Heart Healthy Supplements

There are many supplements available to improve heart health, which range from Fish Oils and Green Tea to Magnesium and Garlic Extracts.

Here are a few of the supplements that may benefit your heart:

Fish oils

Omega-3 fatty acids can slash levels of triglycerides -- an unhealthy fat that can cause clots in the arteries - by up to 50%. Fish oil may also improve blood pressure. Fish oil supplements lower your risk of heart attack and arrythmias.  Every cell in your body needs these essential fats. They are helpful for reducing inflammation in the body and also for the health of your brain and eyes.

 

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented at the Heart Failure 2013 congress. It is the first supplement to improve heart failure mortality and should be added to standard medical treatment, according to lead author Professor Svend Aage Mortensen (Copenhagen, Denmark).

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) occurs naturally in the body and is essential to survival. CoQ10 works as an electron carrier in the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cells, to produce energy and is also a powerful antioxidant. It is the only antioxidant that humans synthesise in the body.

CoQ10 leveInno-Q-Nolls are decreased in the heart muscle of patients with heart failure, with the deficiency becoming more pronounced as heart failure severity worsens. Statins are used to treat many patients with heart failure because they block the synthesis of cholesterol, but these drugs also block the synthesis of CoQ10, which further decreases levels in the body.

 Double blind controlled trials have shown that CoQ10 improves symptoms, functional capacity and quality of life in patients with heart failure with no side effects.

At Abaco Health we recommend the Ubiquinol form of CoQ10 as studies show that it is significantly more effective at raising serum CoQ10 levels.

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Niacin

Niacin can raise HDL cholesterol — the "good" cholesterol — by 15 to 35 percent. This makes niacin the most effective product available for raising HDL cholesterol (more effective than statin drugs). While niacin's effect on HDL is of most interest, it's worth noting that niacin also decreases your LDL and triglyceride levels. High levels of LDL and triglycerides are significant risk factors for heart disease.

 
Magnesium

 Every cell in the body needs magnesium. It helps keep muscles strong and nerves alert. A study in the journal Circulation suggests that daily magnesium supplements can even help an ailing heart. Magnesium supplements enabled heart disease patients to exercise for longer periods and appeared to protect their hearts from the stress of exercise. Magnesium also restored some of the blood vessels' ability to open up when the body needs more blood. 

Half of the patients in the study took a supplement containing 365 mg of magnesium twice a day for six months. The other half took a placebo. At the end of the study, the patients who took magnesium had better blood vessel function and their hearts showed less stress during treadmill exercise compared to the placebo group. Nearly three-quarters of the patients were magnesium-deficient at the beginning of the study, but their levels rose to nearly normal by the end.

Low magnesium levels have been found to be the best predictor of heart disease, contrary to the traditional belief that cholesterol or saturated fat play the biggest roles.

Research scientist Andrea Rosanoff, PhD.,conducted a detailed review of cardiovascular disease research, using studies dating back to 1937. Previous research has revealed low magnesium to be linked with all known cardiovascular risk factors like:

  • high blood pressure
  • arterial plaque build-up
  • calcification of soft tissues
  • cholesterol
  • hardening of the arteries

 

This implies thNatural Factors Magnesium Citrate Powderat the real culprit of cardiovascular disease has been low magnesium levels, while historically, experts have blamed a high-saturated fat diet and high cholesterol.

Natural Factors Magnesium Citrate Powder is the best value for money for a citrate powder and tastes great too!
 

 

Green tea extract

AOR Active Green tea Drinking green tea rapidly improves the health of the delicate cells lining the blood vessels and helps lower one's risk of heart disease. Researchers writing in a 2008 issue of the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation found that people who drink green tea have better blood vessel function just 30 minutes later. Specifically, green tea improves the function of endothelial cells. Endothelial cell dysfunction plays a key role in the development of clogged arteries, a process called atherosclerosis.

The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests that powerful antioxidants in green tea called flavonoids may protect the heart.