Supplements and your cardiac hearlth

As you know, I am a big believer in the power of
taking targeted nutritional supplements—for heart
health, and your health in general. This is true no
matter how healthy your diet may be.
Unfortunately, though, not everyone realizes the
power of nutritional supplements. For example, an
old fraternity buddy of mine used to rib me when I
first began recommending nutritional
supplements. But after a heart attack and bypass
surgery, he woke up and joined the more than
50% of Americans who take dietary supplements.
Now, a new study shows that nutritional
supplements are not only good for your heart
health, but your wallet as well. In a study
published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements ,
researchers at Frost & Sullivan looked at expected
hospitalization costs for people ages 55 and older
with coronary heart disease (CHD)—a group that’s
considered at “high risk” for heart related
hospitalizations.
Then, they examined 170 studies in two vitamin
categories, omega-3s and B-vitamins—projecting
out the expected savings in heart-related
hospitalizations if everyone in this high risk group
took therapeutic doses of these vitamins from
2013 to 2020.
The Power of These Nutritional
Supplements Spoke for
Themselves:
Taking B-vitamins (folic acid, B6, and
B12) at therapeutic doses would save an
average of $1.52 billion per year in
cardiac related hospitalizations from
2013 to 2020. After subtracting out the
cost of the B-vitamins, the cumulative
net savings would be $5.23 billion.
Omega-3s taken at therapeutic doses
would save an average of $2.06 billion
per yea r from 2013-2020—netting $3.88
billion in cumulative healthcare savings
after factoring in the cost of the
omega-3s.
With savings this staggering, I can’t help but
wonder how much additional benefit would have
been realized if people with congestive heart
failure, and those awaiting heart transplants, took
the “ Awesome Foursome ”: Coenzyme Q10
(CoQ10), L-Carnitine, Magnesium, and D-ribose.
I’ve seen the incredible power of these
supplements for myself.
Back in the day before learning about the power of
the “Awesome Foursome,” I was able to get one
man off of the heart transplant list with high-dose
CoQ10 alone. Also, the mother of my son’s high
school football teammate was able to take herself
off of the heart transplant list after taking these
same nutrients.
But while saving on healthcare dollars is
important, the human benefit is even more
critical. No one wants to be sick, hospitalized, and
living in fear of secondary health concerns like
kidney problems, nosocomial infections, and
debilitating illness.
I've given you some pointers in the past about
how to talk to a physician who doesn’t believe in
the power of nutritional supplements. Now, there
is even more evidence that the money you spend
to stay healthy, whether by taking targeted
nutritional supplements, eating organic foods, and
exercising is truly helping.
Let's face it—a healthier life is a happier life. In
fact, the researchers’ final recommendations were
music to my ears, “…targeted dietary supplement
regimens are recommended as a means to help
control rising societal health care costs, and as a
means for high-risk individuals to minimize the
chance of having to deal with potentially costly
events and to invest in increased quality of life."