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Harvard Heart Letter | July 2008
Heart beat
Air pollution fails the heart; vitamins may help
Sitting
in traffic puts a strain on the heart. Living near it is even worse. In
a new study of people with heart failure, those whose homes were close
to a major roadway were more likely to have died over a five-year
period than those who lived away from traffic (Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2008).
In
studies like this, it’s hard to point the finger at any single culprit.
Exhaust spewing from the tailpipes of cars, trucks, and buses almost
certainly plays an important role. It carries particles small enough to
evade the lung’s filters and get drawn deep into the lungs. Breathing
in these particles can worsen heart failure or trigger heart attacks.
Getting enough vitamin B6, vitamin B12,
and the amino acid methionine may somehow counteract the impact of
these tiny particles. In a study of more than 500 elderly men, adequate
intake of these nutrients offset air pollution’s harmful effects on
heart rate variability, a measure of heart health (Circulation, April
8, 2008).
Since this is the first study to suggest that vitamin B6, vitamin B12,
and methionine offer some protection against exhaust-related heart
disease, don’t rush out and buy megadoses of these nutrients. Instead,
add to your daily diet heart-healthy foods that are also rich in these
nutrients. Good sources include many ready-to-eat cereals (pick
whole-grain kinds for an extra boost for the heart), shellfish, salmon,
sardines, broccoli, avocados, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, pumpkin
seeds, sesame seeds, and lentils.
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