What Vitamins Should I Be Taking For Heart Health
Vitamins can be a controversial and confusing topic to navigate. Which ones are the best? What time of day should I be taking them? And what form is best to take them in? With so much information online, its always best to consult your doctor before following a regimen. However, there are some vitamins that have been proven and are professionally suggested to promote heart health. These vitamins and supplements can promote heart health through various methods lowering cholesterol, increasing the flow of red blood cells, lowering blood pressure. All of these functions can play an important part in keeping your heart happy and healthy.
The Truth About Heart Vitamins And Supplements
If eating a heart-healthy diet is good for your heart, you might wonder iftaking vitamins and other nutritional supplements that are touted asheart-healthy further protects you from cardiovascular disease.
The bottom line is, we dont recommend supplements to treat or to preventcardiovascular disease, says Johns Hopkins physicianEdgar R. Miller III, M.D., Ph.D., whose research review on the topic has been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.The good news is, you dont have tospend any money on supplements.
Vitamins And Supplements That Support Heart Health
So, we know that you can take a vitamin or supplement for just about anything. But what other vitamins are good for the heart, specifically? Some have been said to tackle risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. Below are two of the most notable vitamins and supplements that have improved heart health in those who take them regularly.
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Does It Help To Take A Multivitamin Every Day
Multivitamins contain a good balance of vitamins, but they hardly ever have the amount of vitamin E and vitamin C that you may need for a healthy heart. You could take a daily multivitamin along with extra vitamin C and vitamin E. Be sure to ask your doctor about this before you take any multivitamin.
For women: If you’re still having periods, you should probably take a multivitamin that has extra iron in it. If you aren’t having periods anymore, you should take a multivitamin that doesn’t have much iron . If you already have enough iron in your body, extra iron can make oxidation happen. Your doctor can tell you what kind of multivitamin is best for you.
Read the full article.
Heal Your Heart With Hawthorn
Hawthorn is considered the heart herb, and for good reason it has been shown to support oxygenation and blood flow to the heart, and its rich in flavonoids for free radical protection. It also helps keep blood pressure within the normal range.
Hawthorn increases the force of the heart and is a good therapy for those with arrhythmias, tachycardia, and/or mitral valve abnormalities, says Mary Bove ND, author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants. Hawthorn is also a healing herb for soft, connective tissue damage, including sports injuries, broken bones, and knee surgeries, says Bove, adding that skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis often respond well to hawthorn, too.
On an energetic level, hawthorn can help heal emotional grief, including that associated with great loss, separation, or a broken heart, says Bove. She recommends combining hawthorn with magnesium for the synergistic effects. Youll find hawthorn in heart health formulas and as a single supplement. Or try it in tea form-the berries have a pleasant, sweet flavor with a hint of tanginess.
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What Are The Best Heart Health Supplements
While there are many great supplements that can benefit heart health, none of them are a magic pill against heart disease, says Gina Sirchio-Lotus, doctor of chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, functional medicine physician, and owner of the LG Institute of Health in Chicago, Ill. Supplements are best used as part of an overall heart health plan that includes a healthy diet, regular exercise and good sleep habits.
There are seven nutrients that can be a good addition to a heart-healthy lifestyle:
Help Your Heart With B
Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.
by Cate Stevenson, BA
The B vitamins are, without a doubt, essential for maintaining good health. Heres a quick review of some of the complex jobs this group of vitamins could help with.
Thiamin, or vitamin B1, is a critical nutrient for brain health. It is used to manufacture neurotransmitters that carry signals throughout your body. In particular, your memory and mental performance rely on one transmitter called acetylcholine. B1 is needed for the production of this neurotransmitter.
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a big role in many different bodily functions. In order to metabolize proteins, there are more than 100 enzymes in your body that rely on vitamin B6. The more protein you eat, the more vitamin B6 is needed.
Vitamin B12 ensures your red blood cells are made properly, including your DNA. When cells rapidly divide, B12 is needed. In fact, anywhere in your body that has a high turnover of cells for example, your intestines and your blood requires adequate amounts of B12. Among its many roles, vitamin B12 helps you maintain a healthy nervous system. Specifically, it helps protect the important protein myelin that surrounds your nerve cells.
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Vitamins And Supplements Dont Protect You From Heart Disease
Johns Hopkins researchers reviewed randomized clinicaltrials involving hundreds of thousands of subjects, in which some weregiven vitamins and others a placebo. We found no evidence of benefits tocardiovascular disease, Miller says. Supplements were ineffective andunnecessary.
One possible exception is omega-3 or fish oil capsules. This type of fattyacid, found in fish and marine algae, helps the heart. Two servings offatty fish per week provides enough for most people. For those who dontget enough omega-3 in their diet, supplements may be helpful, Miller says.
Flaxseed Oil & Krill Oil
Finally, consider these heart supplementsflaxseed oil and krill oil. While flaxseed comes from plants and krill oil comes from small shrimp-like crustaceans called krill, they both share similar benefits.
- What are the benefits? Flaxseed oil includes the omega-3 alpha linolenic acid and krill oil is a source of omega-3 EPA and DHA. Plus, krill oil contains astaxanthin, which is known to have antioxidant activity. Large population-based studies suggest that consuming both plant and marine sources of omega-3 fatty acids help support a healthy heart.
- Who should take it? If youre looking for a plant-based source of omega-3, but you dont eat flaxseed , then you might consider a flaxseed oil supplement. If you dont regularly eat krill but want to reap the heart-healthy benefits of their oils, consider a krill oil supplement.
- How do they work? Both flaxseed oil and krill oil support heart health, thanks to the omega-3s they contain.
Learn More: Why is Fish Oil Good for the Heart?
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Eating More Foods With Vitamin K
Eating more vegetables and fermented foods will give your body a boost of vitamin K along with other nutrients.
Some ways to include more vitamin K in your diet include:
- Incorporating green leafy vegetables in your diet like kale, brussels sprouts, and spinach
- Choose romaine lettuce instead of iceberg in salads
- Include organic meat in your diet
- Choose eggs from pasture-raised chickens
- If including butter in your diet, choose butter made from grass-fed cows.
When it comes to sources of vitamin K2 that tend to be higher in saturated fatthink butter and eggseating an excessive amount of these items may not be the best choice when it comes to heart health.
While vitamin K supplements are available, more data is needed before definitive recommendations can be made about whether taking them offers benefits for heart health in the same way that eating certain foods does.
And if you are taking a blood-thinning medication , it is important to talk to your doctor before you start increasing your green leafy veggie intake, as making any large changes may negatively interact with your medications.
Eat Vitamins B6 And B12 With Folate To Lower Your Risk Of Heart Disease
These B vitamins work together to lower the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease when it builds up in excess, he says. A study published in November 2018 in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition even suggested that higher intake of folate and vitamin B6 was associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in a general population.
You can find vitamin B6 in spinach eggs, poultry, and milk contain vitamin B12. Some people might also benefit from well-formulated B-complex supplements with activated or whole-food forms of B-vitamins, says DiNicolantonio, as some individuals carry genetic MTHFR mutations that may limit their ability to process homocysteine. Just be sure to talk to your doctor before adding a supplement.
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Supplements That Likely Wont Work
Read below to learn more about what supplements may benefit your heart health and which ones you should stay clear of.
What it is: Vitamin B6
The claim: Some suggest that a mild deficiency in vitamin B6 may lead to increased cardiovascular disease risk. The thought is that since vitamin B6 is needed to lower high levels homocysteine, an amino acid in the body that is associated with heart disease, that by replenishing your body with vitamin B6, you can reduce heart disease risk.
The evidence: The truth is that, overall, there is no evidence to support the role of vitamin B6 in reducing heart attack risk. And when it comes to vitamin B6 and stroke risk, the evidence is very limited to show that B6 helps.
The need-to-knows: Most adults and children consume enough vitamin B6 daily through food sources like fortified cereals, animal meats, seafood, and dairy products. And although vitamin B6 supplements are absorbed well in the body, most vitamin B6 leaves the body through the urine since its a water-soluble vitamin.
What it is: Coenzyme Q10
The claim: This is a substance that the body produces naturally and is found in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Levels of coenzyme Q10 are sometimes lower in people with heart disease.
The need-to-knows: Coenzyme Q10 may help reduce the risk of some complications of heart surgery, but there is inconclusive proof that it helps improve heart disease in other ways. More research needs to be done to confirm any heart health benefits.
Eat Iron With Vitamin C If You Need Help Warding Off Iron
Iron is an essential mineral that helps your body build red blood cells. It comes in two forms: heme and nonheme . All adult men and women over age 51 should consume 8 mg of iron a day, while women ages 19 to 50 need 18 mg, according to the NIH.
Although iron deficiency isnt common in the United States, says the NIH, it can occur in vegetarians because the body doesnt absorb nonheme iron as well as it does heme iron. And untreated iron-deficiency anemia can cause your heart to work to harder, which can in turn cause irregular heartbeats or even heart failure, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
If you arent getting enough iron, then adding vitamin C, found famously in citrus fruits , could help because it aids iron absorption from plant foods, according to the NIH. But you can have too much of a good thing. A study published in January 2018 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a possible link between too much iron consumption, especially from red meat, and a higher risk of atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque inside the arteries.
That said, if you eat a lot of iron, and are predisposed to storing too much iron, then getting extra vitamin C might actually be detrimental, says DiNicolantonio. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your iron and vitamin C intake.
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Pair Vitamin B6 With Magnesium To Boost Your Heart Health
The mineral magnesium, found in nuts and seeds, may help regulate your blood pressure, keep your arteries from hardening, and keep your heart rhythm regular. And it turns out that this powerful mineral has a friend: Vitamin B6, which helps your body absorb magnesium.
Women ages 19 to 30 should aim for 310 daily milligrams of magnesium those age 31 and older should strive to get 320 mg. Men ages 19 to 30 should get 400 mg those 31 and older should try for 420 mg, according to the National Institutes of Health . Both men and women ages 19 to 50 should try to get 1.3 daily mg of vitamin B6 men 51 and older should get 1.7 mg, and women in the same age range should strive for 1.5 mg.
To boost your intake of magnesium, try eating foods like almonds and spinach to get more vitamin B6, opt for raw foods that are high in the nutrient , as opposed to cooked varieties. What’s interesting is there is some data that cooking foods forms a vitamin B6 antagonist, says James DiNicolantonio, PharmD, a cardiovascular research scientist at Saint Lukes Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. Thus, even if you are eating foods that are high in vitamin B6, if you are cooking them, they may not actually be contributing much to your overall vitamin B6 status.
If you have trouble increasing your vitamin B6 intake through diet, ask your doctor whether you may benefit from a supplement.
Uscriptives: The Supplements Physicians Trust
During American Heart Month, the Uscriptives team is encouraging everyone to make better choices in support of heart health and function. Its essential that people take the necessary measures to support and strengthen their hearts to reduce the risk of cardiac disease and heart attacks. If you are looking for the best supplements for heart health, look no further than Uscriptives. With holistic formulas created and trusted by physicians, we take the guesswork out of finding the right vitamin for you. Visit our website today to learn more!
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Vitamins For Heart Health
Below are some suggested vitamins to look into for heart health. Remember that naturally getting these vitamins from food is the most effective method and best for our bodies to process.
Vitamin K
This vitamin is found in leafy greens think spinach, broccoli, kale, or asparagus. You can also find them in legumes . Vitamin K can also be found in smaller amounts through strawberries and eggs. This vitamin is typically not found in a supplement form, so its essential to incorporate certain foods to ensure consumption of this beneficial vitamin.
Vitamin K is essential in helping blood clot which prevents uncontrolled bleeding within the body.
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Higher levels of vitamin K have also been inversely linked to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease .
This type of CVD means that the patient has a build-up of fats, cholesterol, or other substances on the artery walls. The study found that the increased levels of vitamin K in the body reduced the risk of being diagnosed with ASCVD.
Fiber
This is a lesser-known vitamin tied to heart health, but just as important. Fiber is naturally found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. Fiber helps to reduce the amount of cholesterol that your body soaks up from food.
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Risk Factors For Heart Disease
Gather a few people and ask them which part of the body is most important. You will probably get very different answers. For us, the heart is most important. It shamefully pumps the entire blood supply so that the body can perform all its functions. If the pumping function of the heart is impaired, the other body functions are also impaired. It is important to educate yourself and those you care about risk factors for heart disease.
As with other disease processes, prevention is the key to maintaining health. Some risk factors for heart disease are preventable and can be controlled by you!
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Coenzyme Q10 For Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart cant pump blood as well as it should.
People with the condition may have symptoms such as:
- difficulty breathing
During the 2-year trial, participants were given 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 three times a day.
After 2 years on the supplement, the results were reported to be impressive.
There were 43 percent fewer major adverse cardiac events in the treated group versus placebo group.
In addition, there was a significant improvement in the severity of symptoms.
Improvements in ejection fraction were seen in those with a baseline of 30 percent, although not in those below that figure.
Both Baliga and Dr. Satjit Bhusri, assistant professor of cardiology at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, list coenzyme Q10 as being among the supplements they recommend for their patients.
Both Bhusri and Baliga note there have been mixed results in the studies dealing with this supplement.
However, Bhusri points out that no data points at a negative impact.
Foods And Vitamins That Can Help Keep Your Heart Healthy
Nov. 13, 2000 — Chances are that you, or someone you know, already are taking one of the cholesterol-lowering wonder drugs collectively known as statins. If so, listen up. There is new evidence that adding a daily dose of vitamin B-3, or niacin, offers even more protection from heart attack or stroke by boosting levels of the “good cholesterol” — HDL. This and other nutrition-related findings were presented here Monday at a meeting of the American Heart Association. Among the other big winners were tea and soy products. Alcohol and the antioxidant vitamins didn’t fare so well.
In the niacin study, B. Greg Brown, MD, PhD, and colleagues randomly assigned 160 heart disease patients to high-dose daily niacin plus simvastatin a high-dose mix of antioxidant vitamins E, C, beta-carotene, and selenium all three treatments or placebos. They took X-rays of each patient’s blood vessels at the beginning of the study and provided diet, exercise, and smoking counseling.
“One of the best ways to raise HDL is with high-dose niacin,” Brown says. “We hypothesized that lowering LDL with statinsplus raising HDL with niacin would get better than lowering LDL alone. We also wanted to see if antioxidants would protect against future heart disease.” Brown is professor of medicine and cardiology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Surprisingly, Brown says, “Antioxidants alone did nothing. They don’t appear to be protective.”
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