written by
Brooke Whitman-Roberts
Wellness Manager
Small, everyday choices play a powerful role in long-term heart health.
Heart Month is a powerful reminder that our hearts deserve attention long before problems arise. Cardiovascular disease is often talked about as if it’s a single condition, but it’s actually an umbrella term for a wide range of issues including angina, arrhythmias, heart attacks, and more, each with its own causes and risk factors. Heart disease is preventable. While there are risk factors we can’t control, many of these conditions are influenced by lifestyle habits and underlying health concerns such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and sleep apnea.
Limiting tobacco and alcohol use is a top priority. Reducing stress that leads to poor health choices and increased blood pressure is also important. Getting regular, quality sleep supports blood pressure regulation, metabolism, and overall heart function. Mindfulness, breathwork, and yoga are great practices for mitigating stress and improving sleep. Eating a healthy diet is vital to heart health. Sodium intake should be limited to around 2,300 mg daily and lean red meat to three times per week. Exercise helps control your weight while reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. Just 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days per week improves heart health and lowers your risk of heart disease. Even social connection plays a role in heart health. Staying connected, whether through community groups, friendship, or family, is increasingly recognized as a protective factor.
Supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and antioxidants are being studied for their potential to support heart health by helping maintain healthy cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, and promoting overall cardiovascular function.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
(Natural Factors RxOmega, Alpha Flax Oil, Udo’s 3-6-9)
Omega-3 fatty acids support heart health in several interconnected ways, making them one of the most widely discussed supplements for cardiovascular wellness. They help maintain healthy triglyceride levels, support flexible blood vessels, and play a role in calming low-grade inflammation, all factors tied to long-term heart function. Omega-3s also contribute to steady heart rhythms and support normal blood pressure, while influencing broader metabolic processes that benefit the cardiovascular system.
Magnesium
(Natural Calm Magnesium Powder, Natural Factors Magnesium Bisglycinate, New Roots Magnesium Bisglycinate Plus)
Magnesium plays a quiet but powerful role in keeping the heart functioning smoothly. It helps regulate normal heart rhythm, supports healthy blood pressure, and assists the heart muscle in producing energy. Magnesium also works with other electrolytes to keep blood vessels relaxed and maintain steady electrical signals in the heart, making adequate intake essential for long-term cardiovascular health.
Coenzyme Q10
(Preferred Nutrition CoQ10)
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a naturally occurring antioxidant that plays a key role in energy production within every cell, especially in the heart, which has high energy demands. It’s often highlighted for its potential to support cardiovascular wellness by helping protect cells from oxidative stress and supporting healthy blood vessel function. CoQ10 also plays a role in maintaining steady energy production in heart muscle cells. Many people are interested in CoQ10 as they age, since natural levels tend to decline over time. Ubiquinol is the active form of CoQ10 that is more readily absorbed.
Antioxidants
(CanPrev Antioxidant Network, Naka Liposomal Vitamin C)
Antioxidants like resveratrol and vitamin C offer complementary protection for the heart by reducing oxidative stress and supporting healthier blood vessels. Resveratrol, found in grapes, berries, and red wine, helps protect the lining of blood vessels, supports healthy circulation, and may reduce inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular aging. Vitamin C, abundant in citrus fruits and many vegetables, plays a key role in maintaining strong blood vessel walls, supporting collagen formation, and neutralizing free radicals before they can damage heart tissue. Antioxidants create a broader defence system that helps keep the cardiovascular environment more resilient and balanced over time.
Nattokinase
(Naka Nattokinase)
Nattokinase is a naturally occurring enzyme extracted from natto, a traditional Japanese fermented soybean dish. Research suggests that nattokinase may help support healthy blood flow by breaking down fibrin, a protein involved in blood clot formation, which can contribute to smoother circulation and overall heart health.
Beets
(Flora Red Beet Crystals)
Beets offer a surprisingly powerful boost for heart and vascular health thanks to their rich supply of natural nitrates. Once consumed, these nitrates convert into nitric oxide, a molecule that helps relax and widen blood vessels, improving circulation and supporting healthy blood pressure. Beets also contain antioxidants like betalains, which help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
Collagen
(Total Body Collagen)
Collagen supports heart and vascular health in a quieter, structural way that often gets overlooked. It’s a major component of blood vessel walls, helping them stay flexible, resilient, and able to withstand pressure changes. As collagen naturally declines with age, arteries can stiffen, which may contribute to higher blood pressure and increased cardiovascular strain. Collagen supplements, along with vitamin C, provide the body with the nutrients it needs to create its own collagen.
Greens + Berries
(Botanica Perfect Greens, Navitas Greens + Berry Powders)
Greens and berries create a powerful foundation for heart health, with leafy greens supplying natural nitrates, magnesium, and potassium to support healthy blood pressure and flexible blood vessels, while berries deliver antioxidant-rich polyphenols that help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Adding nutrient-dense supergreens like chlorella and wheatgrass enhances this blend even further, contributing chlorophyll, vitamins, and additional antioxidants that support overall vascular function. Together, they form a broad, synergistic spectrum of nutrients that helps keep the cardiovascular system strong and resilient.
Garlic
(Living Alchemy Black Garlic)
Garlic adds another layer of cardiovascular support thanks to its unique sulfur-containing compounds, especially allicin. These compounds have been studied for their ability to help maintain healthy blood pressure, support more flexible blood vessels, and promote balanced cholesterol levels. Garlic also offers antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which help protect the cardiovascular system from oxidative stress over time.
Taurine
(New Roots Magnesium Plus 150 mg, CanPrev Magnesium Cardio)
Taurine’s cardiovascular benefits are largely through its role in maintaining healthy electrolyte balance and supporting smooth muscle function in the heart and blood vessels. It’s been studied for its ability to help regulate blood pressure, support steady heart rhythm, and reduce oxidative stress. Taurine also appears to support healthier cholesterol metabolism and may enhance the body’s natural production of nitric oxide, which helps keep blood vessels flexible.
Stress Support
(CanPrev GABA + L-theanine)
GABA and L-theanine provide stress support that indirectly benefits heart health. GABA is a calming neurotransmitter that helps quiet the nervous system, easing tension and reducing the kind of stress-driven spikes in heart rate and blood pressure that can strain the cardiovascular system over time. L-theanine, an amino acid found naturally in green tea, promotes relaxation without drowsiness by supporting alpha-wave brain activity and balancing stress hormones.
Supporting cardiovascular health with supplements can be valuable, but simplicity is key. While options like coenzyme Q10, nattokinase, and taurine each offer potential benefits for energy production, circulation, and overall heart function, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by trying to take everything at once. Instead, choose a small number of well‑researched supplements that align with your specific needs and lifestyle. By keeping your routine streamlined, you’re more likely to stay consistent, avoid unnecessary stress, and better understand what’s actually helping your heart thrive.
