Cardiovascular Health: Revitalizing Heart Muscle Cells

by Jason E. Barker, ND

The human heart beats an average of 72 times per minute, 24 hours per day for a total of 103,680 beats per day, 37,843,200 times per year. This 10-ounce “pump” starts beating only five weeks after conception, and never stops (ideally!) until the moment we die. The heart’s only opportunity to “rest” is between contractions, which last only fractions of a second when we are using the heart the most. When we are at rest, the heart moves our entire blood volume, a total of 4 to 5 liters, around the body in one minute. During exercise, the heart can move more than twice this volume of blood in the same amount of time.

It goes without saying that the human heart is an incredible organ. We know that a good diet, stress management and exercise are the major keys to keeping our hearts healthy. Medical science has long held the assumption that prevention was the key for heart health and once this organ is damaged—it is permanent and the cells can’t be revitalized.

However, newer evidence shows that cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) can be renewed and repaired. Researchers have discovered that adult myocardial tissue contains cardiac stem and progenitor cells that have the ability to increase the numbers of cardiomyocytes.¹ This pool of stem and progenitor cells plays a role in supporting the structure of the heart tissue and maintains cardiac cell homeostasis.

One group of investigators examined the percentage of cardiac myocytes, endothelial cells (the cells comprising the lining of the blood vessels) and fibroblasts (connective tissue cells that play a critical role in wound healing) in postmortem hearts. Their investigation revealed the lifespan of myocytes to be an average of 4.5 years, fibroblasts 5 years and endothelial cells 8 years, suggesting that the heart may revitalize its cells several times in a lifetime.²

Another study looked at the production of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the hearts of people with suboptimal cardiac health. PCNA is necessary for DNA synthesis and cellular proliferation. No PCNA was detected in control samples from healthy hearts, while it was found in left ventricular myocytes in 29 out of 32 hearts and in 24 of 29 right ventricular heart samples from hearts operating at less than optimal capacity, indicating that these hearts were going through renewal. Further, evidence of cellular division was detected in the sample tissues from the hearts operating suboptimally but not in the healthy hearts, only in areas adjacent to the compromised tissue, again indicating that renewal was taking place. Based on these findings, the investigators concluded that adult ventricular myocytes possess the ability to contribute to further cellular growth in states of suboptimal health.³

While every living cell in the human body can be considered to be “working,” this is especially true in the cells of the heart. All cellular processes require adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as their primary source of energy, and in no place other than the heart is there a greater simultaneous need for the production of a constant supply of ATP. The heart requires ATP for its membrane transport systems, plus its regular contractions and relaxation. Inadequacy of ATP is a main cause of suboptimal myocardial cellular health.⁴ The heart relies heavily on aerobic (oxygen required) production of ATP; levels of this vital energy molecule will fall dramatically if inadequate amounts of oxygen are available (as in the case of subpar blood flow to the heart or other inability to deliver oxygen to the cells of the heart) or if ATP use is not matched by ATP production.

Supporting a Healthy Heart

Specific supplements have been shown to support optimal health of cardiomyocytes. CoQ10-H2™, also known as ubiquinol, is the more bioavailable, reduced form of Coenzyme Q10. As we age, we produce less and less CoQ10. Healthy levels of CoQ10 are associated with optimal cardiovascular function.⁵ CoQ10-H2 plays many roles in supporting cardiovascular health⁶ and is a powerful antioxidant.

For optimal support of the health of the heart, CoQ10-H2 can be combined with krill oil. In addition, taurine, L-arginine, L-carnitine, hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha), forskolin and salvia (Salvia miltiorrhiza), all found in CardioCare, can offer additional support.

Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid that has several beneficial effects on the heart tissue. It supports clear healthy arteries, supports healthy blood pressure and modulates intracellular calcium concentration.^7-8 It also has been shown to support the heart and cardiomyocytes against arsenic exposure.⁹

The amino acid L-arginine is a nitric oxide precursor that is in turn responsible for vasodilation (blood-vessel widening). Supplementation can support balanced levels of systolic blood pressure and peripheral vascular health.¹⁰ L-Carnitine is another amino acid that benefits the myocardium as it plays a vital shuttling role in the mitochondrial oxidation of long chain fatty acids, whereby the mitochondria produce ATP.¹¹ Cardiomyocytes contain high amounts of L-carnitine.

The botanical extracts of hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) and salvia (Salvia miltiorrhiza) also have effects on cardiovascular health including improved exercise tolerance, supporting the heart during suboptimal cardiac function¹² and supporting healthy circulation.¹³ Salvia has been shown to protect heart cells from the effects of free radicals in animal and in vitro studies.^14-15 Hawthorn also has supported the health of cardiomyoctes in animal studies,¹⁶ and forskolin has beneficial effects on the heart and is protective of heart muscle cells.¹⁷

The importance of maintaining adequate ATP levels in the heart cannot be understated. D-Ribose, a five-carbon, pentose (carbohydrate) molecule, comprises a vital portion of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) molecule. It helps to revitalize cardiomyocyte ATP levels, bolstering the heart’s energy-producing substrate.¹⁸ D-Ribose can also improve suboptimal blood flow in people who are concerned about coronary artery health.¹⁹

Supporting adequate blood flow to the cardiomyocytes is a major step in ensuring heart health. Beyond the heart’s ability to revive itself, supporting heart health during times of suboptimal blood flow is imperative. Magnesium is an important mineral with diverse uses in human physiology and more specifically in cardiac health in that it supports myocardial metabolism in several ways.²⁰ Magnesium supports myocardial cell health and helps to retard the accumulation of excess calcium.²⁰ It also supports normal and healthy heart rhythms and healthy vascular tone and cardiac output while decreasing afterload and peripheral vascular resistance.²⁰

Additional cardioprotective effects of magnesium include the ability to support optimal blood flow to the heart.²¹ Low levels of magnesium are commonly seen in hospitalized elderly patients with coronary artery issues and or suboptimal heart function.²⁰

Vitamin B6 has long been hypothesized to assist with the uptake of magnesium into cells, especially red blood cells and heart muscle cells.²² Therefore, concurrent supplementation with vitamin B6, preferably in the form of pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P), and magnesium is recommended.

Conclusion

Traditionally, it has been thought that heart cells do not renew themselves and that damage to the cardiomyocytes was permanent after the heart was damaged. However, newer evidence shows that cardiomyocytes can indeed repair and renew themselves. Maintaining energy production through the use of targeted nutrients such as CoQ10-H2, taurine, L-arginine, L-carnitine, hawthorn, forskolin and salvia (as found in CardioCare) can assist the heart and its cells on the road to optimal health.

References

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16. Li P, Wang J, Lu S, Fu J, Liu J. [Protective effect of hawthorn leaf procyanidins on cardiomyocytes of neonatal rats subjected to simulated ischemia-reperfusion injury] [Article in Chinese]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2009 Jan;34(1):96-9.

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19. Pauly DF, Pepine CJ. D-Ribose as a supplement for cardiac energy metabolism. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Oct;5(4):249-58.

20. Shechter M. Magnesium and cardiovascular system. Magnes Res. 2010 Jun;23(2):60-72.

21. Faghihi M, Sukhodub A, Jovanovic S. Mg2+ protects adult beating cardiomyocytes against ischaemia. Int J Mol Med. 2008 Jan;21(1):69-73.

22. Abraham GE, Schwartz UD, Lubran MM. Effect of vitamin B-6 on plasma and red blood cell magnesium levels in premenopausal women. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 1981 Jul-Aug;11(4)333-6.