ABC's of Heart Health

Linus Pauling, one of the great scientific mavericks of the 20th century, spoke at a health conference in 1993. At that time, the lively 92 year-old, who was a two-time Nobel Prize Laureate and recipient of more than 40 honourary degrees, entertained an overflow crowd with a talk called Vitamin C and Heart Disease.

He said that he was introduced to the simple yet powerful vitamin by biochemist Irwin Stone in 1966. Five years later he wrote a paper, which was very controversial at that time, called Vitamin C and the Common Cold. He then boldly went on to champion Vitamin C for serious illnesses including heart disease and cancer.

One of the great misfortunes of human evolution, Pauling explained, was when our ancestors lost their ability to manufacture Vitamin C. Pauling thought the trait was probably discarded at a time when humans had a steady diet of fresh, fruits and vegetables and didn't need to produce vitamin C themselves. This left humans as one of the few animals that must get it through diet.

The other animals are gorillas, guinea pigs and fruit bats! Gorillas and guinea pigs instinctively forage constantly for vitamin C-rich plant food. And fruit bats, well, why do you suppose we them call them fruit bats? Ever since humans migrated away from tropical habitats, they suffered deficiencies.

Pauling said our vitamin C consumption should be on par with what other animals produce by themselves, 10 to 12 grams a day; the RDA minimum is currently only 60 milligrams. (He practiced what he preached, gradually upping his daily dose to 18 grams!)

According to Pauling, the vitamin prevents illness due to its role in manufacturing collagen, the protein that helps make connective tissue and the walls of blood vessels. He was convinced that vitamin C can help prevent cardiovascular disease, stopping disease-promoting lesions that form on blood vessel walls. Vitamin C is the link to healthy blood vessels, Pauling said, and is supported by studies of scurvy, the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, which is marked by the breakdown of collagen. Half of patients who die of scurvy do so because of ruptured blood vessel walls. When their bodies run out of Vitamin C, it's only a matter of time until the wall of collagen breaks down, cracks open, and they bleed to death.

At the lecture, Pauling discussed Vitamin C's connection with lipoprotein(a), a substance linked to cardiovascular disease and a major part of plaque found in blood vessels of atherosclerosis patients. Certain fats in the blood have the ability to plug the leaks caused by lack of vitamin C by forming a kind of plaster cast (plaque). These fats are known as cholesterol, lipids, and the most prevalent, lipoprotein(a). He asserted that lipoprotein(a) tries to strengthen blood vessel walls by coating them if there isn't adequate vitamin C in the diet. He felt lipoprotein(a) was more of a factor in heart disease than cholesterol, which is similarly used by the body to coat the walls. The coating narrows them, eventually causing blockages, heart attacks and strokes.

Instead of cholesterol-lowering (statin) drugs, blood thinners, calcium beta-blockers and high blood pressure medications, Pauling believed strongly in a natural way to cure heart disease, which he was convinced was caused by malnutrition. (None of these drugs lower lipoprotein(a) blood levels, by the way.)

He created a formula that was patented for halting and even reversing cardiovascular disease. This therapy included megadoses of Vitamin C, of course, but it also included supportive B Vitamins including Vitamin B3 (niacin), B6, B12, and folic acid.

A deficiency of vitamin B6, folic acid, or vitamin B12 may increase your level of homocysteine, an amino acid normally found in your blood. There is evidence that higher homocysteine is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke because it damages coronary arteries or makes it easier for blood cells to clump together and form a clot. Foods such as fortified breakfast cereals, salmon, chicken, bananas, garbanzo beans and many vegetables contain these B vitamins.

Those on certain medications, having gastrointestinal disorders, or who are elderly often have limited absorption of B vitamins, so may have a deficiency, and strict vegetarians may be particularly deficient in vitamin B12 (mainly found in animals foods). Studies found that vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid supplements decreased homocysteine levels in people with vascular disease, but trials are underway to determine if they can also lower risk of heart disease. Niacin (vitamin B3) lowers lipoprotein(a) similar to vitamin C, decreasing its production in the liver. When Pauling died in 1994, he knew that cardiovascular disease would continue to rise in epidemic proportions. It remains the leading cause of death by disease in the developed world. In the US and Canada, every other person will die of vascular heart disease, including young people. Every year, $100 billion is spent on vascular heart disease in the US, $10 billion spent on coronary bypass operations, an inappropriate procedure for many heart patients. If the answer was as simple as taking a few common, inexpensive vitamins, would the medical industry accept and prescribe them?

By Michelle Kwon

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