Cause: Often caused by high cholesterol and elevated triglyceride levels.

Useful Supplements: Chondroitin sulfate, Evening Primrose Oil, Folic Acid, Octacosanol, Quercetin, Resveratrol, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E.

Useful Herbs: Bilberry, Butcher’s Broom, Fenugreek, Fo-ti, Garlic, Ginger, Ginkgo biloba, Guggul, Hawthorn, Licorice Root, Psyllium, Rosemary, Turmeric.

Further information: Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, is a common disorder in which fat, cholesterol, and other deposits appear on the walls of arteries. As these deposits grow, they can diminish the elasticity of the arteries and interfere with blood flow. In addition, blood clots can form. These problems manifest as chest pains, often resulting in a heart attack as well.

There are many things which lead to a higher likelihood of atherosclerosis: smoking, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, and a family history of heart problems. A low fat, low cholesterol diet appears to help prevent hardening of the arteries. Regular exercise is also helpful.

Even if atherosclerosis has already been detected, healthy lifestyle changes can prevent it from causing further damage to the body.¹

The following supplements and herbs have been shown to help in the prevention and treatment of arteriosclerosis:

Antioxidants, as a class, are an excellent method of dealing with buildup of LDL ("bad cholesterol") in the system. Vitamin E has been shown to prevent heart disease², and to prevent LDL from causing further damage³. Vitamin C, in doses of approximately 1 gram daily, has also been shown to help protect the body against LDL.⁴

Chondroitin sulfate has been shown to prevent atherosclerosis,⁵ and may even help prevent further complications when atherosclerosis has already been detected.⁶

Evening Primrose Oil has been shown to lower cholesterol levels when taken in doses of at least 4 grams daily.⁷

When taken as a group, Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 have been shown to help lower HCL levels.⁸ Higher levels of these three nutrients are often seen in patients with low levels of HCL.⁹ In some cases, the addition of a daily dose of betaine is needed before HCL levels reduce.¹⁰ Different amounts of each nutrient have been used in various studies; it is probably best to consult with a physician about the proper dosage.

Quercetin is also effective in protecting against LDL damage.¹¹ Quercetin is found in apples, onions, and black teas, but may not be present in sufficient quantities to show a therapeutic result.¹² Its use as a supplement has had greater success in protection against LDL. ^13,14

Resveratrol, another antioxidant, has been shown to help blood vessels remain open and allow blood flow by reducing the propensity of platelets to stick to each other.¹⁵ Resveratrol is commonly found in red wines; hence, the recommendation by many doctors that patients have a glass or more of red wine weekly.¹⁶

Selenium has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease in general.¹⁷ Further research is still needed, however; ask your doctor for his recommendation.

The most useful herbs for lowering LDL levels appear to be Fenugreek, Garlic, Guggul, and Psyllium. Garlic shows the most potential, as it is greatly effective in lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels.¹⁸ In addition, Garlic improves the elasticity of blood vessel walls, lowers the propensity of platelets to stick to each other,^19,20,21 and reduces blood pressure. Various dosages have been used in studies,^22,23 but it appears clear that Garlic is highly effective at the treatment and prevention of heart problems.

Psyllium, like Garlic, has been shown to reduce triglyceride levels,²⁴ as have Fenugreek²⁵ and Guggul²⁶ .

Ginkgo acts in several ways: it increases blood circulation²⁷ and also helps to reduce the stickiness of platelets.²⁸

Other herbs shown to help prevent the clumping of platelets include Ginger²⁹, Turmeric³⁰, and Bilberry³¹.

Hawthorne has been shown to help increase circulation, especially to the heart.³² Butcher’s Broom appears to have the same effect.³³

Licorice Root also works as an antioxidant, and has been shown to help lower LDL levels.³⁴

References:

¹Ornish D, Brown SE, Scherwitz LW, et al. Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary heart disease? Lancet 1990;336:129–33.
²Stephens NG, Parsons A, Schofield PM, et al. Randomised controlled trial of vitamin E in patients with coronary disease: Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS). Lancet 1996;347:781–86.
³Belcher JD, Balla J, Balla G, et al. Vitamin E, LDL, and endothelium: Brief oral vitamin supplementation prevents oxidized LDL-mediated vascular injury in vitro. Arterioscler Thromb 1993;13:1779–89.
⁴Frei B. Ascorbic acid protects lipids in human plasma and low-density lipoprotein against oxidative damage. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;54:1113S–18S.
⁵Morrison LM, Branwood AW, Ershoff BH, et al. The prevention of coronary arteriosclerotic heart disease with chondroitin sulfate A: Preliminary report. Exp Med Surg 1969;27:278–89.
⁶Morrison LM, Enrick NL. Coronary heart disease: Reduction of death rate by chondroitin sulfate A. Angiology 1973;24:269–82.
⁷Horrobin DF, Manku MS. How do polyunsaturated fatty acids lower plasma cholesterol levels? Lipids 1983;558–62.
⁸Ubbink JB, Hayward WJ, van der Merwe A, et al. Vitamin requirements for the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in humans. J Nutr 1994;124:1927–33.
⁹Selhub J, Jacques PF, Wilson PW, et al. Vitamin status and intake as primary determinants of homocysteinemia in an elderly population. JAMA 1993;270:2693–98.
¹⁰Franken DG, Boers GHJ, Blom HJ, et al. Treatment of mild hyperhomocysteinemia in vascular disease patients. Arterioscler Thromb 1994;14:465–70.
¹¹Ronzio RA. Antioxidants, nutraceuticals and functional foods. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients Oct 1996:34–35 [review].
¹²Hertog MGL, Sweetnam PM, Fehily AM, et al. Antioxidant flavonols and ischemic heart disease in a Welsh population of men: the Caerphilly Study. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65:1489–94.
¹³Hertog MGL, Feskens EJM, Hollman PCH, et al. Dietary antioxidant flavonoids and risk of coronary heart disease: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Lancet 1993;342:1007–11.
¹⁴Knekt P, Jarvinen R, Reunanen A, Maatela J. Flavonoid intake and coronary mortality in Finland: a cohort study. BMJ 1996;312:478–81.
¹⁵Bertelli AA, Giovanninni L, Bernini W, et al. Antiplatelet activity of cis-resveratrol. Drugs Exp Clin Res 1996;22(2):61–63.
¹⁶Pace-Asciak CR, Rounova O, Hahn SE, et al. Wines and grape juices as modulators of platelet aggregation in healthy human subjects. Clin Chim Acta 1996;246(1–2):163–82.
¹⁷Salonen JT et al. Association between cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction and serum selenium in a matched-pair longitudinal study. Lancet 1982;ii:175.
¹⁸Neil HAW, Silagy CA, Lancaster T, et al. Garlic powder in the treatment of moderate hyperlipidaemia: A controlled trial and a meta-analysis. J R Coll Phys 1996;30:329–34.
¹⁹Barrie SA, et al. Effects of garlic oil on platelet aggregation, serum lipids, and blood pressure. J Orthomol Med 1987;36(4);766-8.
²⁰Kiesewetter H et al. Effect of garlic on thrombocyte aggregation, microcirculation and other risk factors. Int J Pharm Ther Toxicol 1991;29(4):151–54.
²¹Kiesewetter H, Jung F, Mrowietz C, et al. Effects of garlic on blood fluidity and fibrinolytic activity: A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Br J Clin Pract Suppl 1990;69:24–29.
²²Ernst E, Garlic and blood lipids. British Medical Journal 1985; 291:139.
²³Warshafsky S, et al. Effect of garlic on total serum cholesterol. Ann Internal Med 1993; 119: 599-605.
²⁴Olson BH, Anderson SM, Becker MP, et al. Psyllium-enriched cereals lower blood total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, but not HDL cholesterol, in hypercholesterolemic adults: Results of a meta-analysis. J Nutr 1997;127:1973–80.
²⁵Sharma RD, Raghuram TC, Dayasagar Rao V. Hypolipidaemic effect of fenugreek seeds. A clinical study. Phytother Res 1991;5:145–47.
²⁶Singh K, Chander R, Kapoor NK. Guggulsterone, a potent hypolipidaemic, prevents oxidation of low density lipoprotein. Phytother Res 1997;11:291–94.
²⁷Brown DJ. Herbal Prescriptions for Better Health. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1996, 119–28.
²⁸Braquet P, Touqui L, Shen TS, Vargaftig BB. Perspectives in platelet activating factor research. Pharmacol Rev 1987;39:97–210.
²⁹Bordia A, Verma SK, Srivastava KC. Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraceum L) on blood lipids, blood sugar, and platelet aggregation in patients with coronary artery disease. Prostagland Leukotrienes Essential Fatty Acids 1997;56:379–84.
³⁰Srivastava KC, Bordia A, Verma SK. Curcumin, a major component of food spice tumeric (Curcuma longa) inhibits aggregation and alters eicosanoid metabolism in human blood platelets. Prost Leuk Essen Fat Acids. 1995;52:223–27.
³¹Pulliero G, Montin S, et al. Ex vivo study of the inhibitory effects of Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) anthocyanosides on human platelet aggregation. Fitoterapia 1989;60:69–75.
³²Mavers VWH, Hensel H. Changes in local myocardial blood flow following oral administration to a Crataegus extract to non-anesthetized dogs. Arzneim Forsch 1974;24:783–85.
³³Felix W, Schmidt Y, Nieberle J. Protective effect of Ruscus extract against injury of vascular endothelium and vascular smooth muscle caused by ethracrynic acid. Int Angiol 1983;3:77.
³⁴American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997; 66(2).