Cardiotonics in Nutrition Prevents Heart Disease

1) List of fruits, vegetables, beverages and other foods with cardioprotective properties*

• Acerola

• Almonds

• Apple

• Artichoke

• Aspargus

• Beet

• Black pepper

• Broccoli

• Chayote

• Cinnamon/Canella

• Cocoa/Chocolate

• Coconut oil

• Coffee

• Fig

• Fish

• Fish oil

• Garlic

• Gengiber/Ginger

• Grape (pink)

• Graviola

• Guarana

• Guava

• Jasmim

• Lettuce

• Nuts

• Onions

• Papaya

• Pomegranate

• Seeds

• Spinach

• Stevia

• Sunflower

• Tea (green)

• Tomato

• Walnuts

• Water cress

• Watermelon

• Wine (red)

Obs:

1) It is interesting to note that most of the botanicals cited above contain the flavonoid quercetin which may decrease elevated lactic acid production, helping to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis according the acidity theory. Fish intake and fish oil supplementation may also have the capability to reduce the elevated blood lactic acid. More information about the acidity theory of atherosclerosis at http://www.infarctcombat.org/AcidityTheory.html

2) Dr. Quintiliano H. de Mesquita says in his book Myogenic Theory of Myocardial infarction that the role of cardiotonics is to complete the effects of collateral circulation and ensure functional preservation of the ischemic myocardium, thus avoiding the infarction.Please see at http://www.infarctcombat.org/MyogenicTheory.html  

We think that also foods like the above list may help in this way.

3) Some references from literature about the cardiovascular benefits in prevention of these foods when regularly taken in diet like garlic, pink grape, red wine and fish oil (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).

2) Nutriceutical agents with cardioprotective properties* (9).

• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

• Taurine,

• L-carnitine

*Strengthen the heart, increase the contractility of the cardiac muscle, increase cardiac output.

References:

1. Dietary flavonoids and risk of coronary heart disease. Mojzisova G, Kuchta M., Physiol Res. 2001;50(6):529-35.

2. Intakes of antioxidants in coffee, wine, and vegetables are correlated with plasma carotenoids in humans. Svilaas A, Sakhi AK et al, J Nutr. 2004 Mar;134(3):562-7.

3. Dietary lycopene, tomato-based food products and cardiovascular disease in women. Sesso HD, Liu S, Gaziano JM, Buring JE, J Nutr. 2003 Jul;133(7):2336-41.

4. Cardiac membrane fatty acid composition modulates myocardial consumption and postischemic recovery of contractile function, Pepe S, McLennan PL, Circulation. 2002 May 14;105(19):2303-8

5. Early protection against sudden death by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids after myocardial infarction: time-course analysis of the results of the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico (GISSI)-Prevenzione, Marchioli R, Barzi F, Bomba E, et al. Circulation. 2002 Apr 23;105(16):1897-903.

6. Dietary fat quality: a nutritional epidemiologist's view., Khor GL. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;13(Suppl):S22.

7. Effects of pomegranate juice consumption on myocardial perfusion in patients with coronary heart disease. Sumner MD, Elliott-Eller M, Weidner G, Daubenmier JJ, Chew MH, Marlin R, Raisin CJ, Ornish D, Am J Cardiol. 2005 Sep 15;96(6):810-4.

8. Cardioprotective effects of dietary polyphenols. Zern TL, Fernandez ML, J Nutr. 2005 Oct;135(10):2291-4.

9. Agents in Cardiovascular Diseases: An Update" by Arshad M. Safi, MD,Cynthia A. Samala, RD, Richard A. Stein, MD. Cardiovasc Rev Rep 24(7):381-385,391, 2003. Part 1 and Part 2

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