Revitalize Your Heart Health, One Cell at a Time

Your heart muscle is easily the hardest working organ in your body—and there’s no debating the dire importance of keeping it healthy. There is, however, debate over just how resilient your heart really is… and recent research is offering some promising conclusions that may add a whole new dimension to your current heart health strategy.

While researchers once thought of the heart as having only one shot at staying healthy, emerging evidence indicates that adult myocardial tissue does have the ability to revitalize its own cell populations several times in a lifetime.^1-2 And this cellular growth may play an active role in supporting your heart, especially when its health is at stake.³

Luckily, ensuring strong heart cells is as simple as furnishing them with the nutrients they need to thrive. Ubiquinol, for example, is the reduced form of coenzyme Q10, high levels of which are associated with peak cardiovascular function.^4-5 Ubiquinol is known to play numerous roles in supporting heart health, not least of all in its capacity as a powerful antioxidant—but unfortunately, your body produces less and less of it as you age.⁶ That’s why supplementing with a combination of high-quality ubiquinol (like CoQ10-H2™) and heart healthy Krill Oil—as found in CP’s oMega Heart™—remains one of the smartest moves you can make.

Other nutrients that benefit heart tissue include amino acids such as taurine, which supports free-flowing arteries and balanced blood pressure, while modulating intracellular calcium concentration and protecting heart cells from toxins.^7-9 L-arginine, meanwhile, helps to widen blood vessels for balanced blood pressure and vascular health.¹⁰ L-carnitine, another vital amino acid, plays an essential role in cellular energy production.¹¹

Botanical extracts, including hawthorn and salvia, can also nurture cardiovascular health, having been shown to improve exercise tolerance, boost circulation, and support the heart during times of suboptimal function.^12-13 Studies indicate that these two plants, along with a botanical compound called forskolin, are able to protect cardiomyocytes from free radicals and promote the health of your heart muscle cells—which is why you’ll find all of these critical heart-nourishing compounds combined in CP’s Cardio Health Formula.^14-17

Since fueling your cells with abundant ATP plays such a crucial role in daily heart function, supplementing with D-Ribose—a natural sugar molecule that serves as an ATP building block—can boost your heart’s energy while improving blood flow through the coronary arteries.^18-19 The mineral magnesium—featured in CP’s Opti-Mag—also supports heart cell health by maintaining healthy membrane polarity, supporting healthy heart rhythm, and ensuring peak vascular tone and ample blood flow.^20-21

References:

1. Torella D, Ellison GM, Méndez-Ferrer S, et al. Resident human cardiac stem cells: role in cardiac cellular homeostasis and potential for myocardial regeneration. Nat Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med. 2006 Mar;3 Suppl 1:S8-13.

2. Kajstura J, Urbanek K, Perl S, Cardiomyogenesis in the Adult Human Heart. Circ Res. 2010 Jun 3. Published online ahead of print.

3. Quaini F, Cigola E, Lagrasta C. End-stage cardiac failure in humans is coupled with the induction of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and nuclear mitotic division in ventricular myocytes. Circ Res. 1994 Dec;75(6):1050-63.

4. Ho MJ, Bellusci A, Wright JM. Blood pressure lowering efficacy of coenzyme Q10 for primary hypertension. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Oct 7;(4):CD007435.

5. Langsjoen PH, Langsjoen AM. Supplemental ubiquinol in patients with advanced congestive heart failure. Biofactors. 2008;32(1-4):119-28.

6. Kumar A, Kaur H, Devi P. Role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in cardiac disease, hypertension and Meniere-like syndrome. Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Dec;124(3):259-68.

7. Xu YJ, Arneja AS, Tappia PS. The potential health benefits of taurine in cardiovascular disease. Exp Clin Cardiol. 2008 Summer;13(2):57-65.

8. Szymanski K, Winiarska K. Taurine and its potential therapeutic application Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2008 Feb 25;62:75-86.

9. Ghosh J, Das J, Manna P, Sil PC. Taurine prevents arsenic-induced cardiac oxidative stress and apoptotic damage: role of NF-kappa B, p38 and JNK MAPK pathway. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2009 Oct 1;240(1):73-87.

10. Guttman H, Zimlichman R, Boaz M. Effect of Long-Term L-Arginine Supplementation on Arterial Compliance and Metabolic Parameters in Patients with Multiple Cardiovascular risk Factors: Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2010 Jun 7. Published online ahead of print.

11. Kendler BS. Carnitine: an overview of its role in preventive medicine. Prev Med. 1986 Jul;15(4):373-90.

12. Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD005312.

13. Chan TY. Interaction between warfarin and danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). Ann Pharmacother. 2001 Apr;35(4):501-4.

14. Esmaeili MA, Sonboli A. Antioxidant, free radical scavenging activities of Salvia brachyantha and its protective effect against oxidative cardiac cell injury. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Mar;48(3):846-53.

15. Ling S, Luo R, Dai A, Guo Z, Guo R, Komesaroff PA. A pharmaceutical preparation of Salvia miltiorrhiza protects cardiac myocytes from tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis and reduces angiotensin II-stimulated collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. Phytomedicine. 2009 Jan;16(1):56-64.

16. Li P, Wang J, Lu S, Fu J, Liu J. [Protective effect of hawthorn leaf procyanidins on cardiomyocytes of neonatal rats subjected to simulated ischemia-reperfusion injury] [Article in Chinese]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2009 Jan;34(1):96-9.

17. Lindner E, Metzger H. The action of forskolin on muscle cells is modified by hormones, calcium ions and calcium antagonists. Arzneimittelforschung. 1983;33(10):1436-41.

18. Wagner S, Herrick J, Shecterle LM. D-ribose, a metabolic substrate for congestive heart failure. Prog Cardiovasc Nurs. 2009 Jun;24(2):59-60.

19. Pauly DF, Pepine CJ. D-Ribose as a supplement for cardiac energy metabolism. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Oct;5(4):249-58.

20. Shechter M. Magnesium and cardiovascular system. Magnes Res. 2010 Jun;23(2):60-72.

21. Faghihi M, Sukhodub A, Jovanovic S. Mg2+ protects adult beating cardiomyocytes against ischaemia. Int J Mol Med. 2008 Jan;21(1):69-73.