Heart Attack Treatment: Diet

If you have had a heart attack and/or are at risk for a heart attack, consider the following dietary recommendations for heart health:

• Build your diet around fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats and fish (particularly fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon).
• Lose excess weight and maintain a healthy weight.
• Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 ounces a day. A moderate amount of alcohol may help raise your HDL ("good cholesterol") levels.
• Limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fats, and cholesterol.
• If you have diabetes, eat a diet that helps you keep your blood sugar in a healthy range.

For other lifestyle recommendations for preventing heart attacks, click here.

A number of supplements have demonstrated promise as worthwhile complements to standard care for heart attacks:

• Coenzyme Q10
• Carnitine
• Fish oil
• Antioxidants
• Garlic
• Red yeast rice

Supplements that may be recommended after a heart attack, but that do not yet have much research evidence for this purpose, include:

• Glycine
• Inosine
• Lipoic acid

Note: If you have had a heart attack and/or are at risk for having one, your condition requires conventional medical evaluation and supervision. Natural treatments such as dietary modifications and supplements may complement standard medical care when monitored by an appropriate healthcare professional. Consult with your physician regarding all dosage and safety issues.

• Heart Attack and Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ 10 )
• Heart Attack and L-Carnitine
• Heart Attack and Fish Oil
• Heart Attack and Antioxidants
• Heart Attack and Heart-Healthy Diet

The effects of CoQ10 on heart attacks and related conditions are not completely clear. Some evidence suggests that CoQ10 might assist the heart during times of stress on the heart muscle, perhaps by...

Read more about Heart Attack and Coenzyme Q 10 (CoQ 10 ).

Carnitine may have a few effects on the heart after a heart attack, including helping to improve heart function and decreasing the enlargement that often follows an attack.

Read more about Heart Attack and L-Carnitine.

Fish oil has been shown to reduce triglyceride levels, raise HDL ("good") cholesterol levels, "thin" the blood, lower levels of homocysteine, prevent dangerous heart arrhythmias, slow heart rate,...

Read more about Heart Attack and Fish Oil.

Antioxidant supplements help neutralize free radicals, which are dangerous, naturally occurring chemicals that may accelerate heart cell death following a heart attack.

Read more about Heart Attack and Antioxidants.

This diet is believed to have many benefits for the heart, including helping to keep blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in a healthy range.

Read more about Heart Attack and Heart-Healthy Diet.