Two Often Ignored Aspects of Heart Health

If it seems as though the heart health conversation always focuses on balanced cholesterol levels and blood pressure, that’s because it usually does. These two critical factors are by far the most recognized markers of cardiovascular fitness among the general population—but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones. In fact, there are at least two other key considerations that can have just as much of an impact on your heart health… and ignoring them in favor of more popular concerns could come with some unwanted consequences.

The first of these lesser-known factors is fibrinogen. This essential protein is responsible for the healthy clotting of your blood and the regulation of endothelial function, thus helping to keep blood pressure and platelet function in check.¹ Unbalanced levels of fibrinogen, however, are linked to imbalanced inflammatory responses, arterial wall thickness, less efficient coronary artery blood flow, and as much as a six-fold increase in suboptimal cardiovascular health.^2-5

Oxidized LDL cholesterol is another crucial heart health factor that tends to fly under the popular radar. While you’ve probably heard of “good” and “bad” cholesterol, you may not know exactly why LDL cholesterol is so much more problematic than its HDL counterpart. The reason, as it turns out, is oxidation—the process by which free radicals transform LDL cholesterol into a fatty substance that more easily accumulates and can affect blood flow in your arteries. Research shows that oxidized LDL is significantly higher in people with lackluster heart health, and that its presence contributes to the continuing generation of free radicals in the body.^6-7

With this in mind, it’s easy to see that the road to clear, free-flowing arteries doesn’t stop at balanced cholesterol and blood pressure levels—though that’s definitely a good start. Ensuring that your LDL cholesterol stores are protected from free radicals and that your body’s clotting mechanisms are functioning properly is equally essential to your heart’s long-term health. And luckily, good nutrition can help you to keep both bases covered.

Ample antioxidant support is the foundation of this strategy—and a high-quality vitamin E supplement comprised of both tocopherols and tocotrienols (such as VRP’s E-Team) will offer you just that.⁸ Research shows that alpha-tocopherol in particular serves a number of functions for your heart’s health, protecting LDL and other lipid molecules from free radicals while supporting balanced fibrinogen and C-reactive protein levels.^9-10

Krill oil delivers additional free radical defense in the form of essential fatty acids and astaxanthin—a potent antioxidant that, according to animal studies, supports the smooth muscle cell lining of the arteries, while decreasing oxidative stress and improving circulation-boosting nitric oxide availability.^11-12 The soybean-derived proteolytic enzyme nattokinase delivers similar circulatory benefits, able to balance clotting mechanisms while keeping arteries flexible and clear.^13-14 You can find both nattokinase (as the formula Nattokinase+) and Krill Oil available from VRP.

Other nutrients that support all aspects of cardiovascular health include coenzyme Q10, which balances the inflammatory response in cell-based studies and mops up free radicals, as well as the amino acids L-carnitine, L-arginine and L-taurine—all of which support balanced fibrinogen levels and healthy platelet and endothelial function, while protecting LDL against oxidation.^15-19 That’s why you’ll find all of these natural compounds combined in the daily formula CardioCare, also available from Vitamin Research Products®.

You can also look for a powerful new formula called oMega Heart™, which combines Krill Oil and CoQ10-H2™.

References:

1. Canseco-Avila LM, Jerjes-Sanchez C, Ortiz-Lopez R, et al. Fibrinogen. Cardiovascular risk factor or marker? Arch Cardiol Mex. 2006 Oct-Dec;76 Suppl 4:S158-72.

2. Lu PP, Liu JT, Liu N, et al. Pro-inflammatory effect of fibrinogen and FDP on vascular smooth muscle cells by IL-6, TNF-α and iNOS. Life Sci. 2011 May 9;88(19-20):839-45.

3. Heinrich J, Balleisen L, Schulte H, et al. Fibrinogen and factor VII in the prediction of coronary risk. Results from the PROCAM study in healthy men. Arterioscler Thromb. 1994 Jan;14(1):54-9.

4. Grebe MT, Luu B, Sedding D, et al. Fibrinogen promotes early atherosclerotic changes of the carotid artery in young, healthy adults. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2010 Oct 27;17(10):1003-8.

5. Park CS, Ihm SH, Yoo KD, et al. Relation between C-reactive protein, homocysteine levels, fibrinogen, and lipoprotein levels and leukocyte and platelet counts, and 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease among healthy adults in the USA. Am J Cardiol. 2010 May 1;105(9):1284-8.

6. Nakbi A, Koubaa N, Ben Hamda K, et al. Association between oxidative stress parameters and inflammation markers according to the gravity of the acute coronary syndrome. Tunis Med. 2011 Jul;89(7):621-6.

7. Mitra S, Deshmukh A, Sachdeva R, et al. Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein and Atherosclerosis Implications in Antioxidant Therapy. Am J Med Sci. 2011 Jul 8. Published Online Ahead of Print.

8. Aviram M, Kaplan M, Rosenblat M, et al. Dietary antioxidants and paraoxonases against LDL oxidation and atherosclerosis development. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2005;(170):263-300.

9. Rainwater DL, Mahaney MC, VandeBerg JL, et al. Vitamin E dietary supplementation significantly affects multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease in baboons. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):597-603.

10. Leichtle A, Teupser D, Thiery J. Alpha-tocopherol distribution in lipoproteins and anti-inflammatory effects differ between CHD-patients and healthy subjects. J Am Coll Nutr. 2006 Oct;25(5):420-8.

11. Fassett RG, Coombes JS. Astaxanthin: a potential therapeutic agent in cardiovascular disease. Mar Drugs. 2011 Mar 21;9(3):447-65.

12. Monroy-Ruiz J, Sevilla MA, Carron R, et al. Astaxanthin-enriched-diet reduces blood pressure and improves cardiovascular parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Pharmacol Res. 2011 Jan;63(1):44-50.

13. Urano T, Ihara H, Umemura K, et al. The profibrinolytic enzyme subtilisin NAT purified from Bacillus subtilis Cleaves and inactivates plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1. J Biol Chem. 2001 Jul 6;276(27):24690-6.

14. Suzuki Y, Kondo K, Ichise H, et al. Dietary supplementation with fermented soybeans suppresses intimal thickening. Nutrition. 2003 Mar;19(3):261-4.

15. Tsai KL, Huang YH, Kao CL, et al. A novel mechanism of coenzyme Q10 protects against human endothelial cells from oxidative stress-induced injury by modulating NO-related pathways. J Nutr Biochem. 2011 Jun 16. Published Online Ahead of Print.

16. Saleh AI, Abdel Maksoud SM, El-Maraghy SA, et al. Protective effect of L-arginine in experimentally induced myocardial ischemia: comparison with aspirin. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Mar;16(1):53-62.

17. Martina V, Masha A, Gigliardi VR, et al. Long-term N-acetylcysteine and L-arginine administration reduces endothelial activation and systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2008 May;31(5):940-4.

18. Augustyniak A, Stankiewicz A, Skrzydlewska E. The Influence of L-Carnitine on Oxidative Modification of LDL In Vitro. Toxicol Mech Methods. 2008 Jul;18(6):455-62.

19. Tan B, Jiang DJ, Huang H, et al. Taurine protects against low-density lipoprotein-induced endothelial dysfunction by the DDAH/ADMA pathway. Vascul Pharmacol. 2007 May;46(5):338-45.