TAKING HEART

by Celia Wright

A few weeks ago I had the kind of phone call everyone dreads. A close friend had had a heart attack and been rushed to hospital. At first I felt very emotional, and concerned both for him and his family whose lives had just been turned upside down. But later I felt much more positive. There have been so many nutritional discoveries in this field that it really is possible to recover from a heart attack, or 'event' as it now seems to be called, and live a long and useful life. When Brian and I visited the hos- pital, our friend made it clear that he had taken the warning positively and would change his lifestyle. He opened the drawer and showed us the supplements he had already begun taking. He is now making a rapid recovery.

Lysine helps reverse angina

In the last years of his life, world enowned biochemist Linus Pauling, the only man to have been awarded two Nobel prizes, made the discovery that two simple nutrients - vitamin C and lysine (or L-lysine), a common amino acid-can help reverse cardiovascular disease.

His theory was that the cholesterol-like particles called lipoprotein (a) bind to the walls of arteries where there has previously been damage, causing the growth of plaque which gradually restricts the size of the vessel. The damage to the artery in the first place, Pauling believed, is due to a deficiency of vitamin C, which is fairly universal.

The first volunteer to try Pauling's nutrient combination had a family history of coronary artery disease and suffered from angina at the slightest effort, having already had three coronary bypass operations. On the advice of his cardiologist, in addition to his medication he began taking 6 grams of vitamin C a day, 60mg of Coenzyme QIO, and other vitaniins, but he still needed to take nitroglycerin to control his angina when walking any distance. Then, after reading a paper by Linus Pauling, he added 5 grams of lysine to his daily regime, beginning with I gram a day and adding an extra gram each week. By the fifth week he found he could do a two mile walk and work in his garden without angi- na pain. Two months later, aged 71, he cut up a tree with a chain saw, and a few months after that he started painting his house. This new state of well-being continued. He became completely free of angina.

How lysine works

Using an evolutionary model to look back into human history, it seems that we lost the ability to make our own vitamin C about forty million years ago, around the time that lipoprotein (a) first appeared. Pauling believes that this fatty sub- stance may be 'nature's bandage' for arteries which have been damaged by a lack of vitamin C. When we have sufficient, vitamin C protects against the oxidation (or ageing) of arteries and other tissues.

Pauling's theory is that lysine works by reversing the build-up of plaque on the artery wall. Lysine is actually involved in binding lipoprotein (a) to the wall in the first place. When there is more in the bloodstream the pull is reversed.

This simple lysine/vitamin C formula is now used by many doctors and patients in America and is beginning to be used in the UK. The formula has been refined to 500mg of lysine to everv gram of vitamin C. In less severe cases than in the above anecdote as few as two or three daily tablets of each may be sufficient to bring improvement.

Reducing heart risk

You don't have to have bypass surgery before you consider taking lysine and extra vitamin C. Brian's father died of a heart attack, as did my grandmother, and my father also died of cardiovascular complications. Ms means that we are both at risk of following in their footsteps. Currently, more people die of heart disease than from any other cause. We each take two and a half grams of lysine (along with five grams of vitamin C) as protection for our arteries. However, if you have angina or have suffered a heart attack you must check with your doctor first before taking any nutritional supplements.

Generally, there is no risk involved in taking this level of lysine. Lysine is an amino acid, a unit of protein. I had the opportunity of asking Linus Pauling about this when he was in telephone communication with a conference held by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition. His response was that Lysine is perfectly safe at this level.

Lysine is also an excellent supplement for herpes simplex, from which we both suffer from time to time, so a daily dose of lysine can serve a dual purpose. In combination with daily cups of Cat's Claw tea which is a powerful herpes inhibitor, lysine leaves us almost completely free of this recurrent irritation these days.

Heart disease a vitamin deficiency?

However, heart disease is multifactorial, and other vitamins and minerals are vital too. Back in the 1960's a young doctor at the Massachusetts General Hospital heard of a boy who had died 35 vears previously of a stroke at 8 years old. Intrigued to find out what could have caused such a bizarre event he dug out the boy's original autopsy report. The child had been suffering from homocystinuria - a rare genetic disease. When Dr McCully re-examined the boy's old tissue samples under a microscope he realised that he might as well be looking at the arteries of an 80 year old man. Looking at other cases of homocystinuria he found a similar story, including one child who had died of a stroke at the age of 2 months.

These children had a genetic mutation which interfered with their ability to break down the amino acid homocysteine. Could accumulating homocysteine, the young Dr McCully wondered, have caused a premature build-up of plaque in their arteries? And could elevated homocysteine be a risk factor for heart disease in adlilts who are not suffering from this genetic disorder?

If so, this would mean that a high proportion of heart disease could be controlled by consuming adequate amounts of certain vitamins, including vitamin B2, B6, B12, and especially, folacin (folic acid).

Homocysteine

Dr McCully presented his ideas to the medical community in 1970, at a time when the dangers of cholesterol were just being recognised. The suggestion that elevated homocysteine might be just as great a risk factor did not meet with approval. McCully was denounced and forced to leave. He moved to another hospital where he remains to this day, finally vindicated. and recognised for his achievement. More than 20 studies have now shown that as many as 40% of patients with vascular disease, heart attack or stroke have elevated homocysteine levels.

Homocysteine is an amino acid formed naturally in the body. Small amounts are no problem. They can be broken down in a number of ways. However, in about 1 in 300 people, a genetic disorder prevents this conversion - this was the case with the children who had died of strokes. In most people though, excess homocysteine accumulates because they eat too much meat and too little folacin and other B vitamins. Along with smoking, a high fat diet and elevated cholesterol (LDL, the low density kind), high homocysteine is a definite risk factor for heart and circulatory disease.

The folacin factor

But the news is not all bad. Homocysteine levels can be normalised and the risk factor quickly reduced with adequate folacin and to a lesser extent vitamins B2, B6 and B12 (which can all be obtained from a good multivitamin/mineral). Folacin is also a B vitamin. In Europe its official name is 'folacin', but it is often known as folic acid. Folacin has been publicised latelv for preventing neural tube abnormalities in babies. But in reality we should all be getting more of this vitamin. Although the European RDA for folacin is 200 mcg, the suggested optimal allowance (or SONA) worked out by the Universitv of Alabama is 800mcg up to the age of 50, and 1000mcg a day above that age. If we were all getting enough folacin many of us would live a great deal longer and need far fewer drugs and surgery. Folacin usually comes in 400mcg tablets. One to three a day, depending on age, is sufficient.

Don't forget Vitamin E

There is even more that you can do for your heart. The value of vitamin E in preventing heart disease has been known for at least forty years, and was documented by Evan Shute in his book 'The heart and vitamin E' first published in 1956. Now this vitamin's ability to reduce the risk of disease has been confirmed by a Cambridge University study which found that taking a minimum of 4OOIU of vitamin E a day reduced heart attacks in patients who already had heart disease by an astonishing 77%.

There are other key dietary factors and nutrients to consider if you have a risk of heart disease. The mineral magnesium is vital for a healthy heart and is known to reduce blood pressure. Magnesium is in the 'green' chlorophyll of green vegetables, and is lost when we cook our vegetables and flush the cooking water (and the magnesium) down the sink. Eating fresh green salads helps. The EU RDA is 300mg. A recent national food survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food shows that people eating the 'well balanced diet' in this country are not even getting that much. So the whole country is deficient in magnesium.

Potassium is another vital mineral for the heart. it forms a pair with sodium, which we eat far too liberally, causing an imbalance in the way these two minerals work in the con- trol of muscles, including the heart muscle. Excess sodium and a lack of potassium can lead to high blood pressure. Potassium is also lost when we cook vegetables. Steaming or cooking them in very little water helps. Fruit is another good source. Reducing salt intake or using a high potassium salt also helps redress the imbalance.

Don't be shy of fish

If you have a heart problem or a family history of heart disease fish should be a regular part of your diet unless you are vegetarian, in which case you need to take plenty of flax oil.

Fish, especialy the cold water oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, herring and trout are high in important polyunsaturated oils called Omega 3. Omega 3 oils are vital for low in the 'bad' LDL cholesterol. According to a new study reported in the journal of the American Medical Association, eating at least one fish or shellfish meal a day can cut the risk of sudden cardiac death by 52% in men.

We should also take plenty of flax oil with our salads and vegetables. Flax oil is a vegetarian source of Omega 3, which the body can convert into the form it needs. Omega 3 fatty acids don't only protect from heart disease. They are essential for the nervous system, skin, reducing allergies and maintaining the immune system. If you're a vegetarian eat lots of flax. If you're not, eat fish and flax. You'll be a lot healthier.

Omega 3 needs to be balanced with another group of essential fatty acids called Omega 6. This is the group that GLA, found in starflower oil and evening primrose oil, belongs to. These oils are vital for many aspects of our health, including immunity, brain function (especially in children) and hormone balance. Ideally there is an 'essential balance' of equal parts Omega 3 and Omega 6. This is the ratio found in the brain. Brian and I take a balanced mix of organic oils with this one to one ratio.

One of the most important vegetables for protecting the heart and warding off infection is garlic. My body can't get enough of it. I rarely cook a meal without it and if I get the slightest infection I take high dose garlic tablets (odour-free). If I had heart disease I would take garlic supplements every day. Another essential supplement for the heart is Coenzyme Q10. It's essential for good muscle performance, including the heart. CoQ is a powerful antioxidant as well.

This article was first produced by Higher Nature