Antioxidants and Life Style Changes- A Prevention Paradigm for Coronary Heart Disease Patients

Swaran Jit., R.S.Sidhu

Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation of LDL-Cholesterol are the well documented causes of Atherosclerosis vis-à-vis cardiovascular disease. Early risk factor modifications using Flavonoids, Anti-oxidant vitamins, moderate exercise, dietary modification and deep breathing as adjuvant alternative therapies in known Ischemic Heart Disease patients have shown multiple benefits. The prospective controlled trial study done on 73 known Ischemic Heart Disease patients by doing Exercise Tolerance Test on Tread Mill both at baseline and after 9 months of addition of alternative therapy as adjuvant. The results favored improved myocardial functions. Flavonoids were used as alcoholic extract of Terminalia arjuna along with anti-oxidants like Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and selenium in combination. Moderate exercise like walking, gardening, cycling were included along with dietary modification. Deep breathing for 10-20 minutes every day in the morning and evening were also added in experimental group. The improvements were seen in myocardial functions in terms of increased %age of Achieved Target heart rate (85.46±7.86 vs. 89.41± 6.63), decreased recovery time, and improved ST level changes  (-1.84±0.49vs.1.25±0.81) during Exercise Tolerance Test performance after long term (9 months) therapy. There were improvements in dyspnoea scale of NYHA, decreased angina episodes, and improved quality of life. Flavonoids as alcoholic extract of T. arjuna bark and Antioxidant Vitamins were well tolerated. Minimum side effects like headache, decreased appetite were seen in some subjects

Atherosclerosis Antioxidants Flavonoids Coronary artery disease Anti-lipidaemic diet T. arjuna.