Dr. Sinatra Coenzyme CoQ10& Heart Supplements

Dr. Sinatra's Top 15 Tips for Keeping a Healthy Heart

1. Get on the modified Mediterranean diet. I love this diet because it offers a combination of healthy fats, moderate protein and fewer carbohydrates — the optimal recipe for heart health. The diet is also rich in alpha-linolenic acid and omega-3 oils, which help prevent blood clotting, reduce blood pressure and prevent cholesterol buildup.
2. Raise your fitness level. The best exercise is the one you will stick with. Walking and dancing are both great. You don't have to work up a sweat or push yourself until you're out of breath. Find your rhythm — go with the flow. Exercise supports your heart and circulatory system. It also bolsters your state of mind.
3. Join a cardiac rehabilitation program. Supervised exercise, nutritional counseling and peer support — key components of a rehab program — can help you get back on track and feel good again. See if your local hospital has one.
4. Reduce your stress. There are many effective stress-reduction techniques, such as, yoga, massage, prayer, visualization, deep breathing exercises, qigong, positive affirmations, listening to classical music and sitting quietly for 15 minutes a day.
5. Take a multivitamin that has carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins C, E and B, selenium and cardiac-supporting herbs.
6. Coenzyme Q10 is another must. It's one of the best nutrients for promoting heart health. I can't imagine practicing medicine without it. I prefer the water-soluble form of CoQ10 over other brands.
7. L-carnitine, a nutrient that helps preserve heart health, is also great for promoting healthy weight. Take 500 mg to 2 grams daily.
8. Magnesium and calcium promote healthy blood pressure and help regulate heart health. Calcium, which has a synergistic relationship with magnesium, promotes healthy blood vessels. Take 500 mg daily of magnesium and 1,000 mg daily of calcium.
9. Fish oil might sound bad, but it is one of the best sources of healthy fat around. You can eat cold-water fish like salmon and mackerel at least twice a week and/or take daily fish oil supplements. I'm so impressed with the research on fish oil that I include it in my core heart-health program.
10. Smoking: Stop it! Research shows that smokers are twice as likely to have serious heart problems as non-smokers.
11. L-arginine, an amino acid that improves blood flow to the heart by stimulating endothelial cell releasing factor, thereby inhibiting a chain of complex reactions that might otherwise cause plaque to form in the arteries and stifle blood flow to the heart. Take 2 to 4 grams before bedtime. May experience gastrointestinal upset in high doses.
12. Taurine has been shown to boost the electrical activity within the heart and promote the heart's contractile strength. Take 3 grams daily if you have congestive heart failure.
13. Nattokinase is very effective in breaking down fibrin which in turn helps keep blood free-flowing.
14. If your response to CoQ10 is insufficient and you have congestive heart failure, add hawthorn berry, a treatment I've used extensively, particularly in patients sensitive to digoxin. Hawthorn berry can make it possible to decrease the dose of digoxin, thereby avoiding or lessening digoxin-related side effects. The berry promotes the heart's ability to metabolize energy and use oxygen. It also helps maintain regular heartbeats and healthy blood pressure and circulation. Take 500 to 1500 mg daily, or take as a tincture in water 3 times daily. For prevention, I recommend drinking hawthorn berry tea, which you can make by pouring boiling water over a cup of berries and letting them steep for 15 minutes.
15. Alcohol: Limit it! Some studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption can reduce risk for poor heart health, but more than one drink a day for women could have negative consequences. One glass of beer or wine daily is fine. Hard alcohol is out.

To learn more about Dr. Sinatra's top recommendation for heart health, click here.

Here’s to your heart’s health!