These ‘Micronutrients’ Support Your Heart Health the Best, Study Finds …C0NTINUE READING HERE >>>
Key Takeaways
A new study found that certain micronutrients can improve cardiovascular health by regulating oxidative stress and inflammation.However, there are also risks to getting too much of a certain vitamin and mineral, which is more likely to happen if you use supplements.Experts say the best way to get micronutrients is to eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet that contains plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats, and whole grains.
Your health is closely tied to the choices you make in your day-to-day life, and that’s especially true when it comes to having a healthy heart. Regular exercise, enough quality sleep, and not smoking are a few of the most well-known “heart-healthy” lifestyle practices.
“Heart healthy” is also a buzz phrase that gets thrown around when talking about popular diets, too. And that makes sense because what you eat can have a powerful positive or negative effect on your heart. While you usually hear about specific foods or food groups, some researchers are looking a little deeper at the heart-nutrition link.
According to new research, intake of essential vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) is a key part of the link between diet and cardiovascular health. But which micronutrients support your heart best? And are any potentially harmful? Here’s a breakdown of what the researchers found and what experts have to say about micronutrients for heart health.
What Are Micronutrients?
“Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that support life but can’t be made endogenously by humans,” Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, a senior scientist and leader of the cardiovascular nutrition team at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, told Verywell.
In simpler terms, that means that your body can’t make these nutrients, so you have to get them through the foods you eat, or supplements if you can’t get enough through diet alone.
Micronutrients are different from macronutrients. The main reason you need macronutrients is because they provide calories, which your bodies need for energy. Micronutrients, on the other hand, are essential substances your body needs to perform all kinds of functions. If you don’t get enough of specific vitamins and/or minerals, certain bodily processes may not work as well.
Do Micronutrients Help Your Heart?
The researchers started by forming a hypothesis. They posited the main reason micronutrients are believed to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease is because of their ability to regulate oxidative stress and inflammation. Those negative factors may come from a diet that is not nutritious enough, a lack of exercise, stress, and some genetic factors.
Oxidative stress can then trigger plaque to form in the arteries. As plaque builds up, it can reduce the blood supply to vital organs such as the brain and heart. Over time, this can lead to serious health consequences like heart attacks and strokes.
The bigger question was, if certain micronutrients could potentially help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, does that mean that they could also help prevent cardiovascular disease?
While the authors of the study concluded that “micronutrients play significant roles in cardiovascular health through mechanisms involving inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial function” and that “certain micronutrients, such as calcium, zinc, vitamin D, and selenium, show promise in supporting cardiovascular health,” they also noted some important exceptions in their research.
Based on their review, the evidence “does not support the routine use of vitamin supplements for reducing cardiovascular risk.” They also noted that excessive levels of certain vitamins and minerals “may pose risks.”
Getting too much of a micronutrient is less likely to happen if you’re eating nutrient-rich foods and is more often the result of taking supplements. To that end, the researchers also felt that their overall conclusion highlighted “the need for balanced micronutrient intake through diet rather than supplementation.”
Still, they did find some evidence of a few specific vitamins and minerals that could support cardiovascular health—and experts agree that these micronutrients are key players.
Best Vitamins for Heart Health
The researchers called out vitamin D as being indispensable to cardiovascular health. A food food source of vitamin D is fatty fish, like salmon.
They also noted that “folic acid alone reduced the incidence of stroke, as did folic acid supplementation with B6, and B12.”
Melissa Ann Prest, DCN, MS, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Verywell that vitamins C, E, and B (including folic acid), B6, B12, and beta carotene also play an important role in heart health.
“Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants, and B vitamins help to lower high levels of homocysteine, which has been associated with increased heart disease risk,” said Prest.
Best Minerals for Heart Health
Calcium, zinc, and selenium topped the study’s list of heart-healthy minerals.
Selenium and zinc are thought to play a role in reducing cardiovascular risk because they regulate inflammation and oxidative damage. As an antioxidant, zinc prevents the formation of free radicals, which can harm cells and induce degenerative diseases. Both can be found in fish and meat.
Prest added that potassium, magnesium, and calcium can also keep blood pressure in check—an important heart disease risk factor.
How to Get More Micronutrients
While there are many supplements on the market, Kimberly Snodgrass, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and renal care coordinator, told Verywell that she’s a huge proponent of getting vitamins and minerals from your diet. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s often easier. And it also can help prevent overconsumption of specific micronutrients, which can have negative effects.
You can get most of the micronutrients you need from your food. Prest recommends eating a diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean cuts of meat and poultry, fish and seafood, and healthy fats like nuts and seeds. For example, zinc can be found in beef, veal, pork, lamb, cereals, grains, fish, vegetables, nuts, milk, and certain dairy products.
“If you are concerned that your diet does not have enough variety or is low in fruits and vegetables, think of at least one way to make a smart swap or add in a fruit or vegetable,” said Prest.
Lichtenstein said that there are no benefits to consuming micronutrients above the required amounts. And as pointed out by the study, overconsumption can have adverse effects, depending on which micronutrient is involved. For example, the researchers noted that “niacin and antioxidants were linked to an increased risk of death from any cause.”
While rare, vitamin D toxicity is a potential consequence of over-supplementation that can lead to constipation, confusion, and high calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcemia).
There’s no magic age to start consuming more micronutrients to support your health. Prest said the key is to build health-supporting eating habits and minimize your consumption of overly processed foods at every age. In general, heart-healthy habits will go a long way in preventing cardiovascular disease as you age, and nutrition is just one part of that lifelong journey.
What This Means For You
Certain vitamins and minerals may support your heart health, but it’s best to get them through your diet instead of supplements. While the research is still not totally clear about which micronutrients are the best, an overall nutritious diet and heart-healthy lifestyle will go a long way in preventing cardiovascular disease.
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