What vitamins are important for healthy heart function?
What Vitamins Are Important for Healthy Heart Function?
Several vitamins are critical for maintaining heart health:
1. Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Helps manage homocysteine levels, an amino acid linked to heart disease. Elevated homocysteine levels can damage blood vessels and increase cardiovascular risk.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): Works with folate to reduce homocysteine levels and support cardiovascular health. Research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2019) found that B vitamins help lower cardiovascular disease risk.
Folate (Vitamin B9): Essential for reducing homocysteine and supporting healthy blood vessel function.
2. Vitamin D
Vitamin D supports heart health by regulating blood pressure and reducing inflammation. Low levels of vitamin D are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. A study in Circulation (2020) showed that vitamin D supplementation improved cardiovascular health markers.
3. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects heart cells from oxidative stress. It also helps maintain healthy blood vessels. A review in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry (2019) concluded that vitamin E supports heart health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.