Vitamins are essential for the functioning of the body and to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. Research has shown that obtaining certain vitamins from food or supplements can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Regularly taking vitamin supplements, even if you have no health problems and eat a varied diet, can be an important part of health maintenance and disease prevention.
Among other vitamins, there are three groups in particular which support the cardiovascular system – B vitamins, vitamin E, and vitamin C. While some people are able to get enough of these vitamins through dietary sources such as fruits and vegetables, many individuals may require additional supplementation or increased dietary intake to meet their required needs. Read on to find out how these key vitamins could benefit your heart health and how to obtain them through dietary sources or supplementation.
Vitamin C
One essential vitamin for a healthy heart is Vitamin C. This vitamin has a variety of benefits for cardiovascular health, including the lowering of LDL cholesterol levels, reducing inflammation, and preventing oxidative stress.
It’s important to understand how to get the right amount of Vitamin C in your diet as it can help to promote a healthy heart. Let’s have a look at its benefits and what food sources are good sources of it.
Benefits
Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient for proper functioning of the human body, and it is particularly beneficial for healthy heart function. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant – meaning it fights damage to our cells from substances called free radicals. The Vitamin also helps reduce inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, which can help reduce a person’s risk for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
In addition to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, Vitamin C has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels, reduce plaque accumulation in the arteries, and improve arterial stiffness. It can also help boost immune system health by preventing or fighting infections that may damage the heart or create additional stress on the body. And Lastly, Vitamin C helps prevent vessel damage caused by oxidized cholesterol in circulation.
The best sources of vitamin C come from fruits like oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, melons and papaya; vegetables including broccoli bell peppers; potatoes; tomatoes; kale; Brussels sprouts; cauliflower; spinach and cabbage are all great sources as well. Additionally, consuming fortified juices or cereal may provide further benefit in increasing Vitamin C intake into the body easily. Supplementation may also be required if inadequate amounts of the vitamin cannot be acquired from food alone.
Sources
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for the maintenance of heart health. It can be found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including certain citrus fruits, bell peppers, kale, collard greens, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables. Other sources rich in vitamin C include parsley, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli. Non-fruit or vegetable sources of vitamin C are fortified cereals, dairy products, eggs and fish.
In addition to dietary sources of vitamin C, many nutrient supplements offer the nutrient. Depending on the particular supplement form selected (powder or capsule) it can provide doses ranging from 50 mg to 1000 mg per day. For prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases results suggest that supplementation with 500–1000mg daily may be most useful.
Vitamins work together to form specific metabolic actions so if you take a multivitamin approach use products that contain all of these vitamins: A B6 B12 C D3 E K2 Coenzyme Q10 Selenium Zinc Magnesium Alpha Lipoic Acid Folate Chromium Niacin Pantothenic Acid L-Taurine N-Acetylcysteine Betaine Hydrochloride etc..
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an important nutrient for a healthy heart. It helps lower cholesterol levels, improve blood circulation, and reduce inflammation. Vitamin E also helps protect against oxidative damage from dangerous free radicals and boosts immunity.
By taking a supplement, you can make sure you are getting enough of this essential nutrient for a strong and healthy heart.
Benefits
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that is essential for maintaining the heart’s health by reducing oxidative stress that can damage the cardiovascular system. This important vitamin supports healthy cellular function throughout your body and helps support the immune system. Vitamin E is also known to help neutralize bad cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
The primary sources of Vitamin E come from a variety of healthy food sources including nuts, seeds, egg yolks, vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables and fortified foods such as whole-grain cereals. While it’s important to get enough Vitamin E in your diet, many people still find themselves deficient — this often happens because some forms of food processing may remove critical nutrients in our foods before they reach our tables. Therefore taking a supplement may be beneficial to ensure that you have enough Vitamin E to support your health.
Vitamin E has many benefits for cardiovascular health: it helps protect cell membranes from free radical damage; boosts immune function; supports healthy blood pressure levels; and helps reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It has also been shown to improve artery flexibility and promote better circulation throughout your body — both critical factors in keeping your heart strong and healthy.
Sources
Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that can be found in a variety of foods. It is important for healthy cell membrane structure, tissue repair and healthy cardiovascular functions. When choosing foods that naturally contain vitamin E, remember to take into account the recommended dietary allowance (RDA), which is 15 mg per day for adults.
Some good sources of this vitamin include:
- Nuts and seeds such as almonds, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
- Leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach
- Avocados
- Olive oil
- Fortified breakfast cereals
- Fish such as trout and salmon
- Fruits including kiwi, tomatoes and papayas
- Whole grains like wheat germ and oats
The body can also absorb some Vitamin E from food supplements such as Vitamin E oil or capsules. It is important to remember that too much of any supplement—including vitamin E—can be unhealthy. If you are unsure about your specific needs, it’s best to talk to your doctor or other healthcare providers before taking supplements.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important vitamin for maintaining a healthy heart, as research shows that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their bloodstream tend to have healthier hearts. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of other nutrients in the body and studies have linked low levels of vitamin D with an increased risk of developing heart disease.
Let’s take a closer look at how vitamin D can contribute to a healthy heart.
Benefits
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for maintaining overall health, as it aids in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus to keep bones healthy. It also helps to regulate immunity and improve cardiovascular health by reducing inflammation and lowering high blood pressure. Additionally, Vitamin D has been linked with a decrease in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis and osteoporosis.
Adequate Vitamin D intake can be achieved through exposure to sunlight, as well as dietary sources such as fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel), fortified milk, fortified cereals and egg yolks. The American Heart Association recommends consuming 400 – 800 IU of vitamin D3 daily depending on age and other individual risk factors.
It is important to note that too much vitamin D can lead to side effects so it is advised that individuals consult their doctor before taking any supplementation or making major changes to their diet.
Sources
Vitamin D is important for our health, and a deficiency can have many negative effects. Although the body produces vitamin D as a result of sun exposure, some extra vitamin D intake may be beneficial since most of it is broken down and removed by the liver. Vitamin D can be found in several different sources, including foods such as fatty fish, cheese, egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified foods such as orange juice, milk and cereal flakes. Other sources include sun exposure and vitamin supplements that are available without a prescription from your doctor or pharmacy.
Foods that contain naturally high amounts of vitamin D are:
- Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna)
- Egg yolks
- Cheese
- Mushrooms
Foods containing fortified Vitamin D include:
- Milk
- Orange juice
- Cereal flakes
Sunlight is also an important source of Vitamin D: exposing your skin to 15 minutes of early morning or late afternoon sunlight several times a week will help your body produce Vitamin D naturally.
Recent research suggests that Vitamin D supplements may provide additional benefits beyond just preventing deficiencies and can help support heart health. Talk to your doctor before taking any vitamins or supplements to ensure they meet your individual needs.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is one of the most important vitamins needed to maintain a healthy heart. It plays a role in the production of both red blood cells and immune cells, which helps keep your heart functioning normally.
Vitamin B6 can also help lower levels of homocysteine in the body, which is an amino acid linked to heart disease.
Let’s take a look at how Vitamin B6 can help with a healthy heart.
Benefits
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is an important water-soluble vitamin. It is essential for many bodily functions and is also known to play a major role in keeping the heart healthy. Adequate consumption of vitamin B6 can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions.
It plays a major role in many metabolic processes such as protein metabolism, energy production and fat synthesis. Vitamin B6 helps the body to break down homocysteine, an amino acid known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin B6 also acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from free radical damage that could lead to a variety of chronic illnesses.
Other health benefits associated with adequate intake of vitamin B6 include:
- boosts immune system function
- helps regulate hormones such as insulin
- promotes healthy brain development and nerve function
- maintains hemoglobin levels which carry oxygen in red blood cells
- regulates glucose levels which helps maintain balanced energy levels
- reduces inflammation that can contribute to heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions
Sources
Vitamin B6 is found in a wide range of food sources including meats, whole grains, legumes and some fruits and vegetables. It’s important to note that the body doesn’t store vitamin B6 for long periods of time, so it’s important to consume enough of it regularly.
Vitamin B6 is found in:
Meats:
-Chicken
-Pork
-Beef
-Turkey
Whole Grains:
-Wheat germ
-Brown rice
-Barley
Legumes:
-Lentils
-Peanuts
-Navy beans
Fruits & Vegetables:
-Bananas
-Mangoes
-Spinach
-Potatoes
It’s important to recognize that the body needs multiple forms of vitamin B6 to adequately absorb it. A balanced diet is the best way make sure you receive adequate amounts of this essential nutrient. In addition, adding a daily supplement can ensure you reach your daily recommended value of vitamin B6.
Conclusion
A healthy diet is essential for keeping the heart healthy and happy. Vitamins A, B6, C and E play an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health. Taking a daily multivitamin with these vitamins and minerals may help ensure that your body is getting the nutrition it needs to maintain a healthy heart.
Supplements should not be used as a substitute for regular dietary intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and other wholesome foods. Be sure to talk to your doctor or healthcare provider before adding any vitamins to your diet.