Your heart works hard every second of the day, so it makes sense to give it the care and nourishment it deserves. While a healthy diet, regular movement, and daily stress management techniques are the foundations of cardiovascular health, research continues to highlight the benefits of targeted nutrients for heart health. A combination of diet, lifestyle and thoughtfully chosen supplements provides the peace of mind that you’re supporting your heart function, energy, and circulation.
So, what nutrients have the most impact on your cardiovascular health and function? Let’s take a closer look:
CoQ10 for Heart Energy
Your heart needs an incredible amount of energy to do its job. That’s where coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, comes in. CoQ10 plays a key role in energy production, so much so that it’s often referred to as the heart’s “spark plug”. With its high energy needs, the heart benefits enormously from CoQ10.
As we age, or due to certain medications, our natural CoQ10 levels can drop – making supplementing a smart and efficient way to support heart energy and performance.
Benefits of CoQ10 for heart health:
- Supports energy production in the heart muscle cells and therefore heart muscle contraction 1
- Helps maintain healthy blood pressure, with recent research showing that it improves systolic blood pressure even at lower doses of around 200mg per day 2
- Provides antioxidant protection for cardiovascular tissues 3
Look for a CoQ10 supplement that’s in a form your body can easily utilise, like liposomal capsules for better absorption.
Vitamins K2 & D3: The Surprising Bone-Heart Connection
You may already know that vitamin D3 supports immunity and bone health, but did you know that it also helps regulate blood pressure and support arterial health? When vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 are paired together, they have a synergistic effect – with K2 ensuring calcium is directed into the bones where it belongs, and not into the arteries, helping to keep them flexible and clear and D3 promoting calcium absorption. Calcium is also key for heart health, but how it’s utilised matters. With adequate D3 and K2 supporting healthy absorption and utilisation, calcium can then be used to support normal heart muscle contraction. 4,5
Vitamins D3 and K2 work together to:
- Support healthy blood vessels
- Promote proper calcium metabolism
- Help maintain normal blood pressure (when used alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle, of course!)
Look for supplements that combine these nutrients in forms your body can easily use.
Magnesium: The Calming Nutrient for Your Cardiovascular System
Magnesium is often called the calming nutrient – and that is partly due to its effects on the heart. It helps regulate muscle contractions, including your heartbeat, supports healthy blood pressure, and can help reduce stress, which benefits your entire cardiovascular system. 6
Magnesium deficiency is common due to stress, medications, and modern diets. That’s why supplementing can make a noticeable difference.
How magnesium benefits your heart health:
- Supports a regular heartbeat and rhythm
- Helps manage blood pressure
- Aids relaxation and nervous system regulation
For a magnesium supplement that is especially beneficial for heart health, look for a magnesium orotate or magnesium citrate.
Resveratrol: Antioxidant Protection for Blood Vessels
Found in red grapes and berries, resveratrol is an antioxidant known for its protective effects on blood vessels (and its anti-ageing properties are renowned too). It supports healthy circulation, helps reduce inflammation, and some research also shows improvements in cholesterol levels. 7
Why resveratrol matters for your heart:
- Supports healthy blood flow
- Protects blood vessels from the damaging effects of oxidative stress
- May maintain healthy cholesterol levels by reducing LDL cholesterol & triglycerides 8
It’s not easy to get therapeutic doses of resveratrol from food alone, so a high-quality supplement can be a valuable addition to your heart-healthy routine. When choosing a resveratrol supplement, purity is key – look for products that offer a clean, well-sourced extract free from unnecessary fillers to ensure you’re getting the most effective and bioavailable form.
How to Support Your Heart Health Holistically
Along with smart supplements, your daily lifestyle plays a huge role in cardiovascular health. The good news is that small, consistent changes can make a lasting difference.
Here are a few ways to show some love to your heart holistically:
- Eat a whole food diet - a variety of fresh vegetables, berries, healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, oily fish, and avocado, and lean proteins are all heart-nourishing foods and form the basis of the Mediterranean diet, which is famous for its cardiovascular benefits.
- Increase fibre intake - by eating a whole food diet and focusing on high fibre foods such as raspberries, apples, avocados, rolled oats, nuts, chia seeds, carrots and cruciferous vegetables. Aim for 25-30g per day and drink plenty of water to keep things moving. Fibre helps to lower harmful cholesterol and support healthy blood sugar levels – both essential for heart health. 9
- Move your body daily - regular physical activity improves circulation, helps manage blood pressure, and keeps your heart strong. Imperfect movement is better than no movement - so meet yourself where you’re at with 10-minute walks, gentle yoga or a few laps at the pool. Find the movement you know you can do consistently and build it into your day.
- Manage stress - Chronic stress strains the cardiovascular system. Prioritise rest, connection, and calming activities like meditation, journaling, or yoga.
- Sleep well - restorative sleep helps regulate blood pressure and inflammation – two key pillars of heart health.
Your heart is central to your vitality, and taking care of it doesn’t have to be as complicated as you might think! Start with a balanced, fibre-rich diet, consistent movement, and thoughtful stress management – and consider adding the above targeted nutrients for heart health to enhance your results.
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This article was written by Sophia Power, a Clinical Nutritionist.
References:
- Kumar A, et al. (2009). Role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in cardiac disease, hypertension and Meniere-like syndrome. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 124(3):259-268. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163725809001429#
- Karimi M, et al. (2025). Effects of coenzyme Q10 administration on blood pressure and heart rate in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention, 26: 200424. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772487525000625
- Rabanal-Ruiz Y, et al. (2021). The use of coenzyme Q10 in cardiovascular diseases. Antioxidants, 10(5):755. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/10/5/755
- Maresz K, et al. (2015). Proper calcium use Vitamin K2 as a promoter of bone and cardiovascular health. Integr Med (Encinitas), 14(1):34-39. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4566462/
- Condoleo V, et al. (2021). Role of vitamin D in cardiovascular diseases. Endocrines, 2(4):417-426. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-396X/2/4/37
- DiNicolantonio JJ, et al. (2018). Magnesium for the prevention and treatment of cardiovasculat disease. Open Heart, 5:e000775. https://openheart.bmj.com/content/5/2/e000775
- Li H, et al. (2019). Resveratrol and vascular function. Int J Mol Sci, 20(9): 2155. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6539341/
- Cao X, et al. (2022). The effect of resveratrol on blood lipid profile: A dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients, 14(18):3755. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36145131/#
- McRae MP. (2017). Dietary fiber is beneficial for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: An umbrella review of meta-analyses. J Chiropr Med, 16(4):289-299. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5731843/