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Research Says Congestive
Heart Failure Nutrition
Is Vital
Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition has been studied extensively with the conclusion by many researchers that patients with congestive heart failure can benefit- sometimes GREATLY from improved nutrition. Researchers use the word 'malnourished' to describe heart failure patients, and with the increased nutritional demand on the body during such a stressful chronic condition as heart failure, patients are bound to feel better with improved nutrition.
But even though researchers are clear that Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition is important, if you asked most doctors, they would tell you not to eat salt- and that would be the end of it. The while the vast majority of doctors still just do not believe that Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition is important, research clearly shows that they are just plain wrong.
The Causes of Congestive Heart Failure
Researchers even go so far to say that 'micronutrient' deficiencies- meaning vitamins and minerals- are Causes of Congestive Heart Failure in many people. This is ABSOLUTELY correlated with studies showing that micronutrients such as:
- Vitamin D and Heart Failure
- Carnitine and Heart Failure
- Selenium and Heart Failure
are each, individually, PRIMARY CAUSES OF HEART FAILURE in adults and in Congenital Heart Failure in children. Yet doctors almost NEVER look for these causes- DESPITE the multitudes of research supporting their usage.
"Nutritional factors known to be important for
myocardial energy production, calcium homeostasis
and the reduction of oxidative stress,
such as thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine,
L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, creatine and taurine
are reduced in this patient population.
Furthermore, deficiencies of taurine, carnitine,
and thiamine are established primary causes
of dilated cardiomyopathy."
The management of conditioned nutritional
requirements in heart failure
Higher Nutrient Needs
These studies DO show that people with heart failure have lower levels of many nutrients than those who don't have heart failure, but what's more important is that CLEARLY there is an increased need for nutrients in those with heart failure. Heart failure is an EXTREMELY stressful condition, but what most people – including doctors- don't understand is that stress requires and uses up nutrients. In fact, the term 'Oxidative Stress' is used to describe the CELLULAR and biological stress that occurs when a biological being (such as a human) is placed under stressful situations.
In these situations, such as having heart failure, nutrient demands go WAY up. More importantly, nutrients have been shown to counter this oxidative stress time and time again- including studies of heart failure patients in real life situations. And this is why congestive heart failure nutrition is so important. Congestive Heart Failure patients have tons of oxidative stress that are contributing to their ongoing pulmonary edema, their fatigue and their high incidence of Congestive Heart Failure Death.
"A comprehensive restoration of adequate myocyte
nutrition would seem to be essential to any
therapeutic strategy designed to benefit patients
suffering from this disease."
Micronutrient deficiencies an unmet need in heart failure
And what nutrients improve 'Oxidative Stress'; well, 'Anti-oxidants' do! That is also EXACTLY what research has discovered helps Congestive heart failure. Antioxidants such as Lipoic Acid and Selenium- such as are contained in the Alpha Lipoic Acid supplements that I carry- can help congestive heart failure- as well as the energy producers that you will see below.
Increased Cardiac Energy Needs
One of the greatest problems in congestive heart failure nutrition is not so much the oxidative stress, but the decreased levels of cardiac energy that is the RESULT of the stress. You see, the heart muscle- also called the myocardium- has one of the highest energy needs of any muscle in the body. Combine these already high needs with the stress of having to work harder to pump blood and the thickened and enlarged ventricles that occur with CHF, then you have a recipe for a deadly combination of:
- Extremely high nutritional needs
- Decreased energy reserves
- Decreased appetite
Is likely to be leading to the profound fatigue and weakness that most patients experience. This puts you in a downward spiral of weakness, low appetite and worsening nutrition that leads to worsening heart function. Most people with CHF are unable to get out of this downward spiral, but since you are reading this, you will have the missing piece of Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition that can get you out of the spiral and back into living your life again.
Nutrients to Increase Cardiac Energy
Surprisingly, there are MANY nutrients that have been shown to increase cardiac energy function and lead to improvements in quality of life for Congestive Heart Failure patients. These are nutrients that are intimately involved in cellular energy for the heart such as:
- Carnitine and Heart Failure
- Coenzyme Q10 for Heart Failure
And - D Ribose for Heart Failure
These are amazingly important for maximizing the functioning of the heart and can provide it with the energy it needs to function better. Combining these cardiac energy nutrients with antioxidants and good general nutrition could very well get you out of the downward spiral that most congestive heart failure patients get into and are never able to get out of.
"HF is often accompanied by a deficiency in key
micronutrients required for unimpeded energy transfer.
Correcting these deficits has been proposed as a
method to limit or even reverse the progressive
myocyte dysfunction and/or necrosis in HF.
Micronutrient deficiencies an unmet need in heart failure
Nutrients to Help
Smooth Heart Rhythms
There are also nutrients that have been shown that can 'smooth' out the heart rhythms so that the issues of Sudden Death from Heart Failure and abnormal rhythms like Atrial Fibrillation- two HUGE problems with Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition issues. Specifically the Benefits Omega 3 Fatty Acids have as well as a high enough Magnesium Dosage can make a difference in decreasing problem heart rhythms AND in keeping a Normal Potassium Level, which is a consistent problem from all of the Side Effects of the diuretic drugs used!
Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition CAN improve your Heart Failure and quality of life. But we are not simply talking about eating more broccoli. If you want to improve your quality of life, you are going to need to not only significantly change your diet, but you are going to need to also incorporate a significant amount of targeted nutritional supplements into your life until you have 'topped up' your nutrient stores and your state of health is at its 'optimal' levels.
The research is clear that Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition will be VERY likely to help you if you are willing to help yourself because it's not likely that your doctor is going to get this information to you anytime soon- and you may not have the time to wait that long.
Next --->
Causes of Congestive Heart Failure
See Already Answered Questions about Heart Failure Here...
Click below to see already answered questions about heart failure here....
Research on Congestive Heart Failure Nutrition
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