Mercury and Cardiovascular Disease: Cause and Effect?

We all know from the massive industries that have grown up around pharmaceuticals such as statins and 'functional foods' such as cholesterol-reducing margarines and yoghurts, that elevated blood cholesterol levels are our sworn foe and to be defeated at all costs. That, in short, cholesterol will kill us unless vigorously suppressed.

This notion is based upon the rather simplistic version of cardiovascular disease causation that goes something like this: The fat we eat will clog, block and dislodge from within our arteries causing strokes and heart disease.

It sounds plausible. So plausible in fact that not only most lay people, but most doctors believe it to be true. But what if we have it all backwards? What if the big guns of pharmacology are pointing in the wrong direction whilst the real perpetrator of the massive slaughter from cardiovascular disease remains unidentified in the shadows?

For this is exactly what I propose.

To say that cholesterol causes heart disease is a little like saying that paramedics cause accidents. If you investigate cardiovascular disease you may well find elevated cholesterol levels in much the same way as you might find paramedics at the scene of an accident. But just like the paramedics, the cholesterol was not the cause of the event, but an attempt to rectify the situation. Trying to prevent and suppress the body's cholesterol response (because the vast majority of cholesterol is produced by the liver and is not dietary in origin) is like cordoning off accidents to prevent the appearance of paramedics when actually your efforts should be directed towards preventing the accidents themselves. 

Have we not only fingered the wrong culprit but are we effectively trying to kill the paramedic?

Have we, in essence, got it all wrong about cardiovascular disease?

Well, that dietary fat-cholesterol-heart disease theory of causation is the children's version in my opinion. The grown-up version is a little more complex and takes more than one sentence to explain. The rest of this article, in fact. However, I happen to believe it is the truth so the extra effort involved in understanding the causation of this disease that has a one in three chance of killing you prematurely may be well rewarded.

What I am suggesting is that the real cause of cardiovascular disease is the chronic mercury poisoning that we mostly acquire from our dental amalgam fillings. As it happens, many of the processes that lead to cardiovascular disease were initially intended to protect us from attacks from without. However, like the Trojan horse - the problem is now within the gates and comes from the burden of toxic and heavy metals - and particularly mercury - that many of us carry. 

Whilst the medical profession openly admits that it does not understand what causes disease, it also currently refuses to accept the logical argument that ageing and disease are mostly caused by toxicity - and that with the passage of time we are all collectively becoming more toxic. This explanation accounts for the alarming rise in incidence of many conditions and the advent of so many 'new' and 'mysterious' disorders.

It also explains why, for most people, health complaints become chronic and modern medicine has no real cures other than to suppress symptoms using pharmaceuticals - often for a lifetime. It also means that the medical profession are not even looking for the smoking gun in the right place. Tissue samples, for example, are almost never sent for toxicological analysis but this might prove a lot more illuminating than sending samples for microscopic examination. And, of course, you will never find the evidence to support the disease-is-toxicity theory if you don't actually look for it (or refuse to accept it when you do find it!).

In order to understand the role mercury plays in cardiovascular disease causation, you first need to understand the sequence of events (as we currently understand them) that lead to the many different heart and blood vessel disorders and the terms used. Then I will briefly explore some of the evidence against the currently held cholesterol and dietary fat theory and expand upon why mercury is a more likely culprit. 

Allow me to explain.

The current theory of cardiovascular disease causation

Cardiovascular disease refers to a broad church of interrelated disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels and includes atherosclerosis, angina, arteriosclerosis, thromboses, embolisms, strokes, transient ischaemic attacks, coronary artery disease and the insufficient blood supply to the lower limbs known as claudication.

All these various manifestations of cardiovascular disease are collectively a very big problem. Together, they are the leading cause of death in most developed countries and cause a great deal of suffering and infirmity whilst treating and 'preventing' them consumes an unimaginable amount of money. 

The body cannot employ the same mode of healing that applies to a skin wound - where a scab forms and later drops off - for healing damage caused to the lining of the arteries. This is because the scab would obviously present problems within the circulation and so the body has devised a more suitable method or healing internal wounds in the blood vessel walls. The series of events goes something like this.

1. A small tear occurs in an arterial wall. This actually happens all the time and most of the tears are probably repaired efficiently, but sometimes - possibly because of the presence of toxins, a lack of essential nutrients or stress - the damage caused outstrips the body's ability to repair the tears. 

2. As an interim measure to prevent the immediate and possibly life-threatening problem of having the affected artery rupture, the body places a sticky fatty cholesterol-containing substance (called apoliprotein A) over the wound and white blood cells also race the scene and become stuck in the sticky plug. It is the build-up of these deposits - arterial plaques - that are referred to as the disease atherosclerosis.

3. However, this emergency plug also creates problems of its own. Its rough surface can create turbulence within the blood vessels and this can cause the red blood cells to break down and form blood clots. If some of the fat or a blood clot become dislodged from this plug they are referred to collectively as emboli. These emboli then travel within the circulation until they encounter a smaller blood vessel where they can become stuck, dramatically reducing or completely blocking the circulation to the region supplied. If the embolus is a blood clot this is referred to as a thrombus and the blockage is referred to as a thrombosis or a thromboembolism. 

If this embolism either reduces or completely severs the blood flow to a non-critical part of the brain this incident may be referred to as a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) that may go largely unnoticed and if it lodges in a larger blood vessel it may be referred to as a stroke. If the embolus lodges in the lungs, it may cause the death of a region of the lungs referred to as a pulmonary embolism and if it lodges in the vessels supplying the heart it will be referred to as a coronary thrombosis or myocardial infarcation if it causes a heart attack. 

4. As red blood cells arrive at the site of the tear they release their cargo of iron and this causes free radical damage which oxidises the fatty cholesterol plug to form cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) which tear more holes in the artery lining. So like cars on the motorway piling into the back of one another the initial damage is magnified by the responses of the body to the initial trauma. 

5. The arterial plug also has the effect of reducing the space available for blood to circulate within the vessel and this is compounded by the fact that particular chemical cascades normally intended to staunch blood flow to a wound cause the artery to constrict. The combined effect of the plug and the arterial constriction is to reduce blood flow to a region and if this occurs in the coronary arteries of the heart it is referred to as coronary artery disease and the intermittent pain that accompanies the deficit is called angina.

6. The larger arteries which receive blood directly from the heart every time it pumps are designed to rebound but can become less elastic and stiffer with age and this hardening and loss of elasticity is referred to as arteriosclerosis. Both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis may cause an increase in blood pressure over time known referred to as hypertension.

7. Sometimes too, the automatic regulation of the pumping of the heart can go awry and this may result in a racing heart beat and is referred to as tachycardia if permanent and palpitations if intermittent.

The evidence against cholesterol as the cause of cardiovascular disease

The following anomalies represent just the tip of the iceberg of evidence that suggest that we may collectively be barking up the wrong tree when it comes suspecting cholesterol and dietary fat of being implicated in causing cardiovascular disease.

Common sense: Nothing that we have been doing for millions of years can be the answer to a 'new' problem. 

The archaelogical evidence: The advice to reduce dietary fat and protein is not supported by the archaeological evidence which shows that our ancestors ate a diet of 90% proteins and fats up until the relatively recent advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago.

Epidemiological evidence: A great many epidemiological studies show that there is no relationship between the amount or type of fat consumed and the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

The results of rationing: Heart disease rates tripled during the 12 years of rationing imposed on the UK during World War II when the amounts of fat and protein in the diet were severely restricted - much in line with current dietary advice.

The French Paradox: Not only do the French eat more saturated fat, drink more alcohol, smoke more and exercise less than people almost anywhere else - they also have a quarter of the cardiovascular disease rates found in the rest of Europe.

The categorisation of disease: Debate rages about whether the cardiovascular disease epidemic is new or just being documented and recognised. There were, for example, no deaths attributable to coronary artery disease prior to 1948 when the World Health Organisation declared that the disease existed. 

Diseases of modern life: Cardiovascular disease is just one of a package of chronic illnesses including gall bladder disease, tooth decay and gum disease that almost exclusively accompany the western way of living and are rarely found in indigenous peoples - irrespective of diet. This certainly suggests that our diet may have a role in a lot of our current general health and dental woes, but does not particularly implicate fats when the problems appear more general.

The pills aren't working: It is obvious that the dietary advice we are being given isn't working as rates of cardiovascular disease and obesity continue to soar. The authorities' response to this is usually to blame individuals for their greed and sloth and many accept this admonition without question. After all, we could eat less and go to the gym more. But the populations of countries with low rates of cardiovascular disease show no evidence of consuming less food or being more active. Quite the reverse in fact (see the French paradox above). 

It makes no sense: No matter how much various authorities would like to convince you otherwise the case against cholesterol does not make sense. The vast majority of cholesterol is manufactured internally by the liver and is not consumed in the diet.  

The biochemistry of mercury

Mercury has a unique and complex chemistry and to fully understand the ramifications of the effects of the many hundreds of different compounds mercury can form would require you to have a special understanding of biochemistry. Suffice it to say that mercury is rated as one of the most potent and deadly toxins known and there is no safe lower limit for exposure.

In fact it is the complexity of its chemistry that is its strength as a poison because it can morph into any one of three basic chemical forms. The first of these is in its elemental form as a vapour or liquid, the second as an ion carrying a single positive charge (Hg+) and the third as an ion carrying two positive charges (Hg2+). 

Carrying one positive charge mercury can form inorganic complexes such as mercurous chloride (HgCl) and carrying two positive charges it can form both inorganic molecules such as mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) and organic compounds such as ethyl or methyl mercury. All the forms are highly toxic and all have different properties, which is why mercury has such a devastating effect on the body. However, when converted into its organic forms, it becomes at least 100X more toxic. 

Unless, occupationally exposed to mercury, the largest source for most people has been determined to be acquired from their dental amalgam fillings. Other secondary sources include eating mercury contaminated fish and the mercury preservative, thimerasol, used in vaccinations.

Mercury vapour is known to be emitted constantly from dental amalgam fillings because the different metals of the filling become electrically active once inserted into the moisture of the mouth and begin acting as a battery. The mercury vapour emitted is converted by the bacteria of the mouth into its organic form and also is inhaled into the lungs from where it passes rapidly into the blood stream.

Many studies have conclusively shown that both blood and saliva levels of mercury are directly related to the number of dental amalgam filling surfaces. People with amalgam fillings have been shown to have between 4 and 10 times as much mercury in their blood as those without amalgam fillings or who have had their fillings replaced.  

The evidence for mercury as the true cause of cardiovascular disease

And so to the case for heavy and toxic metals - and especially mercury from dental amalgam fillings - as the unseen cause of cardiovascular disease. The following exhibits do not comprise an exhaustive list of the evidence, but give a flavour of the issue and address the direct and indirect effects of mercury on the cardiovascular system and some of the many clinical studies that suggest a causal link.

The direct effects of mercury on the cardiovascular system

The circumstantial evidence: The explosion in the rates of cardiovascular disease occurred shortly after the widespread introduction of dental amalgam and exposure to metals in everyday life (aluminium in containers, pans and deodorant for example). 

Causes oxidative stress: Heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium get you every which way when it comes to oxidative stress. They create a massive amount of free radicals (oxidative stress) and also inactivate numerous enzymes, amino acids, and the sulphur-containing antioxidants such as N acetyl choline (NAC) and ALA that normally provide a defence.

Removed rapidly from the circulation: The body is known to store mercury deep in body compartments and this means that blood tests are not a reliable indicator of body burden. The reasons for this are not fully understood, but it may be that the body needs to remove mercury rapidly from the circulation where it is highly destructive and possibly life-threatening in favour of storage in less critical organs and tissues.  

Accumulates in the heart: Although pure mercury vapour only lasts for a matter of seconds in the blood stream before being converted into its inorganic forms, the rate at which the blood circulates means that elemental mercury still has time to reach both the heart and the brain from its site of absorption in the lungs. The elemental form is fat soluble and so can cross the blood/brain barrier and the membrane barriers protecting the heart. Once through these membranes mercury then transforms into its insoluble inorganic state effectively shutting the door behind it. This means that it cannot then pass back through the membrane and it is in this manner that mercury is thought to preferentially accumulate in the heart and brain. The process effectively becomes a one-way system.

Potent neurotoxic effects: Mercury is highly attracted to, and destructive of, nervous tissue. The heart has a massive complex of autonomic (automatic) nerves that control its activities and the arteries too are well supplied with autonomic nerves which control blood pressure by causing the smooth muscle in the artery walls to both contract and relax. The attraction of mercury to this nervous tissue may explain the accumulation of mercury in the heart and arteries. It may also account for the aberrant heart rate found in tachycardia and palpitations as the body loses its ability to control automatic functions effectively.

This accumulation of mercury in the arteries may also mean that smooth muscle control of blood pressure is lost as the autonomic nerves that control this response are destroyed. The mercury that accumulates in the arteries may also account for why damage to the blood vessel lining and atheromatous plaques are found only in the arteries and not in the veins (which have little smooth muscle and controlling nerves). 

Poisons energy production: The heart has the highest demand for energy of any organ and mercury is recognised to block the enzymes involved in ATP production in the mitochondria of the cells leading to compromised function, fatigue and reduced energy levels. 

Causes direct damage: Mercury is known to damage both the myocardial and heart valves and may compromise the constant repair of the lining required.

Depletes calcium: Mercury depletes calcium levels in the heart and this greatly inhibits the action of the enzyme (myosin ATPase) that governs the contraction of heart muscle cells. 

Promotes inflammation: The most reliable biochemical markers for cardiovascular disease include elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, homocysteine, immune cytokines, LDL cholesterol/low HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin. That is to say that cardiovascular disease is a systemic inflammatory process. 

No barriers to entry: Mercury acts upon the cells and enzymes which normally maintain the barriers of the body, meaning that no organ is protected from its ravages - including the heart.

Causes lipid peroxidation: Mercury and other heavy and toxic metals also oxidise the fats in the body to lipid peroxides such as converting cholesterol into cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) whilst also diminishing the protective effect of fish and omega-3 fatty acids.

Disrupts metalloenzymes: Heavy metals also disarm the body's mechanism for managing minerals and metals by displacing essential enzymes such as zinc and copper in metallothionein and reducing the effectiveness of metalloenzymes.

Elevates hormone levels: Mercury and other heavy metals inactivate an enzyme (COMT), which results in increases in blood levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline (epinephrine, norepinephrine), and dopamine which increase blood pressure causing hypertension.

Deranges mineral balance: Mercury also inhibits the enzyme (Na+ K+ -ATPase) involved in transporting sodium and potassium ions across cell membranes as required during the ATP activity cycle. It also causes the depletion of magnesium and the accumulation of calcium within the cells. 

Promotes heart cell death: The disruption of magnesium and calcium metabolism results in dysfunction of the mitochondria (which produce energy) and the neurotransmitter transport mechanism in addition to causing neural degeneration and premature cell death (apoptosis).

Affects blood cell synthesis: Mercury in the bone marrow becomes incorporated into the haemoglobin of the red blood cells and also inhibits the synthesis of the constituent molecule, heme (affecting cytochrome P450). 

Reduces oxygen carrying capacity: Mercury binds to the oxygen-carrying sites in the haemoglobin molecule reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and the amount of oxygen available to the tissues. This may reduce blood oxygen levels by as much as half and this places an additional strain on the heart as feedback loops drive the system faster to get the oxygen required to the tissues.

Destroys red blood cells: Mercury vapour is attracted to, and can enter, the red blood cells where - as in the brain and heart - it is converted into its inorganic form preventing exit. So it accumulates within the red blood cells and can also destroy their membranes causing rupture and the formation of blood clots (thrombi). 

The indirect effects of mercury on the cardiovascular system

The liver/cholesterol connection: Chronic mercury poisoning is recognised to disrupt many of the biochemical pathways in the liver and also to promote the formation of gall stones. Asymptomatic gall stones are, in fact, very common with most adults having 2,000-3,000 stones which may be calcified but mostly are accretions of fat and cholesterol. These stones block the duct system of the liver and gall bladder meaning that the cholesterol produced in the liver cannot be expelled into the small intestine to be eliminated in the stool. Poor diets lacking in fibre also mean that cholesterol is reabsorbed back into the body as it passes through the small intestine rather than being eliminated. Combining the formation of gall stones and poor elimination due to diet, cholesterol accumulates within the liver and this, in turn, means that cholesterol backs-up within the circulation. 

Neural control of the heart: Mercury also accumulates in the brain adversely affecting central nervous system control of cardiac function.

Effects on the pineal gland: Mercury is known to accumulate in the pineal gland and to reduce amounts of the hormone, melatonin, that it produces. In addition to regulating sleep, melatonin is known to be a potent antioxidant with particular effect in the central nervous system and melatonin deficiency is related to stroke and cardiovascular damage.

Compromised pituitary function: Mercury particularly accumulates within the pituitary gland in the base of the brain and this affects both the hormonal and nervous control of many body functions including those of the heart. Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) (also known as vasopressin) is one of the hormones produced by the pituitary gland and it controls blood volume by its actions upon the kidneys and blood pressure by regulating the arterioles. Blood levels of ADH are known to be related to hypertension.

Thyroid disorders: Thyroid function is highly related to cardiovascular disease and an underactive thyroid gland (known as hypothyroidism) is known to cause elevated levels of homocysteine and cholesterol and to be related to several chronic cardiac conditions including atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Hypothyroidism often goes undetected and even at subclinical levels of thyroid function this relationship is strong and reverses with effective treatment of the underling thyroid disorder. Ultimately both the heart disease and hypothyroidism are co-morbid and caused by the same toxic agent(s).

Compromised kidney function: The kidneys are one of the primary targets of heavy and toxic metals and accumulation especially of cadmium and mercury in the kidneys may also have a role in hypertension and sodium retention.

Immune dysfunction: The impairment of the white blood cells and the immune response by mercury also mean that the body's ability to combat viruses and bacteria such as those that cause rheumatic heart disease is compromised.

Gum disease: Gum disease too is known to be correlated with cardiovascular disease and is thought to have a causal relationship. However, the gum disease may just be a visible indicator of the systemic inflammatory processes that are also occurring within the heart. The bacteria fostered by gum disease may act as a 'focus of infection' with bacteria entering the circulation in the mouth to have an adverse effect upon the heart. The quantities of bacteria present in the mouth may also be a reflection of poor oral hygiene and the likely number of amalgam fillings. Finally, another mechanism could be that the greater the quantity of oral bacteria, the greater the conversion of mercury from elemental vapour into its most toxic organic form. 

Mood disorders: Both anger and depression have also been shown to be linked to the chances of developing cardiovascular disease and strokes. But this too may be comorbidity as mercury is known to cause profound depression, anxiety, mood swings, irritability and an inability to control one's temper. 

The findings of clinical studies into mercury and cardiovascular disease

Studies confirm correlation: Many studies have shown the number of amalgam fillings to be related to various cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, haemoglobin irregularities, tachycardia and chest pains. Some examples include the massive US Centre for Disease Control National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of the general population in 2001 which found the number of amalgam fillings to be significantly correlated to the incidence of many serious and degenerative disorders. A 1990 US study found that people with amalgam fillings had significantly more heart-related problems than those who had healthy teeth. Another study found that individuals with amalgam fillings also exhibited the irregular heartbeats and fatigue that are typical of congestive heart failure (Sci Total Environ, 1990; 99: 23–35).

Animal studies: Studies conducted at the University of Calgary in Canada using radioactively labelled mercury in dental amalgam fillings inserted into sheep have shown that within one month mercury was found to have accumulated in a number of organs according to the density of the tissue. The oral mercury vapour measurements were found to approximate those in humans with amalgam fillings.

Mercury accumulation in the heart: Research conducted at the Catholic University of Rome in Italy found patients with advanced congestive heart failure to have up to 22,000 times the mercury levels in the heart of those without amalgam fillings (J Am Coll Cardiol, 1999; 33: 1578–83).

Occupational exposure: A Soviet study of occupationally exposed workers also found mercury accumulation in the heart and its valves interfered with several aspects of cardiac function (Cardiotoxic Effects of Mercury. DHEW (NIH) Publication No 74-473, 1974; 109–34, 199–210).

Symptoms of acute exposure: Many studies of accidental or acute exposure to mercury have reported cardiac effects such as tachycardia, high blood pressure and heart palpitations.

Prospective studies confirm: A prospective study of Finnish men found that their consumption of fish (mostly freshwater) was the best predictor of myocardial infarction and that risk was directly related to increased consumption. Participants' fish intake also correlated with hair and urinary mercury levels (Atherosclerosis, Feb 2000; 148(2): 265-73 and others).

Documented improvements: There are many thousands of documented cases of recovery from all sorts of cardiovascular disorders after the removal of amalgam fillings and/or effective mercury detoxification.

The health record of dentists: Several studies including those conducted by the late Dr Jack Levenson showed that dentists and their staff have a much higher rate of cardiovascular disease and cancers of the heart than the general population (Adv Dent Res, 1992; 6: 110–3 and others).

Is mercury the cause of cardiovascular disease?: Conclusion

And so I lay before you just some of the compelling evidence as I see it to overturn the cholesterol-diet-cardiovascular disease hypothesis and start treating and identifying the real villain of the peace: mercury mostly derived from dental amalgam fillings. Just one of the over two dozen adverse physiological effects of mercury listed could account for an increase in cardiovascular disease, but when taken together I think the evidence is compelling.

If there is any association between cholesterol and cardiovascular disease I suggest that it is that the cholesterol is produced in response to the damage inflicted by mercury to the arteries and that - like the paramedic - it is our friend and not our foe. This perspective also means that effective treatment of cardiovascular disease would necessarily involve the careful removal of dental amalgam fillings and a heavy metal detoxification programme. 

Further resources

If you haven't already done so, please click the relevant link to watch the Smoking Tooth Video which shows the mercury vapour emitted by dental amalgam fillings and/or here to watch a video of the neural damage caused by mercury. 

For more about the mechanisms of mercury emissions from dental amalgam fillings and the health effects of mercury click the link to watch part I and part II of an explanatory video.

For details of how to manage dental amalgam filling replacement and an effective self-help mercury detoxification programme please refer to the book Chronic Fatigue, M.E., and Fibromyalgia: The Natural Recovery Plan. 

Click the relevant link if you would like to download a research paper detailing the effects of mercury on the cardiovascular system or go to the Research page.

Other related articles include Butter or Margarine?, The Great Cholesterol Con, Common Male Health Problems and book reviews of The Roots of Disease and Curing the 'Incurable' and the video Chelation and Heart Disease.

Mercury and cardiovascular disease: Article summary

This article looks at the incidence and pathology of cardiovascular disease. It argues the case that the widespread introduction of heavy and toxic metals and especially mercury from dental amalgam fillings is, in fact, the unseen cause. Evidence to support the argument is presented along with evidence to refute the currently held theory that cholesterol and dietary fats are a primary cause of cardiovascular disease.

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The Natural Recovery Plan Newsletter September 2010 Issue 9. Copyright Alison Adams 2010. All rights reserved
Alison Adams Dentist, Naturopath, Author and Online Health Coach www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com