Medical Questions » Heart Questions » Question No. 1313
| Question: | There is a history of heart attacks in my family. Can I do anything with my diet to lessen my risk? |
| Answer: | By far the biggest contributor to heart disease is diet plus lifestyle factors, such as smoking and exercise. But it is certainly true that some people genetically inherit a predisposition to heart attacks. This is linked to the two arterial toxins that you don' t want to have too much of - lipoprotein(a) and homocysteine.
Of these two, homocysteine is probably the most important. One in 10 people inherit a predisposition to having high levels of homocysteine because the
enzyme (MTHFR) that clears homocysteine from the system doesn' t work-so well. The MTHFR enzyme depends on an intake of vitamins B6, B12 and folic
acid, and another nutrient called TMG. (Of lesser importance are zinc, magnesium and vitamin B2.) People with this condition therefore need more B6,
B12, folic acid and TMG to keep their homocysteine levels normal. Lipoprotein(a) can be lowered by taking vitamin C.
My advice, if you have a family history of heart attacks but no symptoms, is to have your homocysteine level measured. If it is above 6 units then supplement more of these vitamins. The website www.thehfactor.com tells you how much to supplement depending on your level. If you have symptoms, I' d also recommend testing your cholesterol and lipoprotein(a)1evel and upping your vitamin C intake to 3g a day if high. |
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