Studies have shown hesperidin to be very useful for protecting the heart against the effects of prolonged high blood pressure, which if left untreated can cause the heart to enlarge and eventually fail.

The compound also protects against atrial fibrillation, an arrhythmia in which the heart beats rapidly and with incredible irregularity.

Atrial fibrillation is a major cause of death in people with heart disease. By selectively increasing nitric oxide levels within the blood vessels supplying the heart, hesperidin can reduce the damaging effects of heart attacks and chronic heart disease.

What this compound is doing is increasing blood flow to the heart muscle, especially the microcirculation supplied by the smallest blood vessels, called arterioles.

This collateral blood supply can mean the difference between a fatal heart attack or severe heart damage, and survival with a good outcome. The increased blood flow also prevents scarring of the heart muscle (a process called remodeling) that can cause congestive heart failure and arrhythmias.