All concepts, explanations, trials, and studies have been
re-written in plain English and may contain errors. I am
not a doctor
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The Heart's Nutritional Needs

Several specific "nutritional" shortcomings have been seen
in heart failure patients:

1) reduced level of L-carnitine
2) reduced level of CoQ10
3) reduced level of creatine
4) reduced level of thiamine
5) reduced level of taurine

The first 4 are important for providing the heart muscle
with the energy it needs. Taurine is an amino acid that is
needed for calcium balance in cells - calcium is essential
to proper heart beating.
	Deficiencies of carnitine or taurine alone are well
known to cause dilated cardiomyopathy. All these
deficiencies can be corrected with supplements. However,
there has been no broad-based study of supplementation in
CHF.
	In one study we showed reduced levels of carnitine,
taurine, and CoQ10 in the hearts of hamsters with late-stage
cardiomyopathy.
	In another study of hamsters with late-stage
cardiomyopathy, we randomized hamsters to either a placebo
diet or a diet with supplements of taurine, CoQ10, carnitine,
thiamine, creatine, vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium.
Three months of these supplements improved heart cell
structure, pressures, and +dp/dt and -dp/dt.
	We also measured carnitine, taurine and CoQ10 levels
in biopsies taken from failing human hearts. These levels
corresponded to heart function (the lower the level, the
weaker the heart's function).
	A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
of a supplement containing these nutrients was given for 30
days. Biopsies then taken showed that levels of the nutrients
were restored to normal. Left ventricular end-diastolic size
also reduced in these people's enlarged hearts.
	These studies show that restoring nutrient levels to
normal through supplements may benefit heart failure patients.

Title:   Conditioned nutritional requirements: therapeutic
         relevance to heart failure.
Authors: Sole MJ, Jeejeebhoy KN. University of Toronto, Canada.
         michael.sole@uhn.on.ca.
Source:  Herz. 2002 Mar;27(2):174-8.
PMID:    12025462.