Natural preparations supporting the treatment of coronary heart disease: a narrative review

Abstract

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is currently the most common cause of death in the world. Diet plays a significant role in the treatment of CHD. The purpose of this review is to present the current knowledge on natural products, including soybeans, garlic, black coffee, tea, and monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as components of the Mediterranean diet and Portfolio diet in supporting the treatment of CHD. A literature search was carried out in a scientific search engine database. Combinations of the following terms were used: “coronary heart disease”, “ischemic heart disease”, and “natural preparation of CHD”. Scientific publications were systematically examined to identify both direct and indirect evidence that met the aims of this review. Only articles that considered human subjects were included. After the selection process, a total of 28 articles were included in the review. The main findings were as follows: Garlic ameliorates the function of the endothelium, blood pressure parameters, and lipid profiles. Coffee improves glucose metabolism and shows antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Tea ameliorates the lipid profile. Monounsaturated fatty acids show antioxidant properties. The Mediterranean diet has antihypertensive and antioxidant properties and reduces inflammation. The Portfolio diet shows lipid-lowering and antioxidant properties. Diet in CHD is an extremely important factor supporting treatment and can significantly modify the parameters of cardiovascular risk. However, there is still a need for more research on the properties of natural products and their health effects.