Four Nutrients for Artery Protection

Arteries are muscular tubes inside the body that are connected to all organs and cells in the body to supply oxygenated blood and various nutrients. Consider arteries like important transport routes like roads or railways lines within your body to help in transportation of various nutrients.

Your arteries can become clogged if a healthy lifestyle and dietary intake is not followed. The clogging of arteries initially takes place in the form of plaque, which then gives rise to high cholesterol, leading to a condition called atherosclerosis. This clogging of arteries, if not managed effectively can give rise to heart attack or stroke.

Role of Homocysteine- Homocysteine is an amino acid that is a by-product of a metabolic process (methylation) in the body. Healthier people can effectively breakdown homocysteine. But if it is not metabolized properly, it can build up in artery walls leading to atherosclerosis.

Hyperhomocysteinemia (excess of homocysteine) can also arise from nutritional deficiencies of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. Let’s read on how to derive these nutrients from the diet.

• Folate (Folic Acid- Vitamin B9) – Folate is one of the most important B vitamins and it helps to metabolize homocysteine into methionine. If you do not feed your body with enough folate, it can lead to increased levels of homocysteine. It is recommended to take at least 400 mcg of Folate every day in the diet.
• Get your daily dose of Folate from- Legumes like chickpeas, kidney beans, and black eyed beans, yellow and green pulses. Folate is also found in asparagus, eggs, spinach, beets, citrus fruits, nuts & seeds, and broccoli.
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) – Vitamin B6 is a type of B vitamin and it is an essential cofactor in the metabolism of homocysteine and thus the dietary deficiency of Vitamin B6 can lead to elevated levels of homocysteine and can cause artery problems. Vitamin B6 along with Vitamin B9 can effectively protect artery health and reduce homocysteine levels. Within three weeks of consuming recommended dose of Vitamin B6, homocysteine levels are reported to be reduced by seventeen percent.
• Get your daily dose of Vitamin B6 from- wheat bran, oatmeal, soy beans, eggs, turkey, brown rice, and multigrain bread.
• Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) – Vitamin B 12 is water soluble vitamin which is involved in almost every metabolic function in human body. This vitamin is also responsible for healthy synthesis of of red blood cells and maintenance of the health of the nerve tissues. Chronic vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to anemia and in some cases a permanent damage to the nerves. Like Vitamin B6, cobalamin is also an important co-factor in the metabolism of homocysteine. Many studies have shown an inverse relationship between homocysteine and cobalamin.
• Get your daily dose of Vitamin B12 from- Poultry, milk, shellfish, tuna, eggs, sardines, and trout.
• Trimethylglycine (Betaine)- Trimethylglycine is an amino acid found in beetroots, and spinach. It plays an important role in methylation and reduction of homocysteine levels.

 Over to you

Your circulatory system has more than sixty thousand miles of arteries, veins, and capillaries, put together. That’s enough to travel around the world twice! Take care of your arteries well with the above guidelines, to protect yourself from the risk of coronary artery diseases.