The 11 Best Supplements for Heart Health: A Complete Guide

Finding the best supplements for heart health is tricky because doctors support a healthy diet and exercise over any supplement. Diet and exercise are the foundation, but that doesn’t mean supplements can’t make their way into your daily routine. 

Supplements can help you course-correct when you realize you’re missing essential nutrients. They can assist you in strengthening an already sturdy heart-health routine. Finding supplements that are good for heart health can be an easy way to give yourself a leg up, especially when those supplements support full-body health. 

So which supplements are right for you? Should you get more vitamin D or fish oil? Is collagen good for your heart health? What about green tea? We’ll look at all these options so you can make the most informed choice. 

The 11 best supplements for heart health

Before starting any supplement, make sure you consult with a healthcare professional. They can help you make sure your supplement won’t negatively interact with medications you’re already taking. They can also help you put together the best combination of supplements for your needs. 

Even the best supplements for heart health can’t work miracles, so make sure to stay away from things that harm your heart health – like smoking, excess caffeine or alcohol, and a highly processed diet. 

You’ll also want to stay away from supplements that don’t have any scientific backing, like Vitamin D. While Vitamin D is great for other parts of the body, there’s no evidence it supports heart health specifically. 

Can collagen cause heart problems? Potentially, and this is why it’s a good idea to talk with your doctor before starting a supplement. Even the best supplements for heart health won’t be good for everyone. 

In a few people, collagen can contribute to hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia is caused by too much calcium and can cause irregular heart rhythms. But what about people without hypercalcemia? Let’s look at what science says about collagen and heart health.

1. Collagen

Collagen has got to be one of the best supplements for heart health, overall. Collagen is possibly the most vital protein in your body. It’s found in your bones, skin, muscles, and organs – including your heart. 

That’s why collagen peptides benefits extend far beyond just heart health. So is collagen good for your heart health? Absolutely! 

A recent review of more than 200 scientific studies found that collagen supplementation significantly improved markers for cardiovascular health. Specifically, collagen helps to improve blood pressure, body composition, and serum LDL levels – a cholesterol marker that’s key to heart health. 

The links between collagen and heart health continue to grow, but what are collagen peptides? Are they different from any other collagen?

Most of the time, when you find a collagen supplement, it’ll either be labeled as “collagen peptides” or “hydrolyzed collagen”. These mean the same thing, and they refer to collagen that has been broken down into smaller, easier-to-digest molecules. 

Peptides are some of the best supplements for heart health because they’re so easy for your body to use, and even unfortified collagen supplements have 8 of the 9 essential amino acids your body uses to create proteins.

2. Fish oil

Fish oil is well-known as one of the best supplements for heart health. What is it about fish oil that is so good for your heart? Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which your body needs for energy and structural support in some of your organs – including your heart. 

Omega-3 fatty acids are compounds your body can’t create on its own, so you need to get them in your diet. Many people don’t consume enough omega-3s in their normal diet, so a supplement can help. Or you can consume more foods naturally rich in omega-3s, like salmon, tuna, flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.  

3. Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that’s essential to a huge number of chemical reactions that happen throughout your body every day. It’s one of the best supplements for heart health when you take it alongside something like collagen. This is because magnesium helps your body to form new proteins, using the raw materials in collagen or other protein-rich foods. 

Those proteins are then used to repair and strengthen tissues throughout your body. Magnesium also helps to regulate muscle contraction and relaxation – like the kind that happens when your heart beats. Multiple studies have found that diets rich in magnesium lead to a lower risk of heart disease. 

Like many of the best supplements for heart health, magnesium doesn’t have to just be a supplement! Foods rich in magnesium like pumpkin seeds, almonds, and spinach have all the same benefits as a magnesium supplement and are rich in other nutrients, as well.

4. Potassium

Like magnesium, potassium helps your body regulate muscle contraction and relaxation. Potassium is also an electrolyte, which means your body can use it to deliver electricity – like the electricity your body uses to keep your heart beating regularly.

Potassium is one of the best supplements for heart health if you’re concerned about high blood pressure since increased potassium intake has been linked to lower blood pressure. Potassium can also help reduce your risk of stroke and kidney stones since potassium can help counteract excess calcium. 

You can get more potassium in your diet through potatoes, avocados, bananas, and oranges.

5. Fiber

Fiber is one of the most important supplements to take daily since most people don’t get enough in their normal diet. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. 

Soluble fiber dissolves in water and can help your body digest fat and cholesterol more effectively, leading to lower LDL levels. Because of this, fiber is one of the best supplements for heart health across the board. Soluble fiber is also key in helping your body manage insulin response and can help with weight loss. 

Insoluble fiber cannot be dissolved in water and doesn’t get digested at all. It helps your body to regulate bowel movements and doesn’t have any particular benefits to heart health. Skin-on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans are all great natural sources of fiber. 

6. B vitamins

There are eight B vitamins, and of these, three have strong scientific backing as the best supplements for heart health: folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. 

Folic acid helps to form your DNA and red blood cells – both of which are essential to overall health. Vitamin B6 helps to break down proteins in your diet and prevent an unhealthy buildup of homocysteine – an amino acid that can lead to heart disease. Vitamin B12 also helps with the creation of red blood cells and maintaining healthy levels of homocysteine. 

The most interesting thing about these B vitamins is that you don’t necessarily need to take all of them to see positive effects. A higher level of even one of these B vitamins can lead to a healthier heart!

7. Garlic

Garlic for heart health should never be taken by anyone on blood thinners, blood pressure drugs, or cholesterol-lowering drugs. In combination with medicines like these, garlic can cause severe health problems. 

For anyone not on one of these medications, garlic can find its place among the best supplements for heart health. Garlic’s medicinal qualities have been well-known for centuries, and they come from its anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic is also naturally high in vitamin B6 and allicin, a compound that has been shown to help lower blood pressure.

For all that, however, most experts agree that garlic supplements are rarely needed, and consuming more garlic in your normal diet can provide the same benefits without the risks of garlic supplements.

8. Green tea

Like garlic, green tea has been celebrated for its medicinal qualities throughout history. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, compounds that help reduce the amount of free radicals in your body. 

Free radicals are by-products of your body producing energy, but can also be caused by smoking, pollution, and UV exposure. They can damage cells throughout your body and are suspected to be the cause of multiple diseases including heart disease and cancer.

Green tea doesn’t make the top of the list when it comes to the best supplements for heart health just yet. While early studies have shown the long-term benefits of green tea, more clinical research is needed to verify its effects on heart disease, specifically.  

9. Red yeast rice

Red yeast rice is less well-known than green tea or garlic, but it has also been prized as medicinal for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Red yeast rice is created when specific species of yeast are grown on white rice. The result is rich in monacolin K – the same active ingredient in many medications for high cholesterol. 

Red yeast rice can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and may help the strength and flexibility of blood vessels. Along with green tea, early research is promising, but more investigation is needed before red yeast rice can top the list of best supplements for heart health.

It’s also important to do your research before selecting a red yeast rice supplement. Supplements aren’t regulated very strictly by the FDA, but monacolin K is subject to stricter regulations. This means some companies sell “red yeast rice” supplements that aren’t especially high in the active ingredient you’re buying them for in the first place!

10. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

CoQ10 is a compound found throughout your body that has strong antioxidant properties. The research on CoQ10 has been growing. One review of more than 10 studies found that it helps improve results in people who have experienced heart failure. 

Early research also suggests that taking CoQ10 before surgery can also help with recovering from open heart surgery. This is because of the way CoQ10 supports your mitochondria, the part of your body’s cells responsible for producing energy. 

CoQ10 is a newer supplement, but this promising research may lead to it being considered one of the best supplements for heart health available!

11. Plant sterols

Plant sterols are naturally occurring compounds found in plants, including fruits, vegetables, and grains. So how did they end up among the best supplements for heart health? 

Plant sterols have a similar structure to cholesterol. When your body is digesting food, it can absorb the plant sterols and let some of the cholesterol pass through your system undigested. This is why plant sterols have been linked to lower cholesterol levels, but more research on them is needed. 

Some studies suggest plant sterols may interfere with vitamin absorption or cause plaque buildup on the walls of your arteries, so be sure to talk with a healthcare professional before supplementing with them.

The growing link between collagen and heart health 

The best supplements for heart health won’t just help lower cholesterol or blood pressure, they’ll support health throughout your body. Collagen is the most common protein in the body, and it has strong scientific backing as a supplement for bone and joint health, skin health, and more. Is collagen good for your heart health? Absolutely! 

A high-quality medical-grade collagen supplement can support heart health without some of the risks that more unregulated supplements pose. And collagen isn’t known to interact with any other medications or supplements, so it tops the list when it comes to the best supplements for heart health.