Nutritional and micronutrient determinants of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) is the term used to describe a group of myocardial diseases of unknown cause whose common clinical presentation is heart failure. The prevalence of IDCM is estimated to be between 7 and 13% of patients with systolic heart failure. Throughout medical history, several nutrient-deficient states have been identified as the root cause of IDCMs, Keshan's disease being one such example, where selenium deficiency-induced heart failure is now well documented. This raises the question of whether a micro- or macro-nutrient imbalance can provide the milieu for inefficient energy expenditure and cardiac metabolism in the context of IDCMs, either causing or exacerbating the condition. To date, there is insufficient evidence in the literature to support this theory, although numerous studies suggest a link between nutrient deficiencies, inefficient energy expenditure and subsequent heart failure. Given the unique metabolic needs of the failing heart, the role of micronutrient testing and supplementation in IDCMs warrants further well-designed studies.