Not Treating Heart Disease–Enhancing Heart Health

If you have heart disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or any other cardiovascular problem, here are some things that you can do to extend the length and quality of your life. We are not trying to treat heart disease here; we are just giving you ways to enhance the health of your heart and circulatory system. Discuss this with your doctor; he or she will probably be pleased.

#1: Deal with Inflammation

A lot of focus has been placed on cholesterol, mainly because there is a patentable treatment available for it. Inflammation is linked to arteriosclerosis and heart disease1. It is a more powerful cause than high cholesterol. Reducing inflammation can be done with diet. You need to eat a lot of brightly colored produce and avoid sugar, refined foods, chemical additives, hydrogenated oils and processed vegetable oils. Keep animal products to about 20% of your diet. Follow the Roadmap to Health; it will help to reduce inflammation. Studies even support taking a natural anti-inflammatory, like curcumin2.

#2: CoQ10 Has Many Cardiovascular Benefits

Taking CoQ10 can help lower blood pressure, slow down the hardening of the arteries, and it improves the health of the heart cells themselves3. It is a powerful antioxidant 3. If you are taking cholesterol lowering medication, it is vital that you take CoQ10 (300-400 mg/day). These drugs deplete CoQ10 and set the stage for future heart failure. CoQ10 has been extensively studied and can extend your life and improve your energy if you have heart failure4,5,6,7,8.

#3: Address Metabolic Syndrome for Heart Health

People with Metabolic Syndrome often have high triglycerides, low HDL (“good” cholesterol), elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, and excess fat around the waist. These findings are commonly linked to insulin insensitivity. It is common for doctors to give cholesterol medication, but the key to getting cholesterol under control is to treat insulin insensitivity. Click here to learn more. Try the following:

  • Avoid foods with a glycemic load greater than 10. Follow the Roadmap to Health—most of the food has a glycemic load lower than 10.
  • Take magnesium: Take 400 mg on an empty stomach, right before bedtime. Most cardiac patients need magnesium.
  • Take berberine: Taking 500 mg, 3x/day will help get blood sugar under control.
  • Read the Insulin Insensitivity article: There are many things you can do to help get insulin insensitivity under control. We’ve just listed a few here.

#4: Vitamin K2 Improves Arterial Health

Vitamin K2 supplementation can slow or even prevent arterial calcification—a key factor in high blood pressure and heart disease10,11,12. One study, involving 4807 subjects, showed that vitamin K2 reduces the not only the chance of developing heart disease or aortic calcification, it reduces overall mortality13.

#5: B Vitamins and Heart Health

Thaimin, which is depleted by diuretics and other cardiac medication, is necessary for cardiac function. In one study, the researchers stated, “The findings of this research were consistent with those of a previous study that reported that daily intake of thiamine could reverse the risk of hypertension, myocardial infarction or angina pectoris, type 2 diabetes, depression, and dyslipidemia 14” Vitamins B6, B12, and folate are necessary to keep homocysteine levels low. High homocysteine increases heart disease risk.

Check with your doctor, but following the above advice will improve cardiovascular health without interfering with any medical therapies he or she may have recommended.

Selected Resources:

  1. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 26;23(21):12906. The Role of Inflammation in Cardiovascular Disease
  2. 2022 Jan 20;11(3):342. Protective Effects of Curcumin in Cardiovascular Diseases—Impact on Oxidative Stress and Mitochondria
  3. Pharmacology & Therapeutics Volume 124, Issue 3, December 2009, Pages 259-268
  4. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 1985;11(8):581-93 Long-term coenzyme Q10 therapy: a major advance in the management of resistant myocardial failure
  5. Int J Tissue React. 1990;12(3):173-8 Coenzyme Q10 in dilated cardiomyopathy
  6. Drugs Exp Clin Res. 1985;11(8):577-9. Effective treatment with coenzyme Q10 of patients with chronic myocardial disease
  7. Ann Pharmacother. 2005 Sep;39(9):1522-6. The role of coenzyme Q10 in heart failure
  8. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1994 Mar 20;114(8):939-42. [Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone) in the treatment of heart failure. Are any positive effects documented?]
  9. J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):3100-5. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study
  10. Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life. 2013. Harper
  11. Nutr. Food Res. 201458, 1620-1635. The realm of vitamin K dependent proteins: shifting from coagulation toward calcification
  12. Open Heart. 2021 Nov 16;8(2):e001715. Vitamin K2—a neglected player in cardiovascular health: a narrative review
  13. J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):3100-5. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study
  14. Nutr., 30 August 2023 Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology Volume 10 – 2023 Association of vitamin B1 with cardiovascular diseases, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in US adults