Heart Health Vitamins: Dietary Supplements for Cardiovascular Health

Heart health vitamins are crucial for maintaining a healthy heart. The heart pumps blood and nutrients throughout the body, making it an important organ. Your diet choices can have a huge impact on heart health. A bad diet leads to high LDL cholesterol and heart disease. Heart disease can affect anyone and is a leading cause of cardiovascular death. There are heart health benefits of not smoking, exercising regularly, and having a heart-healthy diet. Eating a variety of nutritious foods will have all the vitamins you need to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, lower LDL cholesterol levels, and promote general heart health. You can also take supplements for heart health like a fiber supplement. This blog will provide you with information on heart health vitamins. We will explore how these can influence cardiovascular risk factors and reduce the risk and prevalence of heart disease.

The Importance of Heart Health Vitamins

Vitamins are natural substances containing carbon that keep our bodies functioning, healthy, and strong. If we don’t get enough of certain vitamins we could develop health problems like cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. We can produce some vitamins in our bodies in small amounts so we mostly get them from food. There are 13 vitamins – Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin B5, Vitamin E, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B7, Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B9 and Vitamin B6. These are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. We will discuss the ones that decrease the chances of having heart disease, high cholesterol, and stroke and help to lower blood pressure amongst other benefits to the body. You can take vitamins as dietary supplements, heart health supplements, mineral supplements, and fiber supplements. These dietary supplements need to be taken with the help of your healthcare provider so that there is no increased risk of causing cardiovascular factors. When choosing supplements for heart health opt for those certified by third-party organizations to ensure the quality and safety of the ingredients. It can be very easy to take too much of these supplemental vitamins or they could react with other supplements putting you at a high risk of experiencing health effects.

Water Soluble

Water soluble vitamins are not stored by the body, they move through the body via the blood and whatever is in excess is dispelled as urine.

Fat-Soluble

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and the body’s fat tissue for later use. These vitamins can be stored for several months or just a few days.

Types of Heart Health Vitamins

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is water soluble and is in spinach, kale, potatoes, kiwi fruit, broccoli, strawberries, green peas, red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, berries, oranges, orange juice, and grapefruit. It produces collagen, the building blocks of blood vessels, making them stronger. Vitamin C reduces blood pressure and widens the blood vessels to prevent blood clots. This lowers the risk of heart disease and hypertension.

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is water-soluble and is in nuts, black beans, asparagus, pulses, oranges, cereal grains, cauliflower, potatoes, sunflower seeds, and kale. A deficiency leads to heart complications like an enlarged heart or a condition called beriberi. It also creates acetylcholine, which assists with communication within the body so low Vitamin B1 means your heart isn’t getting its messages to work as it should. Vitamin B1 produces enzymes in the body that break down blood sugar. This decreases blood pressure in the body and minimizes the chances of heart disease in people with diabetes.

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 is water-soluble and is in watercress, asparagus, currants, dandelion greens, artichokes, kelp, spinach, avocados, navy beans, brussel sprouts, cayenne peppers, molasses, broccoli, fortified cereals, nuts, sweet potatoes, lima beans, pumpkins, sage, peas, rosehips, parsley, mushrooms and almonds.  It is absorbed in the small intestine and stops plaque from accumulating in the heart.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is fat-soluble and you mostly get it from absorbing the sun’s rays through your skin or by eating soy, mushrooms, and fortified cereals. It’s linked to good cardiovascular health and blood circulation so low Vitamin D levels increase your risk of heart disease and congestive heart failure. Vitamin D blocks scar tissue cells, preventing blockage in the arteries and keeping blood vessels flexible. Too much Vitamin D will lead to kidney disease. Risk factors are low if you get it from sun exposure and food. By taking a dietary supplement, you run the risk of taking too much which increases your risk factors.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is water-soluble and is in chickpeas, fortified cereal, tofu, spinach, potatoes, watermelon, squash, nuts, fruit, raisins, bananas, and onions. If you are deficient your heart disease risk increases because it creates blood cells and hemoglobin which carries oxygen. It also decreases homocysteine in the blood preventing the clogging of arteries and causing a heart attack.

Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)

Vitamin B9 is water-soluble and is found in spinach and asparagus, brussel sprouts, fortified corn, kidney beans, seeds, legumes, peas, cornmeal, peanuts, black-eyed peas, fortified cereals, and oranges. Folic acid decreases homocysteine which makes the arteries hard and increases the risk of heart disease and strokes. It also helps to create blood vessels that transport oxygen and nutrients to the heart.

Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is fat-soluble and is in natto and leafy green vegetables. It helps to reduce inflammation in the heart arteries and keeps them flexible.  It also slows down the accumulation of calcium in the arteries, lowering the risk of coronary artery disease.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is fat-soluble and in beet greens, tomatoes, spinach, sunflower seeds, mangoes, asparagus, broccoli, peanuts, swiss chard, butternut squash, almonds, kiwi, and avocados. It increases blood circulation and widens blood vessels preventing cardiovascular disease. Vitamin E slows down the accumulation of bad cholesterol in the arteries. This prevents blockages and blood clots that could cause a heart attack.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is fat-soluble and is in turnip greens, broccoli, spinach, mango, pumpkin, red peppers, apricots, carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and squash. The body uses beta-carotene in these foods to make Vitamin A to create tissues and cells in the body that assist the heart with pumping blood freely.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is water soluble but can be stored in the liver for up to four years. It’s in fortified plant milk and fortified cereals. If you are deficient it could mean you are at risk for heart disease because either triglycerides will increase or a high level of homocysteine is produced. This damages the veins and arteries around the heart.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is fat-soluble and is in blueberries, kefir, lettuce, collard greens, broccoli,  figs, chickpeas, kale, swiss chard, spinach, natto, grapes, green tea, soybeans and parsley. The intestine creates a small amount of it. Vitamin K protects the arteries from plaque buildup ensuring blood is pumping freely and the heart is not under strain.

Vitamin Pairing To Support Heart Disease

Certain vitamins and minerals help each other function better and work well together. By pairing two or more vitamins or a vitamin with a mineral you get better absorption.

Iron and Vitamin A

Vitamin A takes iron out of storage which creates hemoglobin to take oxygen to the rest of the body via the red blood cells.

Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C

Taking Vitamin C with Vitamin B6 strengthens the immune system to well-equip your body to deal with viral and bacterial infections.

Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6

These two vitamins decrease homocysteine, a heart disease risk, from accumulating. For Vitamin B12 to process fats and proteins to increase metabolism it needs B6 for absorption.

Magnesium and Vitamin D

Magnesium enables your body to absorb Vitamin D better and prevent it from taking in too much calcium. Excess calcium can accumulate in soft tissues like arteries causing blockages and leading to heart disease.

Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B9

These three vitamins work well together to ensure the levels of homocysteine are low so that heart function isn’t impaired.

Vitamin C and Iron

Iron is important for the creation and maintenance of red blood cells in the body. Lack of iron means irregular heartbeats and heart failure. Vitamin C helps you absorb more iron from the foods you eat.

Vitamin B6 and Magnesium

Magnesium helps the body absorb Vitamin B6 and has the added benefit of working together to improve mental health. Lower stress levels, better sleep, and better muscle and nerve function help promote better heart health.

Vitamin D and Vitamin K2

They work together to ensure the body is getting enough calcium and that it is absorbed and transported where needed. This makes sure that the teeth and bones get the calcium and not the soft tissue in the arteries which could lead to blockages and heart disease.

Vitamin C and Zinc

Besides providing for a healthier immune system, taking these two together also helps to lower the damage caused by free radicals in the cells of your body. Oxidative stress caused by free radical exposure can lead to heart disease.

Vitamin B12 and Magnesium

Magnesium allows the body to absorb Vitamin B12 properly, and they also work together to help the cardiovascular system to function optimally.

Key Takeaways

Vitamins are a vital part of heart health and keep your body functioning as it should. Healthy eating habits and getting enough sunshine will ensure you get all the vitamins your body needs. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by not smoking or drinking, sleeping at least seven hours a night, and exercising daily. If you do all this it will lower your cardiovascular risk and keep your heart healthy.