5 supplements your heart will love

These safe, well-chosen nutritional supplements repair and protect your heart in ways that go beyond a healthy lifestyle.

• Two heart-friendly omega-3 fatty acids — eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) — found in fish-oil capsules can cut heart attack risk by 73 percent.
• Fish oil stabilizes dangerous artery plaque, so that it's less likely to burst and trigger the formation of blood clots.
• These oils can also cut triglycerides by 30 to 40 percent.
• Fish oil helps keep hearts beating in a regular rhythm, cutting the odds for strokes and sudden cardiac death.
• Experts suggest getting a total of 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of EPA plus DHA — though less-conservative experts suggest twice as much may be better.
• Take the capsules with food. Talk with your doctor if you have a bleeding disorder or take an anticoagulant drug such as warfarin.

• Soluble fibre — found naturally in foods like oatmeal, barley, beans, and many fruits — forms a thick, cholesterol-trapping gel in your digestive system.
• Get enough and you could lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol by five percent — enough to reduce heart disease risk by 10 to 15 percent.
• We need at least eight grams per day — and up to 25 grams if you have elevated cholesterol.
• Most of us barely take in four grams — about the amount in a bowl of oatmeal and a handful of strawberries. That's where a soluble fibre supplement comes in.

• Found in every cell in the body, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) boosts the effectiveness of enzymes that help cells produce energy.
• Getting sufficient CoQ10 ensures that heart muscle cells will pump efficiently.
• It can also cut symptoms of heart failure and shield cells from free-radical damage, and help lower blood pressure.
• If you take a cholesterol-lowering statin, ask your doctor about adding CoQ10 daily. Statins can block production of this enzyme by the liver.
• Take 100 milligrams per day. For best absorption, look for capsules or tablets with CoQ10 in an oil base.
• Take it with a meal containing a fat, such as salad dressing or peanut butter, to further enhance absorption.

Experts recommend two to three grams of phytosterols per day to lower high LDL cholesterol levels. Since phytosterols could block absorption of beta-carotene, get an extra serving of beta-carotene-rich foods every day.

• Aspirin's pain-soothing, inflammation-cooling active ingredient — acetylsalicylic acid — is also a potent heart-protector that works by cutting clot risk.
• A daily, low-dose aspirin can cut your risks of a heart attack by 33 percent.
• New evidence suggests that the benefits are far greater for men than for women.
• Talk with your doctor. Generally, the recommended dose is 81 milligrams per day — about the amount in a children's aspirin.
• Higher doses don't offer more protection. In fact, doses over 100 milligrams per day can double your risk for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
• Take aspirin with a meal to cut bleeding risks. If you take the pain reliever ibuprofen, wait two hours before taking aspirin. Ibuprofen can interfere with aspirin's heart-protective powers.

With shelves and shelves of supplements at every grocery and health food store, picking the right ones is a challenge. But with these five chemicals and compounds, you could reduce the risks of various common health concerns.