Keep Your Heart and Circulatory System Healthy with Alpha Lipoic Acid

Keep the blood pumping freely with alpha lipoic acid.

Cardiovascular disease includes clogged arteries from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and stroke. It's considered to be a major cause of disability and premature death. ^(iv.80-81)

Research suggests that alpha lipoic acid may be able to help prevent or treat these cardiovascular conditions: ^{(iv.57, 82-88)}

Table IV.10: Cardiovascular Conditions and Risk Factors
Heart Condition	Risk Factors
Atherosclerosis: A condition where plaque (fatty deposits) builds up in arteries. Over time the plaque thickens and calcifies, making the arteries narrower and even blocking them completely. Stress from free radicals makes plaques in arteries unstable. ^{(iv.33, 89-90)} Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of angina and abnormal heart rhythms. It also triggers severe cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart failure. ^(iv.80)	Diabetes. ^(iv.81) Family history. ^(iv.33) High blood pressure. ^(iv.33) High levels of LDL and triglyceride cholesterol. ^(iv.81) Inflammation. ^(iv.91) Insulin resistance. ^(iv.81) Low levels of HDL cholesterol. ^(iv.81) Metabolic syndrome. ^(iv.88) Obesity. ^(iv.33) Smoking. ^(iv.33)
Angina: Sometimes a warning sign of a heart attack, angina pectoris is chest pain coming from the heart. ^(iv.33)	Atherosclerosis in the coronary blood vessels. ^(iv.33)
Stroke: Injury caused by a partial or complete blockage of blood flow to an area of the brain. The return of blood flow can also cause injury. ^(iv.33)	Atherosclerosis in the brain's blood vessels. ^(iv.33) Clot of blood from somewhere else in the body that travels to and causes a blockage of a cerebral artery. ^(iv.33)
Cardiomyopathy: A weakening of the heart muscle that impairs how well the heart pumps blood. ^(iv.33, 48)	Diabetes. ^(iv.58, 86) Infection. ^(iv.33) Overconsumption of alcohol. ^(iv.33) Unhealthy cholesterol levels. ^(iv.48)
Myocardial infarction: Commonly referred to as a heart attack, it's when the heart stops functioning properly. It's usually caused by a sudden blockage of a major artery cuts off blood supply. It can also occur gradually due to atherosclerosis. ^(iv.33)	Abnormal heart rate/rhythm (as measured by number of heartbeats in a minute). ^(iv.33) Atherosclerosis. ^(iv.33) Hypertension. ^(iv.33) Obesity. ^(iv.33) Smoking. ^(iv.33) Thrombosis. ^(iv.33)
Hypertension: Higher than normal level of the pressure of circulating blood. Blood pressure is shown as systolic pressure (when the blood enters the aorta) over diastolic pressure (measured when the heart relaxes between beats). High blood pressure frequently shows no symptoms. ^(iv.33)	Atherosclerosis. ^(iv.88) Metabolic syndrome. ^(iv.88) Inflammation. ^(iv.88) Diabetes and insulin resistance. ^(iv.88)
Dyslipidemia: Unhealthy cholesterol levels in the blood. ^(iv.33)	Dietary fats (high intake of saturated fats tend to raise unhealthy cholesterol levels). ^(iv.33) Diabetes. ^(iv.33) Genetics. ^(iv.33) Obesity. ^(iv.33) Combined with inflammation, unhealthy high cholesterol levels can lead to atherosclerosis. ^(iv.91)
Thrombosis: Clots formed from clumps of excess platelets in the blood vessels or heart. They restrict or block blood flow. Thrombosis is a primary cause of strokes, cardiac arrest, and heart attacks. ^(iv.33)	Diabetes. ^(iv.87, 92) Inflammation. ^(iv.33)

Blood vessels which carry blood out of the heart to the rest of the body. ^(iv.33)

Low density lipoprotein. ^(iv.81)

High density lipoprotein. ^(iv.81)

It's caused by damage to heart tissue that interferes with electrical impulses. ^(iv.33)

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