Support Your Heart & Circulation
Blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, circulation and heart-healthy habits, with the evidence and safety points first.
General information, not medical advice. Each goal page shows what helps, what to avoid, the evidence and the safety points.
Goals in this category
10 goals
Build Heart-Healthy Habits
Heart health is built from ordinary habits repeated over years: how much you move, what is on your plate, whether you smoke or drink, how you sleep, and whether you know…
Support Healthy Blood Pressure
Blood pressure usually gives no warning signs, so supporting it means knowing your numbers and making a few well-studied changes to salt, potassium-rich foods, movement,…
Improve Your Cholesterol Levels
High cholesterol usually causes no symptoms, yet food, movement, weight, smoking and alcohol all shift the numbers, and the changes with the best evidence are mostly eve…
Manage High Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood, and a blood test can show whether yours are above the usual range. This page is about the habits that influence triglycerid…
Improve Your Cardiovascular Fitness
Cardiovascular (aerobic) fitness is how well your heart, lungs and blood vessels deliver oxygen to working muscles, and it can be improved at almost any age with regular…
Support Healthy Circulation
Good circulation is mostly about keeping blood moving through the arteries and veins of your legs, hands and feet, and the everyday habits that protect them: moving ofte…
Sit Less & Move More
This goal is about spending less of your day sitting still and adding more everyday movement, in small steps that fit real life. Health agencies agree that some movement…
Eat for Heart Health
A heart-healthy way of eating is mostly about patterns rather than single foods: plenty of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts and fish, with liquid plant oil…
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) means the force of blood on your artery walls is often too high. It usually causes no symptoms, so it is found by measuring, and it ma…
High Cholesterol
High cholesterol means there is too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in the blood. It usually causes no symptoms, so it is found by a blood test, and over th…
Foods, herbs, vitamins and supplements studied for this category
Strongest evidence first. Most evidence is low, so read each page's studies and safety points.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA and DHA) Omega fatty acid
Blood triglycerides
Safety first: Higher-dose omega-3 capsules were linked to more atrial fibrillation - Fish oil Omega-3 oil
Lowering blood triglycerides
Safety first: Fish oil can raise the chance of an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) - Vitamin B3 (niacin) Vitamin
Blood fats: HDL, LDL and triglycerides (medicine-level nicotinic acid)
Safety first: Food niacin is not linked to harm; supplements at higher amounts are the concern - Omega-6 fatty acids Omega fatty acid
Blood cholesterol when omega-6 replaces other fats
Safety first: In one old trial, swapping saturated fat for omega-6 oil was followed by more deaths - Garlic Herbs
High blood pressure: lowering blood pressure
Safety first: If you take blood thinners or have surgery coming up, tell your doctor about garlic supplements - Safflower Herbs & Botanicals
LDL and total cholesterol when replacing saturated fat (seed oil)
Safety first: Possible extra bleeding with blood thinners, antiplatelet drugs and before surgery - Chia Herbs
Plant omega-3 (ALA) in the blood and conversion to EPA and DHA
Safety first: Never swallow dry chia seeds on their own - Psyllium Herbs
LDL (bad) cholesterol
Safety first: Take with plenty of water: choking and blockage are real risks