Heart disease, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, is the No.1 cause of deaths in the United States. It is the leading cause of deaths for both men and women as well as most ethnic groups, including Caucasians, African-Americans, and Hispanics. An American dies every 60 seconds from a heart-related problem.

Although eating a healthy diet and regular exercise are known lifestyle changes that can protect against heart disease, adding specific supplements can also keep your ticker ticking. Below are eight of the best:

Fish oil. Clinical trials have found that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements cut cardiac deaths by up to 52 percent. Study results have been so impressive that British health agencies urge docs to prescribe fish oil supplements for their patients who have had heart attacks in the previous three months unless they eat oily fish two to four times a week. The one-gram, one-a-day treatment will be prescribed for life.

A study published in Physiological Reports found that taking omega-3 fish oil supplements every day significantly improved arterial stiffness in the hearts of healthy seniors after only 12 weeks.  

Coenzyme Q10. Coenzyme Q10 is found naturally in cells, and plays a major role in the production of energy, which the heart needs in large amounts. It also lowers triglyceride levels, increases amounts of HDL ("good") cholesterol, lowers inflammation, reduces the risk of blood clots, and helps prevent arrhythmias. Many medications, including statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, deplete the body's natural supply of coenzyme Q10.

"All patients taking statins become depleted in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) eventually — those patients who start with relatively low CoQ10 levels (the elderly and patients with heart failure) begin to manifest signs/symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency relatively rapidly — in 6 to 12 months," writes board-certified Texas cardiologist Peter H. Langsjoen. "Younger, healthier people can tolerate statins for several years before getting into trouble with fatigue, muscle weakness and soreness (usually with normal muscle enzyme CPK tests), and most ominously — heart failure."

Vitamin C. One European study of almost 20,000 men and women found that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 60 percent lower in people who had the highest blood levels of vitamin C when compared to people whose blood had the lowest levels.

Scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University say that the recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of vitamin C is less than half what it should be. In a study published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, the researchers stated that there is compelling evidence that the RDA of vitamin C should be raised to 200 milligrams per day for adults, up from its current levels in the United States of 75 milligrams for women and 90 for men.

Rather than just prevent the vitamin C deficiency disease of scurvy, they say, optimum levels pose no risk and may have significant effects on public health at almost no expense — about a penny a day if taken as a dietary supplement.

EGCG: EGCG is a powerful extract of green and white teas. A study at Japan’s Okayama University found that senior citizens who drank large amounts of green tea slashed their risk of dying from heart disease by as much as 76 percent. Numerous studies have found that EGCG lowers blood pressure and increases blood flow as well as reduces the risk of atherosclerosis. A study published in the journal Circulation found that the extract improved the health of red blood cells without the side effects associated with drugs such as Plavix.

Xanthohumol. Xanthohumol, a natural flavonoid found in hops used to make beer, may be able to counteract oxidative cell damage that contributes to many diseases. A study from Oregon State University fed mice a high-fat diet, and some of the mice were also fed varying levels of xanthohumol. Compared to animals given no xanthohumol, LDL or "bad" cholesterol of mice given the highest dosage was cut 80 percent. Their levels of IL-6, a biomarker of inflammation, were slashed by 78 percent.

Pycnogenol: Pycnogenol is a patented form of pine bark extract using the bark of the maritime pine that grows in France. An Italian study published in Phytotherapy Research found that supplementing a healthy diet with Pycnogenol reduced the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, a major risk factor for heart disease.

When the study began, all study participants had all five risk factors for metabolic syndrome as defined by the American Heart Association. Patients were divided into two groups and were given either 50 milligram tablets of Pycnogenol three times a day or placebo tablets. Almost 90 percent of the patients showed significant improvement in all five categories, including obesity and high blood pressure, after three months of supplementation, and improvement continued at six months. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

"This study provides evidence that daily supplementation with Pycnogenol may offer a natural approach to help achieve healthy blood pressure, improved cholesterol and blood sugar levels and ultimately, greater cardiovascular health," said lead researcher Dr. Gianni Belcaro

Hawthorn. "Hawthorn is accepted by cardiologists to be as effective as powerful drugs," says Dr. Russell Blaylock, author of The Blaylock Wellness Report. "In addition to lowering blood pressure, hawthorn extract also increases the strength of the heart muscle."

A British study found that giving hawthorn to hypertensive diabetic patients lowered their diastolic blood pressure readings significantly. Hawthorn berries are loaded with flavonoids and are used to treat several cardiovascular conditions including high blood pressure, chronic heart failure, and irregular heartbeat. Some experts recommend a form of hawthorn called Crataegus oxyacantha. The most common dosage used in hawthorn studies range from 160 mg to 1800 mg.

Astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant that gives salmon their reddish tint. A report in Future Cardiology analyzed eight clinical trials and found that astaxanthin fights oxidative stress and inflammation — two main components in the development of heart disease. And a study published in Nutrition and Metabolism found that astaxanthin reduced levels of C-reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammation.

Astaxanthin also lowers cholesterol. Patients with high cholesterol levels were given 6, 12, or 18 mg doses of astaxanthin daily. At the end of 12 weeks, astaxanthin significantly decreased triglycerides and increased HDL (good) cholesterol.