SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 20, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study authored by Matthias Rath, M.D. and his colleagues proves that regular supplementation with micronutrients can safely and effectively reduce the frequency and severity of arrhythmic episodes. Results of the study were published in the November 2005 issue of JANA, Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association.
Arrhythmic episodes affect 30-60 percent of people between the ages of 50-70. These episodes involve irregular heartbeat, a frightening experience causing dizziness and shortness of breath and carrying a risk of a sudden cardiac event. In most cases, conventional medicine cannot explain why arrhythmia develops and drugs used to address this problem carry severe side effects.
This study, conducted in Germany, involved 131 patients aged 18-70, who had been diagnosed with paroxysmal atrial arrhythmia. Participants were advised to continue prescribed medication and were treated with either an essential nutrient formulation or a placebo during the 24-week study.
Analysis of data demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of clinically apparent arrhythmic episodes with vitamin/essential nutrient supplementation that improved with time: 45.5% of the group experienced frequent arrhythmic episodes after three months of taking supplements, while only 27.3% of the group experienced them after six months of taking supplements. In addition, the vitamin-supplemented group had a statistically significant decrease in depression compared with patients following the drug regimen only.
The study was based on the biochemical fact that a deficiency of essential micronutrients impairs cellular bio-energy production and can lead to disturbances in the generation and conduction of electrical impulses in the wall of the heart. "By addressing the underlying cause of arrhythmia, a deficiency in nutrients that generate bio-energy in the heart muscle cells, the nutritional program provides a safe and effective reduction of arrhythmic episodes," the study states.
The study results were corroborated by another recently published study in the August 2005 European Heart Journal, "The effect of micronutrient supplementation on quality-of-life and left ventricular function in elderly patients with chronic heart failure" by Klaus K.A. Witte, et al. This study's findings showed significant health benefits of micronutrient intake in patients suffering from heart failure.
Because conventional medicine doesn't recognize the deficiency of bio-energy in the heart muscle as the primary cause of arrhythmia, it can only offer symptomatic treatments such as pacemakers, cauterization procedures and anti-arrhythmic pharmaceutical drugs that merely mask symptoms. All these treatments come with severe side effects. Anti-arrhythmic drugs frequently worsen the irregular heartbeat, cause cardiac arrest and sometimes cause the premature deaths of patients.
The JANA study was entitled "Reduction in the Frequency of Arrhythmic Episodes in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Arrhythmia with a Vitamin/Essential Nutrient Supplementation Program," and was authored by Matthias Rath, M.D., Tatiana Kalinovsky, MSRN, and Aleksandra Niedzwiecki, Ph.D.
JANA is edited by Mark Houston, the clinical professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School and Medical Director at Hypertension and Vascular Biology Institute and the Life Extension Institute at Saint Thomas Hospital and Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The Dr. Rath Research Institute offers innovative, safe and effective natural solutions to heart disease. To learn more, visit www.drrathresearch.org.