peroxidase and makes the blood less sticky.
-L-Carnitine reduces fat and triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood, increases oxygen uptake and stress tolerance.
-Lecithin granules act as a fat emulsifier.

Angina Dietary Suggestions and nutrition facts

Invest in a couple of good cookery books which specialise in healthy, low fat and high-fibre eating.

In the meantime, eat lots of raw and cooked vegetables, high fibre, liberal amounts of garlic and onion, as well as ginger, brown rice, wholegrains, and steamed fish (particularly the naturally oily varieties such as mackerel, salmon, trout, tuna, herring, pilchards and so on).

Eat a few fresh nuts every day, and one Brazil nut per day for the selenium. Other protein options are skinless chicken and turkey.

Keep your weight down. Obesity is a risk factor for heart attacks and high blood pressure.

Get regular, moderate exercise after consulting with your doctor.

Learn relaxation techniques if stress is an issue.

These suggestions will hopefully help improve your heart health so that you may have many more quality years to come.

This article was written by Sonja VanderDol, Nutritional Therapist and founder of http://www.health4youonline.com – where you can find many more articles like this. You can also sign up for the free newsletters.

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