Cardiovascular disease is a term that encompasses several types of conditions, many of which are related to atherosclerosis. In this condition, there's a buildup of plaque along the walls of the artery which makes it more difficult for blood to flow and oxygen to reach the muscles. Heart disease contributes to some of the other leading causes of death, including stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

According to the World fHealth Organization,3 4 out of every 5 cardiovascular deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and roughly one-third of these occur in people under 70 years of age. In the U.S.,4 one person dies every 33 seconds from cardiovascular disease, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds and roughly 1 out of every 5 heart attacks are silent. This means the heart attack happened, the damage is done, but the person is not aware of the event.

According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,5 90% of the annual health care bill totaling $4.1 trillion is dedicated to caring for people with chronic and mental health conditions. Of those, one-third of all deaths are from heart disease and stroke, which has an economic burden of $216 billion every year and $147 billion in lost productivity.

Cardiovascular disease is a multifactorial health condition that must be addressed using a variety of strategies. This systematic review of the literature6 helped identify three nutritional supplements that have had the biggest impact, but not the only impact, on cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Data Show 3 Supplements Boost Heart Health

The study7 was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology with the objective of providing an up-to-date evidence-based diagram of the impact that micronutrients have on cardiovascular disease outcomes.