These days, there always seems to be a new vitamin or mineral supplement to push your wellbeing to the highest levels it can reach, but what if your heart wellness is already in trouble? Should you take supplements if you are at risk for, or have heart disease?
Four cardiologists weighed in on the issue, expressing varying degrees of scepticism toward supplements, but mostly agreeing about their top picks, such as fish oil. The main thing they could all agree on was that the quality of supplements varies widely, so if you do choose to take them, you need to pick your brand carefully, and consult your doctor before taking them, especially if you have a heart condition.
One of the experts, Sara Sirna, who directs Temple University Hospital’s lipid clinic, said that lifestyle changes are really the best weapons in your arsenal against heart disease. She recommended a good night’s sleep, healthy food including five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, a healthy weight, exercise and not smoking, because ‘we clearly know that people who do that have a much lower risk of heart disease than people who don’t do that.’
David Shipon, who has a special focus on prevention and integrative medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, added that stress reduction is also important, whilst Daniel Rader, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Preventive Cardiovascular Program, warned that evidence on supplements benefits for heart wellness tend to analyse cholesterol levels, rather than heart attack-reduction or length of life. Rader said, ‘the data to support taking these things is basically weak to nonexistent,’ and conflicts with one another.
However, all the doctors, including David Becker, who practices in Flourtown, agreed that fish oil had the best scientific evidence for its benefits, though the evidence is murkier for people who do not have heart disease and want to prevent it. However, when it came to red yeast rice, the doctors were conflicted. Shipon said, ‘I treat it like it’s a statin,’ as it can lower cholesterol but has the same side effects as the prescription drugs, whilst Rader disagreed.
According to Rader, people using the supplement are ‘basically taking a low dose of a statin along with a bunch of other stuff that has not been well-studied.’ Therefore, he asserted that, unless you can’t tolerate the prescription product, you’re better off taking statin than red yeast rice and healthy people shouldn’t take red yeast rice to prevent heart disease.
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