Obviously, if you want to protect your heart, you have to be sensible about the food choices you make. Your nutritional health is very important. Consider your vitamin B6 intake, for example. Vitamin B6 has been clinically considered to help prevent heart disease and atherosclerosis. One reason is that it reduces levels of homocysteine, which can cause arteries to harden and usher in cardiovascular problems. Vitamin B6 also helps reduce the risk of blood clots and lowers blood pressure a bit. A mild deficiency of vitamin B6 is pretty common; it’s probable that well over half the population doesn’t get enough of this vitamin.
Researchers at the Verona School of Medicine in Verona, Italy, set out to investigate the link between vitamin B6 intake and cardiovascular disease. They mention that, while a significant vitamin B6 deficiency is uncommon in clinical practice, increasing evidence suggests that a marginal vitamin B6 deficiency is quite common and is related to an increased risk of inflammation-related diseases.
The researchers confirmed that ample evidence substantiates the theory of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory disease, and low plasma vitamin B6 concentrations have been related to increased CVD risk. Furthermore, the researchers noted after conducting a review that the inverse association observed between inflammation markers and vitamin B6 supports the notion that inflammation may be the common link between low-vitamin-B6 status and CVD risk. They concluded that a mild vitamin B6 deficiency characterizes, in most cases, a subclinical at-risk condition in inflammatory-linked diseases such as heart disease, which should be addressed by an “individually-tailored” nutritional preventative therapy.
To build your own preventative therapy against cardiovascular disease, boost your nutritional health by adding these healing foods: tuna, bananas, chicken, and turkey. Also consider taking a B-complex vitamin supplement.