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Small adjustments that have a positive impact on your health are easy to sell, so the dietary supplement market has exploded. However, certain dietary supplements cannot stand up to further scrutiny. Some may even be harmful to your health.
Harvard Health has studied three supplements that are widely promoted for heart health, but their judgments are not encouraging.
Red yeast rice was the first to be censored. Red yeast rice is made from a type of yeast that grows on white rice.
"These supplements contain monacolin K, which is the same active ingredient in the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin (Mevacor)," the Harvard Health Center points out.
Small studies have shown that this supplement containing large amounts of monacolin K may be effective, which may be attractive to people who cannot tolerate statins.
Read more: Popular "nutritional" supplements increase the risk of lung and stomach cancer
However, "you can't determine how much monacolin K is in the supplement," Harvard Health warns.
"Some products have almost no active ingredients, while others have the same content as the low prescription dose. If you don’t take statins, it may be okay, but if you take it, you may take too much medicine; this may cause Muscle pain, and even life-threatening muscle breakdown, may damage other body systems," said Dr. Pieter Cohen, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who studies dietary supplements, including red yeast rice.
L-arginine is an amino acid and a component of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a molecule that helps relax and open blood vessels.
L-arginine supplements are sold on the market as a way to promote blood circulation, lower blood pressure and promote erections.
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However, there is evidence that people with heart disease should avoid L-arginine.
A study on the effects of L-arginine on heart attack survivors had to be stopped early after six people died after taking supplements.
"If you are already taking medication to treat this condition, L-arginine may drop blood pressure too low," Harvard Health warns.
"If you take blood thinners, it may increase the risk of bleeding. If you take an ACE inhibitor, it may cause your potassium levels to spike."
Garlic pills are expected to lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. These statements are based on multiple studies that indicate that eating garlic is good for heart health.
However, the jury's effect on cholesterol is inconclusive, regardless of whether the pill contains fresh garlic, dried garlic powder, or aged garlic extract.
Small studies have shown that garlic supplements may slightly lower blood pressure.
There are also serious health risks.
"Garlic supplements can increase the levels and effects of some heart-healthy medications, such as blood thinners (causing bleeding), cholesterol-lowering medications (causing muscle damage), and blood pressure medications (causing the risk of lowering blood pressure)," warned Harvard Health.
When asked if not taking heart medications would reduce this effect, Dr. Cohen said: “I don’t know of any evidence that taking garlic supplements is better for the heart than eating garlic in food.”
There are many ways to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
"It is recommended to adopt a low-fat, high-fiber diet, which should include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (5 servings per day) and whole grains," the NHS points out.
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