Issue date: 7/13/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Andrew Burleson

When Harvey Castro was in medical school, his father died of a heart attack. It was at that point in his academic career that he decided to make an impact on the medical community by finding alternatives to heart health, including a new vitamin.

Castro, Class of 1997, and his colleagues, Dennis Passante and Lucho Tejada, have developed a new vitamin called Active Heart, which is designed to lower cholesterol and homocysteine levels and promote healthier hearts. Castro said their company, Vital Complex, has worked for two years to create the vitamin.

"I always wondered what I could have done to help (my father)," Castro said. "I thought what if I helped create a vitamin."

Castro said the vitamin is well researched and targets people over the age of 40 who have a family history of heart disease.

"We didn't want to put anything in a pill that didn't have strong literature behind it," Castro said. "We did extensive research on each ingredient."

Passante, a clinical nutritionist in New York City, said he has been in the nutrition industry for nearly 30 years and that he has always looked for products that were cutting edge.

"This formula seems to capture most of the research on the market for heart disease," Passante said.

Passante said the Active Heart vitamin addresses many cardiovascular issues through ingredients such as L-arginine, Omega-3 and vitamin B.

Ed Harris, professor of biochemistry and biophysics and faculty of nutrition, said L- arginine and Omega-3 are both good for the muscles, and that vitamin B is generally beneficial to the nervous system.

"Omega-3 is a big hit these days," Harris said.

Passante said this vitamin helps lower cholesterol and homocysteine levels, as well as regulate nitric oxide levels in the body.

Harris said nitric oxide is a free radical, which means it has a short half-life and could do damage to the system if unregulated.

"(Nitric oxide) is produced in a number of tissues, kidney, liver and muscles," Harris said. "Nitric oxide helps blood flow, but in some respects it's not good."

Helen Monda, a public information specialist for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said the FDA regulates vitamins, but that manufacturers don't have to gain the FDA's approval to market their product.

Castro, who takes the vitamin three times a day, said the vitamin isn't intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease, and that it is designed to supplement current diet, exercise and medication.

Castro said his undergraduate education at A&M helped prepare him for medical school and honed his leadership skills.

"The fundamentals that I learned while in school still help me today," Castro said.

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