By goal
Evidence-Backed Supplements for Heart Health and Cholesterol
Some supplements have solid trial evidence for cardiovascular risk factors like LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, while many popular options show weak or mixed results. We grade each one by the strength of the human evidence, not the marketing. Supplements are not a substitute for statins, blood-pressure medication, or your clinician's advice.
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Best-supported here: Berberine (Moderate), Folate / Folic Acid (Strong), Garlic (Moderate), Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) (Strong) — each graded below by the weight of human evidence.
| Supplement | Evidence for this goal | Typical dose | Key caution | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berberine | Strong for this goal | 500 mg, 2–3× daily with meals (1,000–1,500 mg/day total). | Common GI upset and cramping. | 18 |
| Folate / Folic Acid | Strong | 400-800 mcg/day for anyone who could become pregnant (start >=1 month b… | Folic acid is generally very safe at recommended doses; the tolerable upper intake level fo… | 13 |
| Garlic | Strong for this goal | Garlic powder 300-900 mg/day (standardized to ~1.8-5.4 mg allicin), or… | Garlic is safe as a food, but supplemental doses can cause breath and body odor, heartburn,… | 21 |
| Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) | Strong | 1–2 g combined EPA+DHA/day; up to 4 g (Rx) for high triglycerides. | Safe at typical doses. | 20 |
| Psyllium (Fiber) | Strong for this goal | For cholesterol/heart health: ~7 g/day of soluble fiber (about 10.2 g o… | Generally safe and well tolerated; the most common side effects are bloating, flatulence, a… | 10 |
| Red Yeast Rice | Strong for this goal | Studied at 200-4,800 mg/day of RYR powder, standardized to monacolin K.… | Because monacolin K IS a statin (lovastatin), red yeast rice carries statin-class risks and… | 12 |
| Apple | Moderate | One medium apple (~182 g) per day, eaten whole with skin where most pol… | Generally very safe. | 9 |
| Avocado | Moderate | Roughly half to one whole avocado per day (about 100-150 g); cohort ben… | Generally very safe as a whole food. | 9 |
| Banana | Moderate | 1 medium banana (about 118 g edible) provides roughly 105 kcal and 422… | Generally very safe. | 9 |
| Blackberry | Moderate | A common serving is 1 cup (about 144 g, ~62 kcal). Dietary patterns and… | Generally very safe as a whole food. | 11 |
| Blackcurrant | Moderate | About 1 cup fresh berries (110-150 g); ergogenic/eye-health trials use… | Generally safe as food. | 10 |
| Blueberry | Moderate | A typical serving is 1 cup (148 g) of fresh berries; trials showing vas… | Generally very safe as a food. | 8 |
| Cantaloupe Melon | Moderate | 1 cup diced (~160 g) to half a medium melon; ~150-300 g typical serving | Generally very safe as a food. | 9 |
| Coenzyme Q10 | Moderate for this goal | 100–300 mg/day with fat for absorption. | Very safe. | 19 |
| Cranberry | Moderate | A standard culinary serving is about 1 cup (100 g) of fresh raw berries… | Generally safe as a food. | 8 |
| Grapefruit | Moderate | A typical serving is half a medium grapefruit (~123 g) or one whole fru… | Clinically important: grapefruit furanocoumarins irreversibly inhibit intestinal CYP3A4, ra… | 7 |
| Green Tea Extract (EGCG) | Moderate for this goal | Commonly 250-500 mg/day of standardized extract providing roughly 100-3… | Concentrated green tea EXTRACTS (unlike ordinary brewed tea) carry a rare but documented ri… | 19 |
| Guava | Moderate | One to two whole fruits daily (about 55-165 g) as part of a varied diet… | Generally safe as a food. | 6 |
| Hawthorn | Moderate for this goal | Standardized leaf-and-flower extract (e.g., WS 1442) 600-1800 mg/day in… | Generally well tolerated; the most common adverse effects are mild and transient (dizziness… | 10 |
| Kiwifruit | Moderate | Two green kiwifruit daily (about 140-180 g) is the dose used in most co… | Kiwifruit is a recognised allergen and can cause oral allergy syndrome or, rarely, anaphyla… | 8 |
| Lemon | Moderate | 1 medium lemon (~58 g) or 2-4 oz juice daily; lemonade therapy uses ~4… | High acidity can erode dental enamel and aggravate GERD or mouth ulcers; rinse with water a… | 10 |
| Magnesium | Moderate | 200–400 mg elemental/day. Glycinate & citrate absorb best; oxide is poo… | Safe. | 20 |
| Mandarin Orange | Moderate | One medium mandarin (~88 g) provides roughly a quarter of the vitamin C… | Generally very safe and well tolerated. | 9 |
| Niacinamide (Nicotinamide) | Moderate | Oral: 500 mg twice daily (chemoprevention). Topical: 2–5% in serums/cre… | Well tolerated and, unlike niacin (nicotinic acid), does NOT cause flushing — don't confuse… | 15 |
| Olives | Moderate | About 15 g (4-5 medium olives) as a typical serving; Mediterranean-diet… | High sodium is the main concern—brined/canned olives can carry roughly 700-900 mg sodium pe… | 9 |
| Orange | Moderate | One medium orange (~131 g) provides ~77% of the vitamin C Daily Value;… | Generally very safe. | 10 |
| Papaya | Moderate | A typical serving is 1 cup of cubes (about 145 g) or roughly half a sma… | Papaya can trigger allergy in latex-sensitised individuals (latex-fruit syndrome) via cross… | 11 |
| Pear | Moderate | One medium pear (~178 g) provides ~5.5 g fibre, roughly a fifth of the… | Generally very safe. | 8 |
| Plantain | Moderate | 1 medium plantain (~179 g); culinary staple eaten cooked — boiled, frie… | Generally safe as a food. | 8 |
| Pomegranate | Moderate | A common serving is about 1 cup of arils (174 g) or roughly half a frui… | Generally safe as a food. | 8 |
| Prune (Dried Plum) | Moderate | Typical serving 4-5 prunes (~40-50 g) daily. For constipation, RCTs use… | High in sorbitol and fibre, so larger amounts can cause bloating, gas, cramping or diarrhoe… | 9 |
| Red Grape | Moderate | A typical serving is about 1 cup (~150 g, ~17 grapes); intervention tri… | High in free sugars (~23 g per cup) and easy to overeat, so portion control matters for gly… | 10 |
| Resveratrol | Moderate for this goal | Commonly 150–500 mg/day of trans-resveratrol; research doses range up t… | Generally well tolerated up to about 1,000 mg/day; higher doses (>=1,000–2,000 mg/day) freq… | 23 |
| Strawberry | Moderate | A typical serving is about 1 cup (152 g, ~8 medium berries) fresh. Card… | Generally very safe. | 10 |
| Sweet Cherry | Moderate | 1 cup pitted (about 138 g, ~21 cherries) fresh; many trials use 200-300… | Generally safe as a food. | 8 |
| Tart Cherry | Moderate | Common food serving is about 1 cup (155 g) of fresh pitted sour cherrie… | Generally safe as a food. | 10 |
| Watermelon | Moderate | A typical serving is one wedge (~286 g) or 1-2 cups of diced flesh; car… | Generally very safe as a food. | 8 |
| Acai Berry | Preliminary | Commonly eaten as 100 g (about half a 200 g pack) of unsweetened frozen… | Generally well tolerated as a food. | 7 |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | Preliminary for this goal | Commonly studied at 10-30 mL/day (about 1-2 tablespoons) of ~5% liquid… | Always dilute in water and avoid drinking it straight — undiluted vinegar (pH ~3) causes de… | 17 |
| Apricot | Preliminary | 1 cup halves (155 g) fresh, ~2-3 whole apricots; or ~30-40 g dried (a s… | The flesh is very safe. | 9 |
| Bilimbi | Preliminary | A few fruits (~5–50 g) used as a souring agent in cooking; no establish… | Extremely high oxalic-acid content: laboratory analyses report roughly 8.5–14.7 mg/g (≈850–… | 10 |
| Breadfruit | Preliminary | 1 cup cooked cubes (~220 g) as a starch staple in place of rice, potato… | Generally safe as a food. | 10 |
| Calamansi | Preliminary | 2–4 fruits' juice (about 15–30 mL) as a souring agent, or ~100 g whole… | Highly acidic—erosive to tooth enamel and may aggravate GERD, reflux or mouth ulcers; dilut… | 9 |
| Cherimoya | Preliminary | 1 medium fruit (~235 g edible pulp); pulp only, never seeds or peel | Seeds and peel contain concentrated neurotoxic acetogenins (annonacin) and alkaloids and sh… | 9 |
| Dates | Preliminary | Typical serving 2 Medjool dates (~48 g); 3 dates/day used in glycemic a… | Very high sugar and energy density (~133 kcal per 2 dates) — portion control matters for we… | 9 |
| Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) | Preliminary | 1 medium fruit (~200-230 g) fresh pulp daily; the vascular trial used ~… | Generally safe as a food. | 9 |
| Durian | Preliminary | Roughly 1-2 segments (~40-100 g pulp); a portion delivering 50 g carboh… | Energy- and fat-dense for a fruit (~147 kcal and 5 g fat per 100 g), so large portions add… | 10 |
| Fig | Preliminary | A typical serving is 2 medium fresh figs (about 100 g) or 3-4 dried fig… | Figs are high in natural sugars (especially dried), so portion-control matters for diabetes… | 10 |
| Gooseberry | Preliminary | 1 cup raw (about 150 g), roughly 25-30 berries | Generally safe as food. | 8 |
| Honeydew Melon | Preliminary | 1 cup diced (~170 g); a typical wedge is one-eighth of a medium melon | Generally very safe. | 9 |
| Indian Jujube (Ber) | Preliminary | A typical serving is about 3 fresh fruits (~100 g), providing roughly 6… | Generally recognized as safe as a food. | 9 |
| Jambolan (Jamun / Java Plum) | Preliminary | Culinary: ~100-135 g fresh fruit (1 cup). Studied antidiabetic preparat… | Generally safe as a food. | 9 |
| Lime | Preliminary | 1 medium lime (~67 g) or 30–60 mL juice; 1–2 limes daily as a culinary… | Highly acidic juice can erode tooth enamel and aggravate reflux or mouth ulcers. | 11 |
| Lychee | Preliminary | About 9 fresh lychees (~100 g edible flesh); Oligonol trials used 100-2… | Generally safe as a food in normal amounts. | 11 |
| Mango | Preliminary | A typical serving is about 1 cup of pieces (165 g) or roughly half a me… | Generally safe as a food. | 8 |
| Nectarine | Preliminary | A typical serving is 1 medium nectarine (about 140-150 g), eaten fresh… | Nectarines are a stone fruit (Prunus/Rosaceae); people with birch-pollen or oral allergy sy… | 9 |
| Passion Fruit | Preliminary | Pulp of 2-3 fruits (~36-55 g edible) as a whole-food serving. Studied b… | Generally safe as a food. | 9 |
| Persimmon | Preliminary | 1 medium fresh fruit (~168 g); persimmon-extract supplement trials used… | Astringent/unripe persimmons are high in soluble tannins that can polymerize in stomach aci… | 10 |
| Pomelo | Preliminary | 1 cup sections (~190 g); a whole medium fruit yields several cups of ed… | Like grapefruit, pomelo contains furanocoumarins that inhibit intestinal CYP3A4 and P-glyco… | 11 |
| Raspberry | Preliminary | A typical serving is 1 cup (~123 g) of fresh or frozen raspberries; cli… | Generally very safe as a food. | 11 |
| Santol | Preliminary | 1 medium fruit (~100 g edible flesh); traditional use is as fresh fruit… | The hard seeds are indigestible and have caused intestinal obstruction, perforation, and ab… | 8 |
| Soursop (Graviola) | Preliminary | About 1 cup (225 g) of fresh pulp as an occasional whole food; concentr… | Soursop fruit, leaves, and seeds contain annonacin and related acetogenins, mitochondrial c… | 8 |
| Spirulina | Preliminary | Commonly 1-8 g/day (some trials up to ~10 g/day) of dried Arthrospira,… | Generally well tolerated short-term; mild GI upset, headache, or allergic-type reactions ca… | 16 |
| Sugar Apple (Custard Apple) | Preliminary | 1 medium fruit (about 155 g edible pulp); the seeds, peel, leaves and r… | Never eat or chew the seeds, and avoid leaf, bark and root preparations: they are concentra… | 10 |
| Tamarind | Preliminary | Culinary: about 10-30 g of pulp per day (paste, juice, or chutney). Car… | Generally recognized as safe as a food. | 10 |
| Vitamin K2 | Preliminary | 90–180 µg/day MK-7. | Safe. | 15 |
| Wax Apple | Preliminary | 1-2 fresh fruits (~85-170 g); eaten raw, skin-on | Generally recognized as safe as a food and well tolerated when eaten fresh. | 8 |
| Alpha-Lipoic Acid | Mixed | Oral: 300-600 mg/day (commonly 600 mg, often divided and taken on an em… | Generally well tolerated; the most common side effects are mild gastrointestinal upset (nau… | 19 |
| Cinnamon | Mixed | 1–2 g/day of cinnamon powder or standardized extract in divided doses;… | Generally safe as a food/spice. | 19 |
| Coconut | Mixed | 1 cup shredded fresh meat (~80 g) or ~240 mL coconut water; coconut oil… | Very high in saturated fat (coconut oil ~80-90%; meat ~89% of its fat): major heart and die… | 8 |
| Guggul | Mixed | ~1,000–1,500 mg/day of standardized extract. | GI upset, headache and skin rash reported. | 14 |
| Peach | Mixed | 1-2 medium fresh peaches (about 150-300 g) as a serving; whole fruit is… | Generally very safe as a whole fruit. | 9 |