Lysine & Heart Disease

Heart disease is a general term for many conditions affecting the heart, including conditions such as heart valve disease, pericardial disease, heart failure, arrhythmia and congenital heart disease.

Diseases of the heart are the most prevalent cause of death in the United States. With so many people at risk, learning about the risk factors, symptoms and treatments is vital for a person's health.

One treatment that is non-invasive and preventative is lysine, an amino acid. It has been studied for its preventative ability and may be an important asset to combat heart problems, especially in combination with vitamin C.

Identification

• Atherosclerotic plague is the term for cholesterol (fat) deposits on blood vessel walls. An important discovery was made by researchers that one type of cholesterol, the lipoprotein(a), called the Lp(a) is the primary reason for atherosclerotic plaque. Lp(a) is created by the liver. It is termed sticky, allowing it to attach to the vessel walls while also attracting deposits such as LDL cholesterol, fibrinogen and calcium.

  When blood vessels are weak, the Lp(a) attaches to the weak points. Over time, this cholesterol builds up and eventually leads to a heart attack.

Discovery

• Dr. Linus Pauling, a chemist, believed that Lp(a) was created by evolutionary adaptation in humans. He learned that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is present in almost all living organisms, plants and animals, with a few notable exceptions such as primates and guinea pigs, as well as humans. Humans and these animals are also the only ones that produce sticky Lp(a) cholesterol.

  All other animals create vitamin C--anywhere from 3,000 mg to 12,000 mg depending on the size of the animal. Animals kidneys or livers convert sugars (sucrose) into vitamin C, which moves into the animal's bloodstream.

  Pauling and Dr. Matthias Rath, a heart researcher, theorized that Lp(a) buildup is created by low levels of vitamin C. Using the theory that animals that create their own vitamin C have very little arterial problems, Pauling recommended that people take vitamin C up to hundreds of times greater than the 60 mg recommended daily allowance. However, Pauling discovered that lysine plays an equally important role.

Significance

• Understanding vitamin C's role and learning about the Lp(a) adhesion to artery walls, Pauling realized that increasing lysine in the bloodstream allows Lp(a), with the sticky protein, to bind with the lysine molecules and not build up.

  Pauling and Rath experimented and determined that a combination of vitamin C and lysine would increase the strength of blood vessels, stop the Lp(a) molecules from attaching to arterial walls, reduce Lp(a) levels and prevent scurvy (lack of vitamin C). This became known as the Pauling/Rath Unified Theory.

Solution

• In 1994, Pauling and Rath patented their idea. The patent claims that lysine, vitamin C along with the antioxidants vitamin E, A and Co-Q10 can stop Lp(a) from attaching to arterial walls. They later added proline to the mixture as it has similar traits. The key to the theory is to use quantities well above U.S. Drug Administration recommendations, upward of hundreds of times greater.

  Dr. Michael Lam, MD, MPH, recommends a daily intake of 1 to 10 grams of vitamin C, 1 to 5 grams of lysine and 1 to 2 grams of proline to combat cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion

• A combination of lysine, vitamin C and proline along with other beneficial amino acids and antioxidants can be obtained from health food stores. Although these supplements are natural and are available in pills or capsules, seek qualified holistic practitioners or medical doctors to administer mega-dose injections.