Micronutrients for a healthy heart

Morning, noon, evening, night, from midnight to midnight, around the clock, without a break - your heart is working for you all the time. So it's a good idea and only fair to support your heart to the best of your ability. For example, with a healthy, micronutrient-rich diet. You can read here which micronutrients are particularly valuable for your heart and what this has to do with a lorry.

Supplements for a healthy heart

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Vitamin B1 and magnesium for the heart

Micronutrients help to control countless biochemical processes in the body - including muscle contraction, heartbeat and energy metabolism. Two very important micronutrients for the heart are ...

• Vitamin B1: The B vitamin supports normal heart function. Among other things, it is important for the transmission of nerve impulses and energy metabolism, for example in heart muscle cells. 
• Magnesium: This mineral also supports energy metabolism. Magnesium is also important for the heart, as the body needs it for normal muscle function. Magnesium helps the muscles in the heart to work properly and ultimately pump the blood.

Mediterranean diet: the cornerstone of a healthy heart

A Mediterranean diet is considered one of the best diets for the heart. It can help to strengthen and protect the heart.

In a Mediterranean diet, hardly any animal-based foods such as dairy products and meat are eaten. Instead, it consists of many plant-based foods: Vegetables, fruit, pulses, herbs and cereals make up the majority. In addition to high-quality carbohydrates, proteins and micronutrients, a Mediterranean diet provides many secondary plant substances. Well-known plant substances are OPC and resveratrol from grapes and polyphenols from olives.

A Mediterranean diet also focuses on high-quality fats: olive oil, nuts and fish contain long-chain fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acids.

Coenzyme Q10 - lots of energy for a healthy heart!

The vitamin-like substance coenzyme Q10 is also important. The body can theoretically produce it itself. However, from the age of 20, coenzyme 10 production steadily decreases, meaning that we are less well supplied.

Coenzyme Q10 is an important component of the mitochondria - the energy powerhouses of the cells. They produce energy from food components. Particularly large amounts of coenzyme Q10 are found in organs that require a lot of energy.

Our heart in particular is dependent on a smooth energy metabolism: it beats around 100,000 times every day. To do this, it generates so much energy every day that a lorry could drive 32 kilometres on it. An astonishing and respect-inspiring fact - this achievement should motivate everyone to do everything they can for the health of their heart.

Literature

German Heart Foundation (2023): Have you heard? Amazing facts and figures about the heart.
https://herzstiftung.de/system/files/2023-06/HB0223-fakten-herz.pdf 
Estruch, R. et al. (2028): Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. N Engl J Med. 378(25):e34.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29897866/ 
Fadnes, L. T. et al. (2023): Life expectancy can increase by up to 10 years following sustained shifts towards healthier diets in the United Kingdom. Nat Food. 4(11):961-965.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37985698/ 
Gröber, U. (2011): Micronutrients. Metabolic Tuning - Prevention - Therapy. 3rd ed. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Stuttgart. Jimenez-Torres, J. et al. (2021): Mediterranean Diet Reduces Atherosclerosis Progression in Coronary Heart Disease: An Analysis of the CORDIOPREV Randomized Controlled Trial. Stroke. 52(11):3440-3449.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34372670/ 
Rabanal-Ruiz, Y. et al. (2021): The Use of Coenzyme Q10 in Cardiovascular Diseases. Antioxidants (Basel). 10(5): 755.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8151454/ 
Sanches Machado d'Almeida, K. et al. (2018): Mediterranean Diet and Other Dietary Patterns in Primary Prevention of Heart Failure and Changes in Cardiac Function Markers: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 10;10(1):58. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29320401/
Federal Statistical Office (2023): The 10 most frequent deaths from cardiovascular diseases. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Gesundheit/Todesursachen/Tabellen/sterbefaelle-herz-kreislauf-erkrankungen-insgesamt.html
Wang, J. et al. (2023): Healthy lifestyle in late-life, longevity genes, and life expectancy among older adults: a 20-year, population-based, prospective cohort study. Lancet Healthy Longev. 4(10):e535-e543. 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37804845/