Give Your Heart “9 Lives” With These Cell-Saving Nutrients

by VRP Staff

It wasn’t so long ago that doctors believed your heart only had one chance at good health: Preventing a heart attack was your only hope—because once this principal organ was damaged, there was no known way to turn back the clock.

Luckily, however, that outdated opinion has changed—based on emerging evidence that tells a very different, and much more promising story. As it turns out, your heart muscles’ cells, called cardiomyocytes, can regenerate after an assault… all they need is the proper nutritional support to produce adequate levels of ATP—every second of every day for the rest of your life.^1-3

Ubiquinol, for example, is the reduced form of coenzyme Q10, which plays a number of roles in your heart’s health, furnishing your body with ATP, the essential bioenergetic ‘fuel’ for metabolism, plus providing antioxidant and cardiomyocyte protection.⁴ As you age, your body produces less and less of this essential molecule, deficiencies of which are strongly linked to heart disease.⁵ That’s why a high-quality ubiquinol supplement—such as Vitamin Research Products’ CoQ10-H2™—is such an important addition to your daily regimen.

The amino acids taurine, L-arginine, and L-carnitine also deliver crucial support for your heart tissue. Research shows that taurine protects against ischemic injury and toxicity of your heart muscle—while balancing blood pressure, modulating intracellular calcium concentrations and keeping your arteries flexible at the same time.^6-8 Similarly, L-arginine helps to dilate capillaries and widen your blood vessels, increasing blood flow throughout your entire vascular system.⁹ L-carnitine plays a key role in long chain fatty acid oxidation—the process whereby the mitochondria in your cardiac and skeletal muscle cells produce the essential energy molecule, called ATP, which powers every beat of your heart.¹⁰

Meanwhile, botanical extracts of both Hawthorn and Salvia can improve your endurance, combat deadly clots and offer vital support against the symptoms of chronic heart failure.^11-12 Studies show that Salvia can fend off heart-damaging free radicals—while Hawthorn extracts and forskolin protect your cardiomyocytes from injury.^13-16 You can find these botanicals combined with all three of the amino acids mentioned above, in a single, heart-nourishing formula called CardioCare, available now from Vitamin Research Products.

A continuous, abundant supply of ATP is the single most important factor in your heart’s lasting health—so a daily dose of D-ribose can go a long way, too.¹⁷ This non glycemic sugar molecule serves as a building block for ATP that provides the cellular energy required for your cardiomyocytes to contract—and studies show that D-ribose can also inhibit exercise-induced chest pain and increase tolerance to ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease.^18-19

Magnesium is the star ingredient in VRP’s Opti-Mag; it is another nutrient known for its ability to defend your cardiomyocytes against low levels of ATP. In addition, this essential mineral is able to block heart cell death, encourage healthy heart rhythm and improve your body’s overall vascular tone.²⁰ Pair magnesium with a dose of vitamin B6 (preferably in the form of bioavailable pyridoxal-5-phosphate) to assure maximum uptake into your cells—plus maximum efficiency and productive lifespan for your hard-working heart.²¹

References:

1. Torella D, Ellison GM, Méndez-Ferrer S, et al. Resident human cardiac stem cells: role in cardiac cellular homeostasis and potential for myocardial regeneration. Nat Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med. 2006 Mar;3 Suppl 1:S8-13

2. Kajstura J, Urbanek K, Perl S, Cardiomyogenesis in the Adult Human Heart. Circ Res. 2010 Jun 3. Published online ahead of print.

3. Quaini F, Cigola E, Lagrasta C. End-stage cardiac failure in humans is coupled with the induction of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and nuclear mitotic division in ventricular myocytes. Circ Res. 1994 Dec;75(6):1050-63.

4. Kumar A, Kaur H, Devi P. Role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in cardiac disease, hypertension and Meniere-like syndrome. Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Dec;124(3):259-68.

5. Ho MJ, Bellusci A, Wright JM. Blood pressure lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for primary hypertension. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Oct 7;(4):CD007435.

6. Xu YJ, Arneja AS, Tappia PS. The potential health benefits of taurine in cardiovascular disease. Exp Clin Cardiol. 2008 Summer;13(2):57-65.

7. Szymanski K, Winiarska K. Taurine and its potential therapeutic application Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2008 Feb 25;62:75-86.

8. Ghosh J, Das J, Manna P, Sil PC. Taurine prevents arsenic-induced cardiac oxidative stress and apoptotic damage: role of NF-kappa B, p38 and JNK MAPK pathway. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2009 Oct 1;240(1):73-87.

9. Guttman H, Zimlichman R, Boaz M. Effect of Long-Term L-Arginine Supplementation on Arterial Compliance and Metabolic Parameters in Patients with Multiple Cardiovascular risk Factors: Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2010 Jun 7. Published online ahead of print.

10. Kendler BS. Carnitine: an overview of its role in preventive medicine. Prev Med. 1986 Jul;15(4):373-90.

11. Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD005312.

12. Chan TY. Interaction between warfarin and danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). Ann Pharmacother. 2001 Apr;35(4):501-4.

13. Esmaeili MA, Sonboli A. Antioxidant, free radical scavenging activities of Salvia brachyantha and its protective effect against oxidative cardiac cell injury. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Mar;48(3):846-53.

14. Ling S, Luo R, Dai A, Guo Z, Guo R, Komesaroff PA. A pharmaceutical preparation of Salvia miltiorrhiza protects cardiac myocytes from tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis and reduces angiotensin II-stimulated collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. Phytomedicine. 2009 Jan;16(1):56-64.

15. 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.

16. Lindner E, Metzger H. The action of forskolin on muscle cells is modified by hormones, calcium ions and calcium antagonists. Arzneimittelforschung. 1983;33(10):1436-41.

17. Chien S. Intracellular ATP delivery using highly fusogenic liposomes. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;605:377-91.

18. Wagner S, Herrick J, Shecterle LM. D-ribose, a metabolic substrate for congestive heart failure. Prog Cardiovasc Nurs. 2009 Jun;24(2):59-60.

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. 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.