Navigating the Maze of Blood Pressure Supplements

Whole foods are the best way to get vitamins, but supplements can help fill in the gaps. These supplements are heart-healthy and can lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and protect against high triglyceride levels.

Choose ones that have been tested and certified and can help you manage your heart disease risk factors. Supplements should never replace prescribed medication, a balanced diet, or regular exercise.

Cholesterol Management Supplements

While cholesterol is a natural waxy substance that circulates in the blood, too much of it increases your risk for heart disease and can lead to serious health issues like strokes and heart attacks. A healthy diet, regular exercise, and dietary supplements can help lower cholesterol levels.

Some dietary supplements are shown to be effective in lowering cholesterol, such as psyllium, niacin, and plant sterols (also called phytosterols). However, it’s important to note that these supplements are minimally regulated by the FDA and their effectiveness varies from person to person.

Another popular supplement is policosanol, which has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol in some studies bone supplement. It’s important to know that most policosanol products found in the U.S. are a mixture of sugar cane and beeswax, and they don’t provide the same benefits as pure policosanol from sugar cane.

Blood Pressure Supplements

While many things can cause high blood pressure, including a diet rich in salt and too little physical activity, there is plenty that can be done to control it. This can include making dietary changes, engaging in regular exercise and, in some cases, taking medication to manage your blood pressure.

Taking supplements has also been shown to be an effective way to lower systolic blood pressure (the top number that measures the pressure blood exerts on your artery walls when your heart beats). Some of these supplements include fish oil, vitamin C and magnesium.

However, before you start taking any of these, talk to your healthcare provider. They understand your health history best and can offer insight into which supplement might work best for you.

Cardiovascular Wellness Supplements

It’s no secret that following a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly, quitting smoking and minimizing stress are essential for cardiovascular wellness. But some people aren’t able to get all the nutrients they need through whole foods alone.

Some supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, folate and Coenzyme Q10, appear to provide significant heart health benefits. These antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress, which is a contributor to heart disease.

But other supplements have less clear-cut benefits. Vitamin E, for example, may increase the risk of heart failure or death in patients with cardiovascular diseases. It’s important to discuss your supplement regimen with a doctor.

Lowering Cholesterol Naturally

Besides adjusting your diet to cut back on saturated fats, which can raise bad cholesterol levels, you can also try natural supplements that naturally improve your lipid profiles. For example, curcumin in turmeric may decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol while helping to reduce triglyceride levels. Green tea and yerba mate are known for their antioxidant properties, and they can both help lower total and LDL cholesterol. Garlic is also well-known for its wealth of health-promoting properties, and it can lower triglycerides and cholesterol while improving HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

Another option is to take a multivitamin for heart health that contains nutrients that can support healthy lipid levels, such as niacin and soluble fiber. Vitamin C, policosanol, artichoke leaf extract, red yeast rice and coenzyme Q10 are other supplements that can promote healthy lipid levels, but they don’t have as much research behind them.

Hypertension Management Supplements

Several herbs and supplements appear to help treat the underlying factors that lead to high blood pressure, such as stiffness in the arteries and inflammation. For example, hawthorn reduces inflammation and is a natural vasodilator. It can also interact with some medications, such as digoxin (Digitek, Lanoxin), so consult your doctor before using it.

Other supplements with some evidence of helping to control blood pressure include calcium, magnesium, potassium and fish oil. But the best nondrug way to lower blood pressure, doctors say, is diet changes, such as following the DASH diet.

Since nutritional and herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA, Sirchio-Lotus recommends checking with your doctor before trying them. Adding them to a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are the best ways to manage your heart disease risk.