Take These Vitamin Supplements To Help Prevent Heart Disease

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. High cholesterol is the leading cause of heart disease. Lowering your cholesterol can help prevent and in some cases even reverse heart disease.

Cholesterol causes heart disease by first getting into your bloodstream. From there it gets into your arteries. It builds up in your arteries and causes blockages. This slows the blood flow to your heart and can cause heart disease. If your arteries become completely blocked, it can cause a heart attack or stroke.

Did you know that there are vitamin supplements that you can take to help decrease your cholesterol, strengthen your heart muscle and prevent heart disease? Let's take a look at these vitamins and what they do for your heart.

Vitamin E:

Vitamin E is a potent antioxident that keeps your low density cholesterol levels from turning into it's toxic form and prevents it from damaging your heart. Of the many forms of Vitamin E available, capsules containing d-alphatocopherol succinate are the best. These capsules don't go rancid, while oil-filled vitamin E capsules sometimes do.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is an antioxident that protects the smooth muscle that lines the coronary arteries against microscopic injurys caused by high blood pressure, smoking and high cholesterol. The usual form of vitamin C can cause stomach irritation, so it's better to get your vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate or magnesium ascorbate to prevent stomach irritation.

B Vitamins:

B6, B12 and folic acid all reduce blood levels of homocysteine. High levels of Homocysteine is linked to heart disease because this is a clot promoting amino acid. It's most effective to take the usual daily does of these B vitamins.

Caroteroids:

Beta-carotene and lycopene are the most common of this family of antioxidents. These antioxidents all provide protection against heart disease. The natural form is the best way to get these antioxidents and can be found in red, yellow and green leafy vegetables. Tomatoes are also a great source of lycopene.

Taking the recommended does of these vitamins will help protect your heart against heart disease. You can find these supplements at your local health store or GNC. Follow the recommendations on their label to lower your cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

Before taking any supplements, you should consult with your doctor to make sure they are right for you.