Summary In this study from China, subjects with stable coronary heart disease were evaluated for a positive change in their inflammation levels and blood lipids following vitamin B supplementation. After 12 weeks, concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and HDL levels were significantly improved. A change in homocysteine blood levels, considered a risk factor for numerous…
Summary The Medical University of Poznan in Poland investigated the effect of spirulina algae on the cardiovascular system of obese people with high blood pressure. For this purpose, 50 eligible patients were examined who received a daily dose of 2 g spirulina for 3 months. Positive changes in insulin sensitivity, plasma lipid levels, biomarkers of…
Summary The present study investigated whether dietary supplementation with vitamin C can reduce the length of ICU and hospital stay after cardiac surgery. The study involved 290 adults who received 2 g of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) intravenously immediately before surgery. Daily oral administration of 1 g of vitamin C was also given for the…
Summary This intervention study investigated the effects of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure and blood flow in the blood vessels. For one month, 48 patients took a daily supplement of 300 mg magnesium oxide. Blood pressure, blood flow, stroke volume, stroke index, cardiac output, cardiac index, left heartbeat, and heart rate were measured. The evaluations…
Summary This study addressed the question of whether oral intake of vitamin C can reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation after on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. One hundred patients were studied and divided into two groups. Group 1 received 2 g of oral vitamin C before surgery and 500 mg of vitamin C…
Summary Several American and Italian research institutes investigated the effects of fish oil supplementation on bleedings before, during, and after a surgical operation to prevent major bleedings. The study was conducted in 1516 patients who had a planned cardiac surgery. The study showed that fish oil supplementation did not increase the number of bleedings (which…
Summary This meta-analysis was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on coronary heart disease. For this purpose, 18 randomized controlled trials and 16 prospective cohort studies were analyzed. The studies suggest that the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are associated with a reduced…
Summary This study investigated the effects of an increased dietary intake of vitamin C, carotenoids, and α-tocopherol (vitamin E) on the risk of cardiovascular disease. For this purpose, 69 prospective studies were analyzed that included participants who adjusted their diet according to an increased vitamin intake. The result showed that the intake of vitamin C,…
Summary A systematic review and meta-analysis were used to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with coenzyme Q10 on the lipid profile of patients with coronary heart disease. The lipid profile is considered an important indicator for the development of heart disease. 8 studies were included, with 267 participants in intervention groups and 259 in…
Summary Increased adipose tissue is associated with a higher risk of metabolic disease and arteriosclerosis. This study from the USA investigated whether aged garlic extract can inhibit the progression of arteriosclerosis. Sixty volunteers took part in this study who took garlic extract for 12 months. At the end of the study period, the researchers found…
Summary Cholesterol-lowering drugs, so-called statins, are intended to prevent heart attacks or strokes in people with coronary heart disease. However, they are associated with several side effects. This meta-analysis evaluated the effect of dietary supplementation with coenzyme Q10 on statin-induced muscle damage. The analysis of 12 studies with 575 patients showed that coenzyme Q10 can…
Summary A meta-analysis was used to examine the effect of folic acid supplementation in patients with cardiovascular diseases. A total of 12 randomized controlled trials with 47,523 participants were evaluated. The researchers found that supplementation led to a significantly reduced risk of stroke in patients with cardiovascular disease. Further details can be found in the…
Summary This clinical cross-over study from Italy investigated the lipid-lowering effect of monacolin K, L-arginine, coenzyme Q10, and ascorbic acid. The study involved 20 patients with high cholesterol levels who supplemented their diet with the micronutrients mentioned above for 8 weeks. Subsequently, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglycerides, fasting…
Summary A meta-analysis examined eight studies that included 267 participants in intervention groups and 259 subjects in placebo groups. The analysis results showed that taking coenzyme Q10 significantly lowered total cholesterol levels and increased HDL (“good cholesterol”) cholesterol levels in participants with coronary heart disease. Please see the study for more information. References Mohammad Vahid…
Summary Numerous studies confirm a link between vitamin D deficiency and thrombosis. Among other things, it has been shown that improvements can be achieved after just three months of supplementation. Further details can be found in the study. References Syed Mohammad, Aastha Mishra, Mohammad Zahid Ashraf Link to article >>
Summary A review by the University of Connecticut in the USA showed that vitamin C deficiency can increase cardiovascular disease risk. Some studies reported a positive effect of vitamin C on blood pressure and endothelial function. Further details can be found in the study. References Melissa A Moser, Ock K Chun Link to article…
Summary As early as 1992, the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Boston published a randomized field study involving several hundreds of participants of all age groups. The results of the study showed that increased vitamin C blood levels were associated with a reduction in LDL cholesterol (“bad cholesterol”) and an increase…
Summary A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigated the effect of two B vitamins (folic acid and vitamin B6) on the metabolism of patients with coronary heart disease. After three months of vitamin B supplementation, the three most important risk factors of fat metabolism showed a significant improvement. Blood levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol were…
Summary In another large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, which involved several American universities, the influence of green tea extracts (catechins) was investigated. The study participants were all postmenopausal women, with 936 of them completing the one-year trial. Compared to the control group, catechin supplementation was associated with a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol…
Summary A double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted by the University of Nashville investigated the relationship between a dietary supplement containing green tea extract and its effect on cholesterol levels. 240 men and women over 18 years of age with low to moderate increases in blood cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) were examined over a period of 3 months. Study…
Summary More than 10,790 Chinese adults with hypertension and stroke were studied, with one group receiving a hypertension drug. The other subjects received 0.8 mg of folic acid daily in addition to the drug therapy. At the end of the study period, a 73% reduction in the risk of stroke was observed. Further details can…
Summary In a clinical study in Stockholm, the association between the use of multivitamin supplements and the occurrence of heart attacks was investigated in almost 3,000 study participants. Participants taking multivitamins had a significantly reduced risk of heart attacks. Further details can be found in the study. References Mary L Fantacone, Malcolm B Lowry, Sandra L Uesugi…
Summary In an evaluation of 11 double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, the correlation between dietary supplementation with the natural amino acid arginine and changes in blood pressure was investigated. The analysis of these trials showed that arginine supplementation led to a highly significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. One particularly remarkable aspect of this…
Summary Another randomized double-blind study was conducted as part of an international collaboration between the universities of Copenhagen, Melbourne, Vienna, Warsaw and other hospitals. The study included 420 patients and investigated the influence of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on the progression of chronic heart failure over a period of 2 years. According to the researchers, coenzyme…
Summary An analysis of 12 clinical trials investigated the correlation between coenzyme Q10 supplementation, a cofactor of cellular energy metabolism, and hypertension. Based on all results, the researchers concluded that coenzyme Q10 supplementation can reduce systolic blood pressure by up to 17 points (mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure by up to 10 points. Among the…
Summary A study involving 11,348 adult Americans aged 25-74 years showed that both overall mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease were associated with daily vitamin C intake. The subjects with the highest vitamin C intake had a 40% reduced risk of CVD mortality. More details can be found in the study. References Enstrom et al.…
Summary A study conducted at the University of California in Los Angeles showed that an increased vitamin intake had a positive effect on the progression of coronary heart disease. This study provided strong evidence because it was documented using coronary angiography. The researchers found an association between supplementary vitamin E intake and an angiographically demonstrated…
Summary In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving patients with coronary heart disease, a Norwegian team of doctors showed that micronutrient supplementation with folic acid (vitamin B9) and vitamin B12 had a positive effect on the blood supply to the coronary arteries. During the study period of two years, both basic and maximum blood flow…
Summary A study at the University Hospital of Amsterdam with more than 2,700 participants showed that an increased vitamin C intake was associated with lower blood pressure and other positive parameters. Most importantly, the group of people with the highest vitamin C intake had a one-third lower risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with…
Summary In a clinical study coordinated by the Department of Age Research and Preventive Oncology at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, several thousand study participants were observed over a period of 9.5 years. The study investigated the association between vitamin D deficiency and the most common causes of death. A direct link was…
Summary A clinical epidemiological study involving more than 2,400 participants in Finland investigated the association between blood levels of vitamin C and the occurrence of stroke. The study participants were patients with hypertension – a condition associated with an increased risk of stroke – who were observed over a period of 10.4 years. The results…
Summary In a randomized clinical trial involving patients suffering from chronic heart failure, the effect of dietary supplements containing a vitamin-mineral combination was investigated. The study was carried out at the Charité Clinic in Berlin and showed that the pumping function of the heart (left ventricular ejection fraction) was significantly improved by the dietary supplement.…
Summary A clinical study conducted at the University of Kansas investigated the associations between vitamin D blood levels, vitamin D supplementation and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Of 10,899 patients observed over a period of 5 years and 8 months, low vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease and…
Summary An analysis of 8 clinical trials investigating the association between vitamin C supplementation and essential hypertension showed that vitamin C supplementation led to a significant reduction in blood pressure. For daily supplementation above 500 mg of vitamin C, these results were even statistically significant (P = 0.005). What is particularly remarkable about this research…
Summary A study carried out by the University of Jerusalem examined the association between vitamin D blood levels and vitamin D supplementation on the mortality rate of patients with heart failure. The study compared 3,009 patients with low vitamin D levels with a control group comprising 46,825 participants . The study showed that vitamin D…
Summary A clinical study among more than 40,000 Japanese people, investigated the association between the intake of green tea, which is rich in natural polyphenols, and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The consumption of large quantities of green tea was associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular mortality, including a clear reduction in…
Summary In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with patients suffering from an early form of hypertension (pre-hypertension and stage 1 hypertension), the effect of quercetin on blood pressure was investigated. This dietary supplement led to a reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The reduction in diastolic blood pressure was statistically significant (P < 0.01).…
Summary In a comprehensive study conducted as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 13,131 participants were examined over a period of 12 years. The aim of the study was to find out if low vitamin D blood levels had an effect on the mortality rate of the study participants. The study…
Summary This study tested whether vitamin C is able to protect the heart during heart attack. The experiments were performed with rats. Vitamin C was administered before a treatment-induced heart attack, and it was found that vitamin C was effective in reducing the extent of heart damage during the heart attack. Further details can be…
Summary This study examined the relationship between vitamin C intake and the risk of coronary heart disease. 85,118 women completed a questionnaire to assess the consumption of vitamin C and other nutrients and were followed up for 16 years for the development of coronary heart disease. It was found that vitamin C supplements can reduce…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between vitamin C and oxidative stress (imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects) in patients with heart disease. The effect of oxidative stress on blood flow was measured in 12 patients with heart disease, before and after the…
Summary Reperfusion is a treatment which aims to restore the blood flow to body´s tissues which are blood flow deficient, but it can damage organs and tissues by increasing oxidative stress (imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects). The present study investigated the effect…
Summary This study investigated the effect of vitamin C on the development of hypercholesterolemia (high blood levels of cholesterol) induced atherosclerosis. The experiments were performed with rabbits, and they showed that a high dose of vitamin C was effective in reducing atherosclerosis. The results suggest that vitamin C can prevent hypercholesterolemia induced atherosclerosis. Further details…
Summary This study investigated the effect of vitamin C administration in smokers. Blood flow was analyzed in 11 smokers and 8 non-smokers, before and after vitamin C administration. The results showed that vitamin C restored impaired blood flow in smokers. Further details can be found in the study. References P A Kaufmann, T Gnecchi-Ruscone, M di Terlizzi, K…
Summary This study investigated whether vitamin C is able to protect the heart against myocardial infarction (heart attack). The experiments were performed with rats that received vitamin C once a day for seven days. The results suggested that vitamin C administration was able to prevent heart attacks. Further details can be found in the study.…
Summary This study tested the hypothesis that the amino acid arginine dilates blood vessels in patients undergoing heart interventions. 20 patients scheduled for surgery were given either intravenous infusion of arginine or a solution without arginine over 15 minutes. The results showed that arginine reduced vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) after heart surgery, and…
Summary This study evaluated the blood levels of selenium in patients undergoing heart surgery. Blood selenium was measured in 40 patients before and after heart surgery. The results showed a decrease in selenium levels after the operations. The researchers concluded that low blood levels of selenium are associated with development of complications after heart surgery.…
Summary This study investigated the nutrition status in patients admitted to rehabilitation after heart surgery. Blood samples were collected from 50 patients and analyzed. The results showed that vitamin B12 supplementation should be encouraged because of its substantial reduction during the rehabilitation period after surgery; in addition, it was found that the diet followed during…
Summary Irregular heartbeat affects approximately 30% of patients undergoing heart surgery. This study evaluated the effect of vitamins on irregular heartbeat after heart surgery. The investigation included 5 studies and a total of 567 patients, of which 284 received antioxidant vitamins. The results showed that vitamins C and E significantly reduced the onset of irregular…
Summary This study evaluated the effect of magnesium in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty (a procedure used to open the clogged arteries of the heart) for heart attack. 180 patients with heart attacks underwent successful coronary intervention. They were treated either with intravenous (directly injected into a vein) magnesium or with an intravenous solution without magnesium.…