Real health care reform

There’s been quite a bit of good news on the benefits of nutritional supplements lately. And since so few mainstream news outlets are willing to share this news, I’m ecstatic to do it. Take a recent study published in the journal Nutrition Research, for example. It showed that increased blood levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and vitamin B6 are associated with a reduced risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

I’ve been testing all my patients for these nutrients for years. Especially those with heart disease or a strong family history of it. And I’m astounded that conventional medical doctors don’t do these tests. (Of course, they wouldn’t know what to do with the results anyway.) With all of this talk of changing health care and reining in costs, the most obvious solutions–like these–are being overlooked. Not in my patients and readers, thankfully. But in the great big outside world.

CoQ10, vitamin B6, and many other nutrients are very inexpensive ways to keep people alive and healthy. And the fact that our medical system doesn’t take advantage of these things is almost criminal.

But, I digress.

In this particular study, researchers found that patients who had a higher level of coenzyme Q10 (at least 516.0 nmol/L) or vitamin B-6 (at least 59.7 nmol/L) were at significantly lower risk of CAD.

CoQ10 is an antioxidant found in every cell in your body. And it’s one of the best heart supporting supplements you can take. I recommend 300 mg per day.

In addition to CAD, CoQ10 helps with angina, high blood pressure, and many other cardiovascular concerns. It’s also been studied for its cognitive-supporting benefits as well as its potential anti-aging effects.

CoQ10 likely lowers CAD risk by helping combat oxidative stress that can damage the heart and arteries.

And vitamin B6 helps your body process and use the CoQ10. Plus, when you take it along with vitamin B12 and folic acid, it also helps decrease homocysteine–another important marker of heart disease. You can get vitamin B6 in any multivitamin, but the dose is usually too low to make much of an impact. I recommend taking a separate B-100 complex that includes the other two cardiovascular-protecting B-vitamins I mentioned above.

Source:
“A significant correlation between the plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B-6 and a reduced risk of coronary artery disease,” Nutrition Research 2012; 32(10): 751-756