A New Era in Medicine

Matthias Rath M.D.

Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 1993, 8:134-135

The Ice Age – Cardiovascular Disease Connection

My discovery of the Ice Age – vitamin deficiency – cardiovascular disease connection will eventually lead to the eradication of heart attacks, strokes and related cardiovascular diseases.2,3 Starting 2.5 million years ago the Ice Ages dramatically influenced the gene pool of the human race. Blood loss through the vitamin deficient and scorbutic vascular wall was the greatest threat to the evolutionary survival of man. Inherited disorders leading to cardiovascular and related diseases became Nature’s response to protect the vessel wall during thousands of generations of extreme vitamin deficiency. The Ice Age – Cardiovascular Disease Axiom says: “Inherited disorders leading to thickening of blood vessel walls or protecting the vessel wall in another way during vitamin deficiency originated during the Ice Ages or were greatly favored during that time. These diseases can be prevented and treated by optimum intake of vitamins, particularly vitamin C.”

The Ice Age – cardiovascular disease connection invalidates the term disease for heart attacks, strokes and related cardiovascular disorders and defines them as conditions caused by nutritional deficiencies. The same is true for many other inherited disorders leading to a general thickening of body tissues including the walls of the blood vessels. These disorders also had an evolutionary advantage because they protected our ancestors from the fatal consequences of vitamin deficiencies. Based on these discoveries the following disorders could also be eradicated: diabetes, homocystinuria, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, lupus erythematosus and dozens of other diseases. The details of this discovery are discussed in my new book.

Eradicating Heart Disease

The eradication of heart disease is a realistic goal. Based o the discoveries above and on growing scientific evidence accumulated over the years I developed nutritional recommendations for optimum cardiovascular health. Hundreds of patients are already following these recommendations. Their amazing testimonials are important elements of the book:

Cessation of angina pectoris within one or two weeks Cessation of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) within days a Cessation of shortness of breath Increase in physical and mental strength

These effects are achieved by nutritional supplements reversing impaired blood flow to the heart muscle as well as improving metabolism of millions of heart cells. The most important among these nutrients are vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, lysine, proline, coenzyme Q10, carnitine as well as certain minerals. Particular emphasis in the book is given to my earlier discoveries of the therapeutic effect of ascorbate, lysine and related compounds in neutralizing the risk from lipoproten(a).5 Moreover, a new therapeutic mechanism is described by which lysine and proline, together with other essential nutrients, decrease the “atherosclerotic tumor” in the vascular wall caused by smooth muscle cells. Based on my earlier discoveries, my former colleague Linus Pauling has gratefully undertaken the task to document the therapeutic value of lysine in combination with ascorbate.6,7 In case histories he reported the decrease of angina pectoris in patients taking five grams and more of vitamin C and lysine for several months. While these results are encouraging they also show the limitations of a therapeutic approach based on two components: five to ten times higher amounts of supplements and a longer time are needed to bring relief to the patient. The recommendations documented in my new book take nutritional medicine one step further towards a comprehensive nutritional resupplementation for optimum cardiovascular health. The immediate and profound health improvements even in patients with a variety of severe heart conditions prove these recommendations most effective for the treatment of different heart diseases and related conditions. These recommendations stand any comparison with prescription drugs in the therapy of angina pectoris, arrhythmia, hypertension, heart failure as well as for the prevention of diabetic vascular disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

A Personal Chronology

My earlier publications in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine triggered repeated interest in the history of these discoveries. Thus, a brief personal chronology may be in order: In 1987, after having discovered the lipoprotein(a)-vitamin C connection I recommended vitamin C supplementation to an individual with high lipoprotein(a) levels. This marks the first therapeutic attempt to lower elevated blood concentrations of this risk factor by using vitamin C.8,9 During my research project at Hamburg University I used L-lysine and synthetic lysine analogs to isolate lipoprotein(a) from blood and from arterial walls. This suggested the therapeutic use of lysine and synthetic lysine analogs5, a therapeutic technology for which I recieved patents in the meantime.. In early 1990, after the prominent role of lipoprotein(a) in human atherosclerosis was established 10, I came to the United States to work on the physiologic role of lipoprotein(a) as well as to pursue my earlier therapeutic discoveries. My scientific discoveries over the year were primarily published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine and I had generally invited my former colleague Linus Pauling to join me as co-author. In September 1992 I founded my own research firm to further promote research and education in nutritional medicine.

For the Benefit of Humanity

My discoveries summarized in my new book open the door to eliminate heart attacks, strokes and dozens of related disorders in future generations of mankind. While these discoveries are gratifying small steps for an individual scientist, they could become giant steps in the service of humanity.

References

1. Rath M. (1993) Eradicating heart disease. San Francisco. This book has now been replaced by “Why Animals Don’t Get Heart Attacks – But People Do!”

2. Rath, M., Pauling, L. (1992) A unified theory of human cardiovascular disease leading the way to the abolition of this disease as a cause for human mortality. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 7: 5-15.7.

3. Rath M. (1992) Solution to the puzzle of human evolution. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 7: 73-80.

4. Rath M. (1992) Reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease with nutritional supplements. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 7: 153-162.

5. Rath M and Pauling L. (1991) Solution to the puzzle of human cardiovascular disease: Its primary cause is ascorbate deficiency, leading to the deposition of lipoprotein(a) and fibrinogen/fibrin in the vascular wall. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 6: 125-134.

6. Pauling L. (1991) Case report: Lysine/ascorbate-related amelioration of angina pectoris. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 6: 144-146.

7. McBeath M, Pauling L. (1993) A case history: lysine/ascorbate-related amelioration of angina pectoris. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 8: 77-78.

8. Rath M and Pauling L. (1990) Hypothesis: Lipoprotein(a) is a surrogate for ascorbate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 87: 6204-6207.

9. Rath M. (1992) Lipoprotein-a reduction by ascorbate. Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 7: 81-82.

10. Rath M, Niendorf A, Reblin T, Dietel M, Krebber H-J, and Beisiegel U. (1989) Detection and quantification of lipoprotein(a) in the arterial wall of 107 coronary bypass patients. Arteriosclerosis 9: 579-592.