Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements for Coronary Heart Disease

Tocotrienols may offer protection against atherosclerosis by preventing oxidative damage to LDL cholesterol. In a double-blind trial in people with severe atherosclerosis of the carotid artery—the main artery supplying blood to the head—tocotrienol administration (200 mg per day) reduced the level of lipid peroxides in the blood. Moreover, people receiving tocotrienols for 12 months had significantly more protection against atherosclerosis progression, and in some cases reductions in the size of their atherosclerotic plaques, compared with those taking a placebo.

Supplementation with fish oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, has been associated with favorable changes in various risk factors for atherosclerosis and heart disease in some, but not all, studies. A double-blind trial showed that people with atherosclerosis who took fish oil (6 grams per day for 3 months and then 3 grams a day for 21 months) had significant regression of atherosclerotic plaques and a decrease in cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack and stroke) compared with those who did not take fish oil. These results contradict the findings of an earlier controlled trial in which fish oil supplementation for two years (6 grams per day) did not promote major favorable changes in the diameter of atherosclerotic coronary arteries...