Coronary Heart Disease Treatment: 8 Vitamins And Supplements You Should Take For Your Heart Health

Many heart disease patients inquire about the type of vitamins and supplements they should take in order to keep their heart healthy. Currently, there is some research to suggest that taking certain vitamins and supplements can help with heart health. However, they are not supposed to be a replacement for your heart medication and should only ever be taken as a supplement — in consultation with your doctor.

What exactly is a dietary supplement?

Dietary supplements can be anything you eat or drink that contains a variety of different compounds, including:

• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Herbs or other plants
• Amino acids (which make proteins)

These compounds can come in multiple forms including as pills, capsules, tablets, or liquids.

1. Multivitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are necessary to keep your heart healthy. While foods are generally the main source of these nutrients, studies have shown that patients often don’t consume the necessary amount of specific vitamins. In these cases, supplements can help.

While supplement intake cannot be used to make up for unhealthy eating habits (i.e. not eating fruits and vegetables), they can help people who, despite good eating habits, still don’t have appropriate amounts of vitamins and minerals. If you already have bad eating habits, taking vitamins or mineral supplements is not going to help.

2. Coenzyme Q10

Coenzymes are named after the fact that they help regular enzymes perform better. Coenzyme Q10 helps enzymes protect heart health. Coenzyme Q10 is a compound found in nearly every cell in your body and that produces energy that your cells require to maintain themselves or grow. Coenzyme Q10 functions as an antioxidant, a type of compound that protects the body from harmful molecules. While your body makes coenzyme Q10, it is also present in a variety of food sources, including:

• Organ meats, such as heart, liver and kidney
• Beef
• Soy oil
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Peanuts

3. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful with regards to heart health as they help reduce the body’s production of fats (triglycerides). High amounts of triglycerides are associated with coronary artery disease, heart disease, and stroke. Thus, taking omega-3 fatty acids alongside good habits (i.e. diet and exercise) can help reduce your triglyceride levels.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in many natural sources including certain type of fatty fish, vegetables and some plants. Supplements for omega-3 fatty acids include fish oil. In fact, one study found that supplementation with fish oil in patients with chronic heart failure led to a significant reduction in heart-related deaths and hospitalizations. Another study discovered that fish oil was associated with improved heart function and reduction in hospitalizations.

4. Magnesium

Magnesium is necessary for heart health as studies have shown that low magnesium levels can lead to heart disease. Low magnesium levels are associated with various risk factors for heart disease, including:

• High blood pressure
• Plaque build-up in arteries
• Calcification (calcium-build-up) of tissue
• High cholesterol
• Hardening of arteries

Many people take magnesium supplements, which come in different forms and combinations. One popular form of magnesium is known as magnesium sulfate (epsom salt), which can be used in baths. However, if you have kidney disease, you need to be careful about consuming too much magnesium.

5. L-carnitine 

L-carnitine is a type of amino acid (a building block for proteins), involved in taking fats to the mitochondria (the region of the cell that makes energy). Energy production is vital for normal heart function. Many studies have shown that using L-carnitine leads to an improvement in heart function as well as improvement in symptoms of angina. Additionally, L-carnitine supplements can help reduce damage to the heart muscle and the complications that follow a heart attack.

6. Green tea

Green tea is associated with a reduction in cholesterol levels. In fact, studies have shown that green tea consumption not only lowers the amount of total cholesterol but also LDL cholesterol levels. Many doctors recommend that you drink green tea instead of taking supplement as supplement can come with contamination concerns.

7. Garlic

Garlic can be taken as a supplement for treating high blood pressure and improving coronary artery disease. However, you should keep in mind that garlic affects the blood-clotting process and can increase your risk of bleeding.

8. Vitamin D levels

Vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. One study found that people with low levels of vitamin D had double the risk of having a heart attack compared to people with normal vitamin D levels. Another study found that people with low vitamin D levels were also more likely to have coronary heart disease.

Vitamin D can help improve heart health in a number of ways, including:

• Reducing the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure
• Reducing the thickness of the artery walls
• Lowering the risk of getting respiratory infections
• Fighting inflammation
• Reducing calcification of arteries or hardening of arteries