The notion that high cholesterol causes heart disease has allowed doctors to write millions of prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins that can reduce the risk of it. That seemingly indisputable notion has long suffered from an inconvenient fact: Half the people who have a heart attack don't have high cholesterol. So, increasingly, doctors have flagged inflammation within the cardiovascular system as the culprit in these cases-an idea that has gained

Ribose is a naturally occurring sugar made in the body from glucose and is an essential component of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the compound that stores and delivers energy in all cells. Ribose also occurs in RNA (ribonucleic acid), one of the main information-carriers of living organisms. Because ATP is rapidly used by muscles in high-intensity workouts and because RNA is important in protein synthesis, ribose supplements and energy drinks containing ribose are being

Glycine Propionyl L-Carnitine (gPLC) is a new, supercharged form of the established supplement carnitine. GPLC heralds a potential breakthrough in the treatment of cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks, angina and myocardial ischemia (insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle). Not only that, but this ground-breaking product is also proving to be particularly beneficial for those who exercise vigorously as it helps boost energy levels. There is also evidence

Hypertension is the most common chronic disease in older women and a significant risk factor for stroke, heart attack, congestive heart disease, and kidney disease. Beginning at age 50, hypertension is more common in women than in men and even more so in black women. Heart disease and stroke remain the first and third leading causes of death, respectively, in the United States.

The most recent national recommendations define incipient hypertension at

Fat Phobia

The 1980's and 90's were the heyday for "fat-phobia." These days, informed consumers know otherwise - that powerful health benefits are associated with the addition of specific fat supplements to the diet. Among the most crucial of the dietary fats are the omega-3 essential fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Extensive medical research

Excess fibrin can lead to heart attack, stroke, senile dementia.

The protein fibrin is a critical player in a wide array of metabolic reactions. On the one hand, it is essential to wound healing as fibrin is released to initiate coagulation that seals off the injury site. On the other hand, fibrin release also coats the inner walls of blood vessels to protect them from random particles in the blood and to smooth vascular walls to

Angina is a painful condition not always confined to the heart. A blocked femoral artery can decrease the amount of blood and oxygen destined for leg muscles and cause severe leg pain during even the most modest exercise. Called intermittent claudication, this condition is often misdiagnosed as sciatica or lower back arthritis. An Italian study published in The American Journal of Cardiology shows that taking

For almost a decade, researchers have understood that oxidized LDL plays a critical role in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Animal experiments show that antioxidant supplements inhibit atherosclerosis, while epidemiologic studies link high intake of antioxidants, especially vitamin E, with reduced risk of heart disease.

Because it is water soluble, vitamin C is one of the most effective

The word hypertension brings to mind images of stressed-out stockbrokers shouting in the bidding den. In reality, the term doesn't refer to nervous tension, but rather to arterial blood under excessive pressure, hence the common name, high blood pressure. Arterial blood pressure has two measurements. The first, called systolic pressure, represents the force against the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. The second, called diastolic pressure,

• FACT #1 - Heart disease is the largest killer of American men and women.
• FACT #2 - Homocysteine, a toxic amino acid, is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, more so than cholesterol.
• FACT #3 - Homocysteine can be drastically reduced by nutritional supplements.

Recent research indicates that methylation plays a significant role in the aging process and is related to many diseases including cancer, heart