4 supplements to protect your heart health this winter (and beyond)

Right now is the perfect time to think about what you can do to support your heart health to live longer and better.

Not only is it that time of year when many of us are committing to positive lifestyle changes and goals, with winter in full swing, it’s also the time of year when a perfect storm of circumstances can increase your risk for a heart attack.

So, with that in mind, I’ve put together a list of four nutrients you can supplement on a daily basis that are scientifically proven to be heart-protective and can put your mind at ease while your heart keeps ticking away.

4 nutrients that show your heart big-time love

1. CoQ10

When it comes to heart-healthy supplements, Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 easily tops the list.

Not only does CoQ10 help to provide the energy your hard-working heart cells need to function optimally, but it also serves as a powerful antioxidant to guard against the free radicals and oxidative damage that can cause inflammation in your blood vessels.

And, while CoQ10 occurs naturally in the cells of your body, by the time you hit your 20s, your levels can start dropping.

To make matters worse, several common medications push those levels down even further, including statins, diuretics, anti-depressants, and even some diabetes and heart medications.

This means that if you want to keep your heart strong, you should consider high-quality CoQ10 supplements.

2. Magnesium

A detailed review of scientific studies dating as far back as 1937 found that the best predictor of heart disease is low levels of magnesium.

In fact, magnesium deficiency has been linked to:

• High blood pressure
• Cholesterol issues
• Hardening of the arteries
• Plaque buildup in the arteries

This means that taking magnesium supplements could help you not only avoid all of these issues but enhance your overall heart health.

The most common magnesium supplement for cardiovascular health is magnesium taurate, a chelated form of magnesium that’s attached to taurine.

3. Nattokinase

While you might be familiar with the first two supplements we’ve talked about, most people have never even heard of nattokinase. Yet, it’s extremely important when it comes to your heart health.

You see, as you get older, your blood starts to thicken and your circulation begins to slow down, making your heart pump harder and harder. This happens because your body can no longer produce the levels of an enzyme known as plasmin that you need to dissolve clots in your blood vessels.

Luckily, nattokinase (an enzyme made from fermented soybeans) works in the same manner as plasmin, helping your body naturally dissolve those clots to allow your blood to flow smoothly.

In fact, more than 17 scientific studies have proven that nattokinase helps to optimize circulation.

4. Garlic

If you haven’t jumped on the garlic bandwagon to improve your heart health, now is the time since it’s been shown to work in two very important ways.

First, studies have shown that garlic can help you better control your blood pressure when you get an amount equal to about four cloves per day.

And second, garlic has been shown to help reduce LDL or “bad cholesterol” by 10 – 15 percent.

Sources:

1. Low Magnesium Linked To Heart Disease — Medical News Today
2. The best magnesium supplement — Chicago Tribune
3. Effects of Allium sativum (garlic) on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension — Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
4. Aged garlic extract lowers blood pressure in patients with treated but uncontrolled hypertension: a randomised controlled trial — Maturitas
5. Garlic supplementation prevents oxidative DNA damage in essential hypertension — Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
6. Garlic for treating hypercholesterolemia. A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials — Annals of Internal Medicine
7. Lipid-lowering effects of time-released garlic powder tablets in double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized study — Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis
8. Garlic as a lipid lowering agent–a meta-analysis — Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London