Heart Disease & Hypertension: Vitamin Therapy for a Healthy Heart

Heart Disease and Hypertension is a must-read book for everyone. In this book, author Bryant Lusk does an amazing job of explaining, in the most basic terms, the biology behind coronary heart disease and how it links to hypertension. The simple diagrams and descriptions help the reader to understand how the cardiovascular system works and even touches on something that many people don’t know about, the endothelium. The book is broken down into sections on heart disease and the difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest and then delves into food, vitamins, minerals, and some of the heart-relevant amino acids and how they work together in our bodies. Also included in the book are chapters with information on liver health, obesity, thyroid function, and how sleep, stress, and anxiety affect us. These are all connected to heart health. In the chapters on the individual micronutrients, not only does Lusk say what each supplement does, but he also describes the difference in types of each one. For example, which magnesium is the most bioavailable? He also describes their interactions which I felt most other books and information sources do not do. Lusk gives examples of specific brands of high-quality vitamins and minerals and debunks the articles saying that no one needs a multivitamin. He writes that balance is the key much as it is with anything in life.

This book will be an eye-opener to most people who read it. The format of the book is wonderfully done and Lusk’s easy-to-read and comprehend writing is refreshing. Throughout the book, he gives both sides to the argument and ultimately gives you his reasons for choosing a particular method. With anecdotal advice strewn in here and there, Lusk reaches the perfect balance of information-giving and opinion-giving. One of the biggest takeaways of this book are the supplement schedules he has created for different age groups. This will make supplement taking easy for people and take the guesswork out of what to take and when.

I recommend Heart Disease and Hypertension to anyone who wants to keep or get their or their loved ones heart-healthy. This is a book that can be read by all ages. The more we understand our bodies, the more we can do to keep them healthy.