Summary Curcumin and coenzyme Q10 have neuroprotective effects due to their ability to decrease inflammation and oxidative stress, which are usually increased in migraine patients. This study evaluated the combined effects of curcumin and coenzyme Q10 on migraine symptoms and the quality of life in migraine patients. 100 patients were divided into four groups: 1)…
Summary Iranian researchers aimed to determine the effects of combined coenzyme Q10 and L-carnitine supplementation on, among others, migraine symptoms. A total of 56 migraine patients aged 20 to 40 years with migraine headaches participated in this study. Subjects received 30 mg/day coenzyme Q10 and 500 mg/day L-carnitine simultaneously or a placebo for 8 weeks.…
Summary Migraine and inflammation are correlated. This Iranian study aimed to assess the effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation, an anti-inflammatory agent, on inflammation and clinical features of migraine. 45 women aged 18 to 50 years and diagnosed with migraine participated in this trial. 23 patients received 400 mg/day coenzyme Q10, and 22 patients received a…
Summary An Iranian study aimed to evaluate the effects of selenium supplementation on the function of the metabolism, including glucose balance, inflammation levels, and oxidative stress in patients with diabetes type 2 and coronary heart disease. 60 patients were divided into two groups. For 8 weeks, the first group (30 patients) received 200 µg of…
Summary This review summarizes literature and studies regarding coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with heart failure. For example, a clinical trial demonstrated a reduced number of major adverse cardiovascular events after coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with heart failure. Generally, coenzyme Q10 may represent a safe therapeutic option for these patients. For more details, please…
Summary According to this study conducted by the University of Wuhan (China), coenzyme Q10 decreases oxidative stress, which supports the development of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Patients were divided into two groups. The test group received an additional coenzyme Q10 supplement. Simultaneously, patients in the control group only received common drugs. Several measurements were…
Summary This study investigated the effect of L-carnitine supplementation in children with dilated cardiomyopathy, a severe cardiovascular disease manifesting in chronic heart failure. 29 children were involved in this study. Children in the experimental group were administered 50-100 mg/kg/day oral L-carnitine (19 children) in addition to conventional treatment. Heart function was determined after 1, 3,…
Summary This Chinese review summarizes the effects and working mechanism of L-carnitine in cardiovascular diseases. L-carnitine beneficially affects the energy household of the heart and reduces oxidative stress and inflammation. Additionally, carnitine has been shown to reduce high blood pressure, diabetes, and other conditions considered risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The favorable…
Summary This Japanese trial investigated the effect of L-carnitine supplementation in patients undergoing hemodialysis, a treatment to filter wastes and water from the patients’ blood. The study participants were divided into a therapy group, administered with an oral L-carnitine supplement (20 mg/kg/day) for 12 months, and a control group (no L-carnitine therapy during the test…
Summary Iranian researchers aimed to evaluate the effect of L-carnitine administration on atrial fibrillation, a common complication in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. Additionally, an inflammation marker (CRP) and the incidence of kidney injury after surgery were assessed. 134 patients were involved and assigned to a supplementation group, receiving 3000 mg of L-carnitine per day,…
Summary This Iranian study aimed to investigate the effect of l-arginine supplementation on various heart functions and the quality of life in 50 patients with heart failure. During 10 weeks, the patients received either a supplement containing 3 g l-arginine per day or a placebo. Heart function, blood pressure, and quality of life were assessed…
Summary This Iranian study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the amino acid taurine in patients with heart failure. 16 patients with heart failure were involved in the study and divided into two groups: a supplementation group (8 patients), receiving 500 mg taurine three times per day for two weeks, and a placebo group (8…
Summary This review by an American and a Korean research department discusses the diverse functions, effects, and mechanisms of taurine as a therapeutic agent. Cells lacking taurine develop several disorders. Various studies show the beneficial functions of taurine as a therapeutic agent in cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis. Further…
Summary Inflammation plays a critical role in coronary artery disease. In the present study, Taiwanese research departments, therefore, investigated whether L-carnitine supplementation is able to reduce inflammation in patients with this disease. 23 (out of 47) participants were assigned to a test group that received an L-Carnitine supplement (1000 mg/day) for 12 weeks. The other…
Summary Endothelial dysfunction, the impaired functioning of the lining of blood vessels, is associated with a worse prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure. Japanese scientists, therefore, aimed to investigate whether coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol) can improve the function of heart tissue (endothelium) in patients with chronic heart failure. 14 patients received either 400 mg coenzyme…
Summary This review, conducted by several research departments from New York, USA, and Naples, Italy, focuses on the functional role of arginine, an amino acid involved in various critical biological processes in, for instance, heart and vascular tissue. Additionally, this review analyzes the beneficial effects of arginine supplementation in cardiovascular disorders, especially in preventing high…
Summary According to this study by Iranian and Canadian researchers, co-supplementation with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids improves several factors increasing the risk for cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients. The study was executed with 61 vitamin D-deficient diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. The participants were allocated to either a group receiving…
Summary Without proper treatment, high blood pressure can induce various severe complications. Studies showed that dietary supplements containing, for instance, magnesium and potassium can be used to effectively lower high blood pressure. The studies analyzed in this review may open new vistas in alternative non-pharmaceutical treatments of high blood pressure. For all details, please see…
Summary This study, executed by Iranian researchers, aimed to assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on high blood pressure. During the investigation, patients with low and very low vitamin D levels and high blood pressure were involved. The patients received either a vitamin D supplement or a placebo. Blood pressure was measured before and…
Summary Magnesium deficiency can result in multiple symptoms and is frequently observed in older people. This review investigated the beneficial effects of magnesium to prevent high blood pressure in this age group. The analyzed studies found clear evidence that there is a close relationship between magnesium deficiency and high blood pressure, which supports previous findings…
Summary This Taiwanese study aimed to investigate the lipid-lowering effects of L-carnitine supplementation in coronary artery disease patients. During this study, 47 patients were divided into a group receiving 1000 mg/day L-carnitine orally (23 patients) and a group receiving a placebo (24 patients) for 12 weeks. L-carnitine levels and various lipids, including cholesterol, HDL, and…
Summary According to a study conducted by several research departments from the University of Washington, Seattle, and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center of Nashville, USA, coenzyme Q10 beneficially affects highly prevalent oxidative stress markers in hemodialysis patients with end-stage kidney disease. This study aimed to identify a therapy that reduces oxidative stress levels and improves…
Summary Researchers from different American research institutes investigated the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in chronic hemodialysis patients. To this end, 20 patients were administered various doses of coenzyme Q10. Before and after supplementation, the researchers measured several markers for oxidative stress, which is usually increased in this group of patients, and coenzyme…
Summary Research departments from Italy and South Africa evaluated the effects of ubiquinol (coenzyme Q10) in elderly patients undergoing aortic valve replacement. 50 patients received either 400 mg/day ubiquinol (25 patients) or a placebo (25 patients) from 7 days before to 5 days after surgery. Among others, coenzyme Q10 levels and inflammation parameters were assessed,…
Summary This study was conducted in addition to the previously mentioned vitamin D study by Indian, Australian, and British researchers. In the present study, patients who previously were included in the placebo group received a vitamin D supplement. They received two oral doses of vitamin D at 8 weeks intervals. Subsequently, the same parameters as…
Summary This study, conducted by Indian, Australian, and British research institutes, examined whether vitamin D supplementation can improve vascular function and subsequently decrease the mortality of patients with chronic kidney disease. 120 non-diabetic patients with moderate to severe kidney damage and vitamin D deficiency were involved in the study. The patients received a high-dose vitamin…
Summary This Iranian study aimed to investigate the beneficial effect of grape seed extract and vitamin C in oxidative stress and tissue damage induced during coronary artery bypass surgery. Therefore, 87 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery were assigned to three groups of each 29 patients. The first group was a control group without treatment; the…
Summary Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. Thus, this study investigated the anti-inflammatory capacity of vitamin C in obese patients. 64 obese participants with high blood pressure and/or diabetes and high levels of inflammatory markers were enrolled into either the experimental group (31 patients) or the control group (33 patients). The experimental group was treated…
Summary Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation. Thus, this study investigated the anti-inflammatory capacity of vitamin C in obese patients. 64 obese participants with high blood pressure and/or diabetes and high levels of inflammatory markers were enrolled into either the experimental group (31 patients) or the control group (33 patients). The experimental group was treated…
Summary Researchers from the University of Naples, Italy, aimed to evaluate the effects of specific dietary supplements on risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including elevated lipid and glucose levels. The study involved slightly overweight young adults aged between 20 and 27 years with elevated cholesterol levels and normal glucose metabolism. The participants received either a…
Summary This Iranian study investigated the effects of a combined omega-3 and vitamin E supplementation in patients with coronary artery disease. Both substances play a critical role in regulating oxidative stress and inflammation processes. 60 male patients with coronary artery disease were involved in the study and categorized into three groups: the first group received…
Summary A Chinese research institute aimed to investigate whether a daily vitamin B supply can improve the risk of cardiovascular diseases in healthy elderly. To this end, 390 healthy participants, aged 60 to 74 years, were administered with either vitamin C or vitamin C plus several B vitamins for 12 months daily. A risk predictor…
Summary This Iranian study investigated the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on the heart function of patients with beta-thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder associated with anemia that may lead to various heart conditions. During this study, 60 beta-thalassemia patients were divided into two groups and were treated with either L-carnitine or a placebo for 6 months.…
Summary L-carnitine blood levels are reduced after coronary artery bypass surgery. Therefore, a Brazilian trial aimed to verify whether L-carnitine supplementation could be beneficial in the recovery of L-carnitine levels in heart failure patients submitted to bypass surgery. The participants were divided into a supplementation group, administered with an oral dose of 50 mg/kg L-carnitine…
Summary This study, conducted by several Japanese research departments, aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-dose taurine supplementation to prevent stroke-like events resulting from a genetic disorder. Therefore, 10 patients received a high-dosed taurine supplement for 52 weeks. 80% of the patients who were administered with taurine showed a reduced frequency of stroke-like…
Summary According to research, low vitamin D levels are associated with higher blood pressure. This study, executed by research departments in Switzerland and the USA, aimed to determine whether higher daily vitamin D supplementation (2000 IU or 50µg) is more effective in controlling blood pressure among older adults than vitamin D supplementation with a standard…
Summary This Canadian review gives an overview of the beneficial effects of taurine in cardiovascular diseases. Studies demonstrate that taurine has a protective role for cells. Additionally, literature also shows the antioxidant properties of taurine. Therefore, supplementation of taurine is necessary and should be considered to treat cardiovascular diseases. More details can be found in…
Summary This review by researchers from the University of Minneapolis, USA analyzed the results from clinical trials investigating the efficacy of magnesium supplementation for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Low magnesium levels are commonly observed in heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. They are also a predictor for cardiovascular diseases and related…
Summary This study, conducted by the universities of Rio de Janeiro and Glasgow, aimed to evaluate the effects of oral magnesium supplementation on blood pressure and vascular function in women with high blood pressure. The participants were divided into a group receiving a magnesium supplement (600 mg/day) and a group receiving a placebo. In addition,…
Summary This review, executed by research departments from Romania and China, aimed to elucidate the role of multiple micronutrient supplementation in heart failure patients. For this review, several publications were evaluated, which investigated the efficacy of micronutrient supplementation in heart failure. These publications showed that micronutrient supplementation induces improved health outcomes in heart failure patients…
Summary Taurine is a common substance in human tissues, which influences cell function, among others. This review, conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne, gives an overview of the anti-inflammatory effects of taurine on cardiovascular diseases. Taurine has been shown, for instance, to prevent cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, inducing a prolonged life…
Summary This study, executed by an Iranian and a Croatian university, aimed to analyze the effects of magnesium and zinc supplements on glucose levels, oxidative stress, and inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. In this study, 60 patients were divided into either a group receiving a placebo or a group…
Summary This study, executed by an Iranian and a Croatian university, aimed to analyze the effects of magnesium and zinc supplements on glucose levels, oxidative stress, and inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes. In this study, 60 patients were divided into either a group receiving a placebo or a group…
Summary According to this Chinese study, omega-3 fatty acid supplements can reduce the risk of thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the elderly after surgery. During this intervention, 452 elderly patients were divided into two groups receiving either omega-3 fatty acids (1000 mg daily) or a placebo orally 30 days after surgery. After the intervention period,…
Summary This Iranian study aimed to evaluate the potential beneficial effects of dietary antioxidants on several cardiovascular risk factors in patients waiting for coronary artery bypass surgery. In this study, 454 hospitalized patients aged between 35 and 80 years were involved. Vitamin D levels and other parameters and were measured in blood. Also, the level…
Summary This Turkish study investigated the preventive effect of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on the occurrence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery. 116 patients with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency were divided into two groups: 58 patients (treatment group) received oral vitamin D 48h before the surgery. The other group, which also included…
Summary This review, conducted by two Egyptian research centers, gives an overview of the role of various nutrients on immune function. Several studies showed, among others, that multiple micronutrients, essential fatty acids, some amino acids, but also pre- and probiotics boost the immune system and beneficially affect immune function. At the same time, micronutrient deficiencies…
Summary This review, conducted by several Australian research institutes, gives an overview of the effects of probiotics on immunity after intense physical exercise. Probiotics are well-known as modulators of the so-called microbiota. A well-functioning microbiota contains varied bacteria, which, among others, contribute to the regulation of the immune system and protection of the body from…
Summary According to this Ecuadorian study, micronutrient deficiencies and infectious diseases are common in the Ecuadorian elderly. In this study, 145 elderly were involved. It showed, among others, that participants in this group have deficiencies of zinc (50%), iron (44%), vitamin B12 (43%), vitamin D (19%), and folate (18%). Furthermore, an increased number of respiratory…
Summary This review gives an overview of the beneficial effects of zinc supplementation on infectious diseases like diarrhea and their prevention and treatment in young children. Studies show that zinc supplementation can reduce diarrhea incidence (11 to 23%), the duration of the illness (up to 9%), and diarrhea mortality (23%) in young children. Other studies…