Do What You Can to Prevent Heart Disease

Heart disease is the #1 killer in this country, and for many people a heart attack is the first symptom of the disease. The good news is you can absolutely prevent cardiovascular disease, even if you’re at high risk, and you don’t need powerful prescription drugs or surgery to accomplish this. Here’s what you can do:

1) Eat a Low-Fat Diet: Numerous studies have shown that a low-fat diet not only helps prevent heart disease, but can also help reverse it. I recommend a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and legumes, along with moderate amounts of lean protein. You should also avoid overly processed foods, too much red meat, refined sugars and starches, margarine, and excess salt.

2)  Keep Your Homocysteine in Check: High homocysteine levels are a primary contributor to heart disease. B-complex vitamins do a great job of combatting homocysteine. Aim for 800 mcg folic acid, 150 mcg vitamin B12, and 75 mg vitamin B6 daily. You can also add trimethylglycine (TMG) to your supplement regimen. The recommended dose is 1,000 mg daily. Look for these supplements in your local health food store.

3) Avoid Vitamin C Deficiencies: The late Linus Pauling, PhD, discovered a link between vitamin C deficiency and heart disease. If you have a family history of heart disease or have been diagnosed with this condition, I suggest building up to a daily intake of 3,000-6,000 mg, divided into two or three daily doses.

4) Protect Your Arteries From Free Radical Damage: Vitamin E helps protect your arteries from free radical damage—including free radicals from cholesterol particles. To significantly reduce your risk of heart attack, I recommend taking 300-800 IU of vitamin E daily.

5) Reduce Stress on Your Heart: Magnesium has many functions, one of the most important being that it relaxes the muscles of the artery walls and reduces stress on the myocardium, or heart muscle. To prevent a magnesium deficiency, you need a minimum of 500-1,000 mg per day.

Now it’s your turn: What are you doing to prevent heart disease?

You may also be interested in:

Ribose Makes Exercising Easier

Treat Diabetic Complications