Ca/Mg; food ingredients; cholesterol reduction; healthy diets vs. supplements

[Guest guest]

Hi All, 1, Calcium decreases and magnesium increases blood pressure, 2,

food phytochemicals are listed in an available PDF, 3, a PDF is also

available that demonstrates that cholesterol reduction is good for many

things in pigs, which are a good model for humans who are also omnivores, I

think, and 4, this is a nice PDF-available article on healthy diets versus

vitamin C supplements, the most taken supplement on heart disease risk. For

4, I also included a part of the introduction from the paper to put things

in perspective with regard to how the healthy endothelial vasculature

impinges on the risk. One relevant available as PDF recent paper is

included last.

Cheers, Al.

1, Calcium decreases and magnesium increases blood pressure. Although it

looked at brain, I imagine salts get there fine. I take calcium chloride by

the way. It is low sodium.

1. Opposite effects of calcium and magnesium on the central blood pressure

regulation in the spontaneously hypertensive rats.

“……The systolic blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (male,

13-week-old) was decreased by calcium chloride (100 microg/rat) and

increased by magnesium chloride (20, 100 or 500 microg/rat). The depressor

response induced by calcium was inhibited by magnesium chloride in a

dose-dependent manner. Combining these results with those previously

reported, it is suggested that magnesium inhibits the ability of calcium to

reduce blood pressure through calmodulin- and dopamine-dependent functions

in the brain.”

PMID: 11488441 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2, Food phytochemicals are listed in an available PDF. It is very detailed.

2. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 15, No. 4, August 2002, pp.

419-434.

Food Composition Databases for Bioactive Food Components

A. T. Pennington

3, A PDF is also available that demonstrates that cholesterol reduction is

good for many things in pigs, which are a good model for humans who are also

omnivores, I think. In the wild I suppose rodents eat insects and things if

they can.

3. Cardiovascular Research

Volume 56, Issue 1, October 2002, Pages 135-144

“porcine……..Conclusions: Cholesterol lowering induced coronary plaque

stabilization as evidenced by a decrease in lipids, ox-LDL, macrophages,

apoptosis and cell proliferation.”

4, This is a nice PDF-available article on healthy diets versus vitamin C

supplements, the most taken supplement on heart disease risk. For 4, I also

included a part of the introduction from the paper to put things in

perspective with regard to how the healthy endothelial vasculature impinges

on the risk. One relevant available as PDF recent paper is included last.

It gets into the question of supplements and their benefits, compared with

eating well again and well, I thought.

4. Cardiovascular Research

Volume 56, Issue 1, October 2002, Pages 118-125

Effects of a `healthy' diet and of acute and long-term vitamin C on vascular

function in healthy older subjects

“……..forearm blood flow in subjects aged 57-80 years. Responses to

cumulative intra-arterial doses of the endothelium-dependent dilator

bradykinin (BK; n=56; 20, 40, 80 pmol/min) and the nitric oxide donor

glyceryl trinitrate (GTN; n=54; 4, 8, 16 nmol/min), were determined alone

and in the presence of vitamin C (25 mg/min). We then randomised 54 subjects

to a `healthy' diet (n=18), vitamin C (1 g/day; n=18) or placebo for 6 weeks

and reassessed endothelial and smooth muscle function.

Results: Acute intra-arterial vitamin C did not alter dilatation to BK or

GTN. Similar increases in plasma vitamin C occurred on oral vitamin C (83±4

to135±8 mol/l) and `healthy' diet (84±5 to135±27 mol/l; P<0.01 for both),

with no change seen on placebo. Treatment with a `healthy' diet but not oral

vitamin C improved endothelium-dependent (P=0.043) and

endothelium-independent dilatation (P=0.011).

Conclusions: A `Mediterranean-type' diet rich in vitamin C improves vascular

function. Neither acute intra-arterial nor sustained administration of oral

vitamin C improves vascular function in healthy older subjects.

………Introduction

Aging is an important independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Endothelial dysfunction associated with reduced bioactivity of nitric oxide

(NO) occurs in patients with cardiovascular risk, and might be a common

pathway [1] by which risk factors may contribute to progression of

atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease [2, 3, 4, 5 and 6]. In humans,

aging is associated with reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in the

coronary [7] and forearm vasculature [8, 9 and 10] even in the absence of

other cardiovascular risk factors.

A key mechanism for age-related endothelial dysfunction and increased

cardiovascular risk is increased oxidant stress, with increased

concentrations of reactive oxygen species leading to reduced activity of NO

[3]. Plasma concentrations of endogenous anti-oxidants, including vitamin C

are reduced in elderly subjects and are inversely associated with the

incidence of cardiovascular events [11]. These data suggest that reduced

vitamin C (or other dietary antioxidants) in the elderly might contribute to

increased oxidative stress, reduced NO activity and cardiovascular disease.

Studies of administration of intra-arterial vitamin C in the forearm in

subjects with cardiovascular risk factors other than age have reported

increased endothelium-dependent relaxation in forearm resistance vessels [2,

3, 4, 5 and 6]. In addition, Taddei et al. [12] have reported that

intra-arterial vitamin C improves endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in

elderly subjects (n=12). However, these studies investigated the effects of

single doses of vitamin C to achieve supraphysiological concentrations.

Whether improved endothelial function can be achieved using clinically

useful oral doses of vitamin C remains to be determined.

……..

11. K.T. Khaw, S. Bingham, A. Welch et al., Relation between plasma ascorbic

acid and mortality in men and women in EPIC¯Norfolk prospective study: a

prospective population study. European Prospective Investigation into Cancer

and Nutrition. Lancet 357 (2001), pp. 657¯663.”

Alan Pater, Ph.D.; Faculty of Medicine; Memorial University; St. 's, NF

A1B 3V6 Canada; Tel. No.: (709) 777-6488; Fax No.: (709) 777-7010; email:

apater@...