When combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, vitamins and nutritional supplements can have a positive effect on the heart. While these approaches should never be a substitute for eating right, exercising, and treating heart-related issues with a cardiologist, they do have a few benefits that can help keep the muscle in top shape. Here’s what you need to know.

What Vitamins & Supplements Are Good for the Heart?

Coenzyme Q10, often referred to as CoQ10, is an antioxidant that’s helpful for people with heart disease. It also supports cell growth and maintenance, protects the heart muscle, and speeds exercise recovery. While CoQ10 is present in limited amounts in certain foods like organ meats and fatty fish, the higher dosages available in supplement form give the body a larger and more sustained supply of the nutrient. 

Vitamin B12 may also be beneficial in lowering the risk of heart disease. It lowers the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood associated with an increased risk of the disease. You can have your B12 levels checked through a blood test to determine if this might be an appropriate vitamin.

Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful for the heart as well. They can lower triglyceride levels in the blood; high triglycerides are a leading cause of coronary artery disease. Omega-3 fatty acids are widely available as fish oil, which can be taken in pill, liquid, or gummy form.

Important Considerations

Before choosing to take a vitamin or supplement, always check with a cardiologist first to ensure you've found the right one to meet your body's needs. Cardiologists recommend them in addition to a healthy diet, regular exercise, and, if necessary, the use of standard heart medications. If suggested, however, an appropriate vitamin or supplement can further support the heart and be an integral part of your long-term heart health care plan.

For the right individual, vitamins or supplements may be one more way to protect the heart. Cardiologist Nidal Yunis, M. D., FACC, of Premier Cardiology Consultants has more than 25 years of experience treating a variety of heart-related issues. Serving the Dothan, Andalusia, Ozark, and Enterprise, AL, areas, the clinic provides help for those with hypertension, high blood pressure, heart disease, and past cardiac episodes. To schedule an appointment, call (334) 699-6396 or visit them online.