I have a family history of heart disease; my brother had a heart attack at 66 years of age. Are there any vitamins I can take to reduce my risk for heart disease? I’ve heard a lot about antioxidants. Can they help?"
- Scott (Yorba Linda)
Can antioxidants help prevent heart disease?
First of all, what are antioxidants?
- Antioxidants are substances found naturally in many foods that reduce damage caused by unstable molecules or atoms, also known as free radicals.
How do free radicals cause damage?
- Free radicals occur naturally as byproducts of chemical reactions that take place in our bodies. However, exposure to pollution, cigarette smoke and sunlight can increase the number of free radicals.
- Free radicals can damage tissues, cell membranes and DNA, which may lead to certain cancers and other diseases.
The role of antioxidants
- Antioxidants help to stabilize free radicals and prevent them from doing damage.
Food sources of antioxidants |
|
Type of antioxidant |
Foods |
Beta carotene |
Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash cantaloupe, pumpkins, apricots, mangos, collard greens, spinach and kale |
Lycopene |
Tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon, guava and papaya |
Vitamin A |
Liver, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, egg yolks, kale and spinach |
Vitamin C |
Citrus fruits, broccoli, bell peppers, strawberries and tomatoes |
Vitamin E |
Almonds, asparagus, avocado, wheat germ, olives, spinach, nuts, seeds, kiwi and vegetable oils |
Antioxidants and heart disease
- It is believed that free radicals contribute to plaque build-up in blood vessel walls, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Since antioxidants help to stabilize free radicals, much research has been done to evaluate antioxidant supplement use in preventing heart disease.
- Antioxidants in foods are known to have health-promoting properties. However, it is uncertain whether or not antioxidant supplements offer the same health-promoting benefits.
- In some studies, taking high levels of antioxidant supplements have been found to have harmful effects.
Therefore, the safest bet is to get your antioxidants from nutritious foods, rather than supplements, in preventing heart disease.
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