Micronutrients are potent substances that can impact several body mechanisms, including the thyroid, brain, and longevity as a whole.
But the influence of nutrition doesn’t stop there. Micronutrients play a role in the development of one of the most common—and fatal—diseases we grapple with: cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Micronutrient deficiency can lead to pathogenesis, progression, and morbidity in various disorders, including cardiovascular diseases.
However, excess micronutrients can be just as harmful when it comes to heart health.
In this article, we’ll discuss the link between micronutrients and cardiac health, including deficiency and excess, and explore breakthrough research from the Vibrant Lab Team that emphasizes this relationship.
Micronutrients play many roles in the body, contributing to energy production, hemoglobin synthesis, bone health maintenance, adequate immune function, and protection against oxidative stress and cellular damage.
As with many other body systems, micronutrients can impact cardiovascular health. However, this relationship is complex.
Many micronutrients are known to enhance cardiac health, including calcium, selenium, zinc, and vitamin D.
For example, calcium is crucial for the heart muscle to function properly and plays a key role in the contraction and relaxation of heart muscle cells.
However, despite certain nutrients' benefits on cardiac health, just how many micronutrients play a role, and the scope of their impact, is not well-known and requires further analysis.
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, with their prevalence increasing over recent decades.
Cardiovascular diseases refer to disorders of the heart and blood vessels and include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and others.
So, what causes cardiovascular disease?
CVD development is complex and is generally attributed to a combination of genetic predispositions interacting with environmental factors.
Many aspects of modern society take a toll on our heart health, such as industrialization and the shift from physically active to sedentary jobs.
Other relevant culprits include a lack of physical activity and intake of a high-calorie diet, saturated fats, and sugars.
All of these factors are associated with the development of atherosclerosis and other metabolic conditions like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and hypertension, which are highly prevalent in people with CVD.
Further, more than 40% of cardiovascular disease cases are related to nutritional factors, and more than 90% of those are attributed to preventable factors, with nutrition as a major determinant.
Thus, nutrition and micronutrient intake have a significant effect on cardiovascular health.
“Profiling the effect of micronutrient levels on vital cardiac markers” is a 2023 study published in medRxiv.
The goal of this study was to analyze the relationship between a wide range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, trace elements, organic compounds, and serum levels of key lipids and lipoproteins (markers of cardiovascular health) including cholesterol (total, LDL, HDL), triglycerides, apo A, apo B, and Lp (a).
The study specifies a total of 32 micronutrients, including 13 vitamins, 9 minerals, and 8 amino acids.
Researchers tested 358 healthy individuals using the Cardiac Health and Micronutrient panels at Vibrant America Clinical Laboratory to assess the correlation between cardiac markers and micronutrient levels.
The Results
The results revealed that vitamins D, E, and K, minerals zinc, iron, calcium, and magnesium, and amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine had a significant impact on levels of several cardiovascular markers.
Increased serum levels of Vitamin E, Vitamin D3, and magnesium correlated with increased total and LDL cholesterol, both risk factors for CVD.
Various micronutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin D 25(OH), vitamin E, vitamin K1, and amino acids such as glutamine, serine, isoleucine, valine, and leucine, were linked to high levels of serum triglycerides, which are also risk factors for CVD.
Further, lower levels of serum Apo A (a component of HDL or “good cholesterol”) were associated with lower serum levels of vitamin E, vitamin D3, asparagine, and minerals such as calcium, zinc, and iron.
Overall, the study revealed micronutrients’ potential to be both beneficial and detrimental to heart health, depending on their levels.
For example, optimal levels of vitamin D might be beneficial by reducing total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, but high doses of vitamin D supplements can cause irregular heartbeat and raise blood calcium levels, which can lead to heart failure.
Additionally, an increase in vitamin E might interfere with blood clotting, leading to hemorrhagic stroke, but vitamin E below the reference range results in acute heart muscle damage.
The study’s results specifically reveal that an overdose of fat-soluble vitamins could negatively impact heart health by affecting serological biomarkers.
At the same time, both deficiency and excess of various micronutrients lead to a significant increase in cardiovascular disease risk due to dysregulation of lipid and lipoprotein markers.
Thus, to optimize cardiac health, it’s essential to maintain a balance of micronutrient levels and avoid both deficiency and overload.
The Vibrant America study on micronutrients and cardiac health markers demonstrated a strong relationship between major groups of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids and markers of heart health. However, this doesn’t mean that higher levels of micronutrients lead to a healthy heart.
Micronutrients must strike a delicate balance in the body to do their jobs effectively.
To avoid over or under-dosing, it’s important to understand exact micronutrient needs through precision testing like the Micronutrient panel.
The Micronutrient panel directly measures the intra- and extracellular nutrient status of common vitamins, minerals, co-factors, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and more.
This allows you to create personalized nutrition and supplementation plans for patients, ensuring they get the correct amount of nutrients for their bodies.
NutriProZ
If you’re looking for an advanced nutrition program for patients, the NutriProZ Longevity Program uses lifestyle, genetics, and cellular micronutrient levels to create supplements that target your patients’ individual needs.
With NutriProZ, your patients will receive a lifestyle assessment and genetic testing to pinpoint lifestyle factors and genetic predispositions that may be impacting nutrient absorption and status.
Additionally, they’ll get micronutrient testing to determine current nutrient status.
Patients will then receive a custom supplement providing the nutrients they need in the forms best suited for them.
NutriProZ takes provides insight into not just what micronutrients your patients are lacking, but why and which processes are responsible for malabsorption.
The NutriProZ Longevity Program utilizes precision testing to assess exactly which nutrients, and in what forms, your patients require so they can receive just the right amount—without under or overdosing.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the most preventable chronic disorders and account for about one-third of general mortality globally.
Adopting a lifestyle centered around nutrition and lifestyle changes can play a huge role in preventing cardiovascular and many other diseases.
As with most things in life, the key is identifying individual needs to achieve and maintain optimal balance.
“Profiling the effect of micronutrient levels on vital cardiac markers”
About the Author: Hari Krishnamurthy is the Director of Biomedical Engineering at Vibrant Labs. He strives to use his background in semiconductors and microchips to make a meaningful impact on healthcare.
Regulatory Statement:
The general wellness test intended uses relate to sustaining or offering general improvement to functions associated with a general state of health while making reference to diseases or conditions. This test has been laboratory developed and its performance characteristics determined by Vibrant America LLC and Vibrant Genomics, a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory performing the test. The lab tests referenced have not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although FDA does not currently clear or approve laboratory-developed tests in the U.S., certification of the laboratory is required under CLIA to ensure the quality and validity of the test