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10 Best Heart Health Supplements

In addition to diet and exercise, these supplements are a must for 

anyone over the age of 50

July 18, 2012 | By Gale Maleskey, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Expert

This article originally appeared on Live in the Now .

 Anyone age 50 or older should have a strategy for preventing heart

disease. It should include exercise and a healthy diet, plus supplements

for heart health as needed. All of the heart supplements we recommend

here are proven helpful. Most can be safely taken in combination.

However, red yeast rice and high-dose niacin are best used with medical

supervision.

1. Fish Oil

Fish provide both primary and secondary protection — that is, it can help prevent a first heart attack, or a

second one. Fish oil provides omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation that can cause harmful

clotting, reduce high triglycerides that can lead to a fatty liver, reduce the risk of clogged arteries after 

angioplasty or bypass surgery, lower your r isk for an irregular heartbeat, lower your blood pressure and

reduce your risk for stroke.

Recent study findings also indicate that fish oil may protect against aging in heart cells by preserving thelength of structures called telomeres, which determine cellular lifespan. Researchers found that the more

omega-3s coronary heart disease patients consumed, the slower their cells aged.

What to take: 1,000-3,000 mg a day, or more with medical supervision. If you are looking for a high-quality

fish oil supplement, click here.

2. CoQ10

 Adding this natural, energy-boosting biochemical to other treatments for congestive heart failure improves

quality of life, such as breathlessness, swollen legs, enlarged liver and insomnia.

Taking CoQ10 along with blood-pressure lowering drugs improves their effectiveness and may allow you to

reduce dosages. And taking CoQ10 after a heart attack significantly lowers your risk of another heart

attack. CoQ10 also helps to reduce muscle-related pain and weakness that are side effects of statin drugs.

What to take: 100-300 mg a day, in divided doses. If you are looking for a high-quality CoQ10

supplement, click here.

3. Red Yeast Rice

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Like statin drugs, red yeast rice reduces cholesterol levels. It contains HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, the

same active ingredient as statin drugs such as lovastatin, red yeast rice also contains sterols, isoflavones

and monounsaturated fatty acids, all ingredients that provide additional heart protection.

What to take: 600 mg twice a day or 1,200 mg once a day. It can take 8-12 weeks to see full results. It’s

best to take under medical supervision, and to have your liver function checked regularly.

Like statin drugs, red yeast rice can deplete CoQ10 levels in the body. Therefore, at least 200 mg of CoQ10 should be taken concurrently with red yeast rice to ensure optimal cardiovascular health. Or for a

high-quality red yeast rice supplement that contains CoQ10, click here.

4. Vitamin D

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to significantly increased risk of developing cardiovascular 

disease including heart attacks, stroke and heart failure. People with low vitamin D levels are more likely to

have the risk factors that cause heart disease: type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high

cholesterol. Vitamin D also affects how well your body absorbs two minerals important for a healthy heart,

calcium and magnesium.

What to take: 1,000-2,000 IU a day, or even more with medical supervision, may be needed. For a high-

quality vitamin D supplement, simply click here.

5. Resveratrol

Research has shown that resveratrol, the compound known to be the secret behind red wine’s heart health

benefits, affects age-related gene expression changes in heart tissue. Like calorie restriction, resveratrol

switches the body’s biochemical pathways toward tissue maintenance, which confers an advantage when

the body is under the effects of stress. (Resveratrol is produced in plants when they are under stress.) This

unique effect has been found to protect heart health and extend life by cutting down on the degenerative

diseases of aging.

What to take: At least 400 mg of standardized trans-resveratrol daily. If you’re looking for a high-quality

resveratrol supplement, you can click here.

6. B Vitamins

The combination of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 reduces harmful homocysteine levels. A recentdouble-blind placebo-controlled study at the Universityof Southern Californiafound that these three B

vitamins reduced the progression of early subclinical atherosclerosis, as measured by thickness of the

carotid artery in the neck, even in people at low risk for cardiovascular disease.[1]

Niacin, another B vitamin, is prescribed in large doses (500 mg or more a day) for treating high cholesterol.

It acts on high cholesterol differently than statin drugs and is a first choice for people who need to increase

their HDL cholesterol.

What to take: 500 mcg of folic acid, 400 mcg of B12, and 50 mg of B6. About 50 mg of niacin daily can

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modestly increase HDL cholesterol. For the higher doses you need to reduce total cholesterol (500-3,000

mg a day), medical supervision is advised. Niacin can cause flushing, itching, and sometimes liver problems

when taken in large doses.

7. Phytosterols

These plant compounds help to reduce cholesterol by competing for absorption in the intestines. They can

reduce total and LDL cholesterol by 10 percent to 15 percent. They can be used along with statins or a cholesterol-lowering diet, and are often added to vegetable oil spreads or other “functional” foods.

What to take: For phytosterols, take at least 300 mg per day, divided and taken before meals.

8. Vitamin E

When you’re taking the right kind of vitamin E — natural, full-spectrum — it can be a big benefit to your 

heart health. It helps prevent blood platelets from sticking together, a big factor in blood clotting; stop

oxidation of LDL cholesterol, a factor in hardening of the arteries; lower blood pressure by promoting

production of blood vessel-relaxing nitric oxide; and inhibit cholesterol production in the liver.

What to take: 400 IU of alpha-tocopherol and mixed tocopherols, along with 400 mg of mixed tocotrienols.

If you’re on blood-thinning medications, such as Coumadin, ask your doctor about the safest way to add

vitamin E to your regimen.

9. Garlic

Garlic extract can preserve elasticity in blood vessels and slow the development of atherosclerosis. It can

modestly reduce blood pressure and high cholesterol.

What to take: 600 to 1,200 mg a day, in divided doses.

10. Flavonoids

These compounds, found in berries, green tea, red wine, chocolate, nuts, onions, apples and citrus fruits,

have a wide range of heart health benefits. They reduce the inflammation associated with heart disease,

improve the ability of blood vessels to relax, strengthen capillaries and act as powerful antioxidants. They’re

a must in your daily diet if you want to keep your heart healthy.

What to take: Some of the best supplemental sources of flavonoids are extracts of green tea, açai and goj

berry, pomegranate, blueberry, bilberry and cranberry. Quercetin and grape seed extract are also great

flavonoid supplements. It’s best to take a mix.

The bottom line: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States, and it’s important to have a heart

protection strategy, especially as you get older. Use heart supplements that have been scientifically proven

to be protective against this killer in conjunction with a heart healthy diet, plenty of exercise and stress

management techniques for the best protection.

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[1] Hodis H et al. High-Dose B-Vitamin Supplementation and Progression of Subclinical Atherosclerosis: A

Randomized Controlled Trial. Stroke. 2009 March; 40(3): 730–736.