Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, often leading to fluid buildup in the lungs and other tissues.
Ranked by community outcomes, then evidence grade, Health Voice mentions, and recency.
Why it may help Heart Failure: Deficiency worsens outcomes
Why it may help Heart Failure: Vitamin K2-MK7 may improve cardiovascular health in heart failure by activating matrix Gla protein, which inhibits arterial calcification and maintains arterial elasticity.
Why it may help Heart Failure: Taurine supplementation may improve cardiac contractility and reduce oxidative stress in heart failure by stabilizing cell membranes and modulating calcium handling within cardiomyocytes.
Why it may help Heart Failure: Supports cardiac energy metabolism
Why it may help Heart Failure: Exercise training improves cardiac function and exercise capacity in heart failure patients by enhancing endothelial function, reducing systemic inflammation, and improving skeletal muscle metabolism.
Why it may help Heart Failure: Often deficient in HF; supports rhythm
Why it may help Heart Failure: Improves cardiac performance
Why it may help Heart Failure: Magnesium supplementation can improve cardiac function and reduce arrhythmias in heart failure patients by regulating electrolyte balance, muscle contraction, and energy production within heart cells.
Why it may help Heart Failure: Coenzyme Q10 supplementation may improve myocardial energy production and act as an antioxidant, thereby enhancing cardiac function and reducing oxidative stress in heart failure patients.
Why it may help Heart Failure: Algal oil, rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, can reduce inflammation, improve endothelial function, and decrease triglyceride levels, which are beneficial for heart failure management.
Folate is an essential B vitamin vital for DNA synthesis, cell division, and red blood cell formation, with critical roles in methylation and particular importance during pregnancy.
Community outcomes
Self-reported by community members · not medical advice.
Self-reported community outcomes. Not medical advice. Requires at least three reports per remedy to surface.
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Community Discussions
How global health authorities view Heart Failure.
Major health bodies like the American Heart Association and European Society of Cardiology emphasize conventional medical therapies as the cornerstone of heart failure management. While some acknowledge the potential role of certain supplements like Coenzyme Q10 and Omega-3 fatty acids, they generally recommend these only as adjuncts to prescribed medications and under medical supervision. The NCCIH notes that some dietary supplements, including CoQ10, have been studied for heart failure, but advises caution and consultation with a healthcare provider due to potential interactions and lack of definitive evidence for widespread recommendation. They stress that natural approaches should not replace conventional treatment.
Indexed studies for Heart Failure, grouped by source type and quality.
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Pooled analyses across multiple human trials.
Formisano E, Lopes Neri LC, Caffa I, Borgarelli C, Ferrando MR, Proietti E · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD · 2025
To evaluate the effect of egg consumption on health outcomes. A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, and Web of Science was developed using terms ("egg consumption" or "egg intake") and ("health" or "chronic diseases" or "diabetes" or "cancer" or "cholesterol" or "dyslipidemia"), and meta-analyses of observational or interventional studies published since January 2020 were included. The studies' quality was evaluated through AMSTAR-2 and NutriGrade, and the strength of evidence according to sample size, heterogeneity, and quality of articles. Fourteen meta-analyses were included (10 observational, 4 interventional studies). The wide range of outcomes, with substantial variability and high heterogeneity, indicated a lack of robust evidence. The overall quality of studies was critically low. The level of evidence was very weak for all the significant associations: risk of heart failure (RR 1.15; 95%CI: 1.02-1.30), cancer mortality (RR 1.13; 95%CI 1.06-1.20), higher levels of LDL
Bensaaud A, Seery S, Gibson I, Jones J, Flaherty G, McEvoy JW · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025 · n=1397
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is designed to lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health by reducing sodium and unhealthy fats while increasing nutrients, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, and fibre. While evidence supports its benefits for managing cardiovascular risk factors, gaps remain in understanding its long-term impact on preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly in terms of hard clinical outcomes such as myocardial infarction and stroke. To assess the effects of the DASH diet for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. We used standard extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search date was in May 2024. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing a DASH diet intervention to no intervention (including usual care), minimal intervention, or other dietary interventions. In the context of this review, 'minimal intervention' includes brief dietary advice or informational leaflets
Lifestyle Indices and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Meta-analysis.
Barbaresko J, Rienks J, Nöthlings U · American journal of preventive medicine · 2018
Several studies investigated lifestyle indices to account for interrelations between lifestyle behaviors and cardiovascular disease risk. So far, no systematic review has been conducted. Thus, the aim is to summarize the evidence of associations between lifestyle indices and cardiovascular disease risk in observational prospective studies. A systematic literature search was conducted in two databases in February 2018. Multivariable-adjusted risk estimates were combined using random effects models comparing the highest with the lowest healthy lifestyle score. Additionally, meta-analyses for cardiovascular disease types, such as stroke and heart failure, were conducted. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 index. The search identified 27 studies, of which 22 were included in the meta-analyses. Most lifestyle indices included physical activity, smoking, diet, alcohol consumption, and body weight. A healthy lifestyle was associated with a reduced risk of 66% for cardiovascular disease (95
Structured reviews of the full body of evidence (incl. Cochrane).
Fish and human health: an umbrella review of observational studies.
Jurek J, Owczarek M, Godos J, La Vignera S, Condorelli RA, Marventano S · International journal of food sciences and nutrition · 2022
Fish represents one of the most important dietary sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are known to be associated with various health benefits. This study aimed to systematically review existing meta-analyses of observational studies exploring the association between fish intake and various health outcomes. A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted to retrieve a total of 63 studies. Evidence was deemed as possible for the association between higher fish intake and decreased risk of the acute coronary syndrome, liver cancer, and depression, and limited for other outcomes (including age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, heart failure, all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality, total and ischaemic stroke) due to heterogeneity between results and potential otherwise inexplicable confounding factors. In conclusion, results from epidemiological studies support the mechanistic effects associated with omega-3 fatty acids from high fish con
Nutrition in chronic heart failure patients: a systematic review.
Bianchi VE · Heart failure reviews · 2020
Nutrition is the primary source of energy production for myocardial contractility and to maintaining cardiac efficiency. Although many studies provided evidence of the benefits of nutritional intervention in chronic heart failure patients (CHF), these effects are not still completely understood. We searched in PubMed and Embase articles related to the following keywords: "chronic heart failure" with "diet," "nutrition," "insulin resistance," and "caloric restriction." Of the 975 retrieved articles, 20 have been selected. The primary endpoint was the left ventricular (LV) function and the secondary mortality rate in HF patients. Some studies showed that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) had a beneficial effect on cardiac function, while others did not find any positive impact. Nutritional supplements and hypercaloric intake had positive effects on underweight HF patients, while hypocaloric diet was beneficial in obese HF patients improving glucose control and cardiac function. The effect
A systematic review of yoga for heart disease.
Cramer H, Lauche R, Haller H, Dobos G, Michalsen A · European journal of preventive cardiology · 2015 · n=624
This systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendation for yoga as an ancillary intervention for heart disease. Medline/PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and IndMED were searched up to October 2013. Main outcome measures were mortality, nonfatal cardiac events, exercise capacity, health-related quality of life, and modifiable cardiac risk factors. Risk of bias, quality of evidence, and the strength of the recommendation for or against yoga were assessed according to the Cochrane Collaboration and GRADE recommendations. Seven RCTs with 624 patients comparing yoga to usual care were included. For coronary heart disease (four RCTs), there was very low evidence for no effect on mortality, for a reduced number of angina episodes, and for increased exercise capacity, and low evidence for reduced modifiable cardiac risk factors. For heart failure (two RCTs), there was very low evidence for no effect on m
Recommendations from medical societies (NICE, AHA, ADA, ACG, Endocrine Society…).
ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure
European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
These guidelines outline best practices for the diagnosis and treatment of both acute and chronic heart failure, aimed at healthcare professionals.
Chronic heart failure in adults: diagnosis and management
NICE
This guideline covers diagnosing and managing chronic heart failure in adults. It provides recommendations on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, as well as support for self-management.
Controlled human studies with random assignment.
Gaengler S, Sadlon A, De Godoi Rezende Costa Molino C, Willett WC, Manson JE, Vellas B · The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024
The effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in older adults remains unclear. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the effect of 2000 IU/day of vitamin D3, omega-3 fatty acids (1 g/day), and a simple home strength exercise program (SHEP) (3×/week) on lipid and CVD biomarkers plasma changes over 3 years, incident hypertension and major cardiovascular events (MACE). The risk of MACE (coronary heart event or intervention, heart failure, stroke) was an exploratory endpoint of DO-HEALTH, incident hypertension and change in biomarkers were secondary endpoints. DO-HEALTH is a completed multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design trial enrolling 2157 Europeans aged ≥70 years. Participants' median age was 74 [72, 77] years, 61.7% were women, 82.5% were at least moderately physically active, and 40.7% had 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL at baseline. Compared to their controls, omega-3 increased HDL-c
Herrera-Martínez AD, Muñoz Jiménez C, López Aguilera J, Crespin MC, Manzano García G, Gálvez Moreno MÁ · Nutrients · 2023
Malnutrition and sarcopenia frequently affect patients with heart failure (HF), in which clinical outcomes and survival is decreased. Thus, appropriate nutritional screening and early nutrition support are highly recommended. Currently, nutritional support is not a standard of care in patients with HF, and the use of commercially available oral supplements (OSs) could provide an additional benefit to medical treatment in these patients. To compare the effect of the Mediterranean diet in combination with hypercaloric, hyperproteic OS in patients with HF. An open label, controlled clinical study in which patients were randomly assigned to receive a Mediterranean diet (control group) vs. hypercaloric, hyperproteic OS (intervention group) for twenty-four weeks. Thirty-eight patients were included; epidemiological, clinical, anthropometric, ultrasound (muscle echography of the rectus femoris muscle of the quadriceps and abdominal adipose tissue), and biochemical evaluations were performed
Deutz NE, Matheson EM, Matarese LE, Luo M, Baggs GE, Nelson JL · Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2016 · n=328
Hospitalized, malnourished older adults have a high risk of readmission and mortality. Evaluation of a high-protein oral nutritional supplement (HP-HMB) containing beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate on postdischarge outcomes of nonelective readmission and mortality in malnourished, hospitalized older adults. Multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Inpatient and posthospital discharge. Older (≥65 years), malnourished (Subjective Global Assessment [SGA] class B or C) adults hospitalized for congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Standard-of-care plus HP-HMB (n = 328) or a placebo supplement (n = 324), 2 servings/day. Primary composite endpoint was 90-day postdischarge incidence of death or nonelective readmission. Other endpoints included 30- and 60-day postdischarge incidence of death or readmission, length of stay (LOS), SGA class, body weight, and activities of daily living (ADL).
Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional human studies.
Dinu M, Sofi F, Lotti S, Colombini B, Mattioli AV, Catapano AL · European journal of preventive cardiology · 2024 · n=52
Benefits of pharmacologic omega-3 fatty acid administration in cardiovascular prevention are controversial. Particularly, effects on coronary revascularization are unclear; also debated are specific benefits of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). We investigated incident coronary revascularizations, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, heart failure (HF), unstable angina, and cardiovascular death, in subjects randomized to receive EPA or EPA + docosahexaenoic acid (EPA + DHA) vs. control. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted after MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library search. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines were followed for abstracting data and assessing data quality and validity. Data were pooled using a random effects model. Eighteen RCTs with 134 144 participants (primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention) receiving DHA + EPA (n = 52 498), EPA alone (n = 14 640), or control/placebo (n
The EAT-Lancet Diet Index, Plasma Proteins, and Risk of Heart Failure in a Population-Based Cohort.
Zhang S, Marken I, Stubbendorff A, Ericson U, Qi L, Sonestedt E · JACC. Heart failure · 2024 · n=260
The landmark EAT-Lancet Commission proposed that a planetary health diet is comprised mainly of plant-based foods. However, studies examining whether this diet is associated with heart failure (HF) are currently lacking. In addition, the potential proteomics mechanism on the association between diet and HF warrants further elucidation. This study aims to both examine the association between the EAT-Lancet diet index and risk of HF and identify plasma proteins underlying such an association. This prospective cohort study included 23,260 participants. HF cases during the follow-up were identified through the Swedish national register. An EAT-Lancet diet index (score range: 0-42) was created to assess adherence to the EAT-Lancet reference diet. In a subcohort (n = 4,742), fasting plasma proteins were quantified. During a median follow-up of 25.0 years, 1,768 incident HF cases were documented. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, diabetes, hypertension, use of lipi
Salt versus no salt restriction in heart failure a review.
Raggi P · European journal of clinical investigation · 2024
For decades standard teaching recommended salt intake (sodium) reduction in patients suffering from heart failure. Neurohumoral activation with subsequent fluid retention provided a solid rationale for this long-standing recommendation. Until recently no large randomized clinical trial of sodium restriction was available, while some observational studies and metanalyses even suggested a worse outcome with strict sodium restriction in patients with heart failure. In this narrative review we aimed to extricate from the literature whether strict sodium restriction is beneficial in patients with heart failure. We searched PubMed indexed articles between 2000 and 2023 for these terms: heart failure, salt, sodium, fluid intake. Most randomized trials were small and showed a wide heterogeneity of interventions. A single large, randomized clinical trial was stopped early due to futility. Overall, there is no evidence that severe sodium restriction reduces the incidence of mortality and hospi
Public-health agencies: NCCIH, NIH, CDC, NHS.
NHS
The NHS provides information on heart failure, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, and advice on living with the condition. It is a key resource for UK residents.
Registered ongoing or completed trials (ClinicalTrials.gov).
n=300 · NCT00876876 · WITHDRAWN · WITHDRAWN
To demonstrate that after 12 weeks of open-label lixivaptan treatment, serum sodium is maintained in hyponatremic patients continuing to receive lixivaptan compared to placebo during the 4 week double blind treatment period.
Inotropic Treatment With Levosimendan (SimdaxR)in Heart Surgery
n=23 · NCT01221116 · TERMINATED · TERMINATED
Hypothesis: Treatment with levosimendan will preserve myocardial function and hemodynamics after cardiac surgery and lead to reduced stay at intensive care unit
T-Wave Alternans in Dialysis Patients
n=40 · NCT00621426 · COMPLETED · COMPLETED
Sudden cardiac death due to arrhythmia is the leading cause of death in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients treated with hemodialysis (HD). As it is anticipated that the number of individuals with ESRD will exceed 1.2 million in the next 20 years, sudden death in this population has enormous public health impact. Research has shown that arrhythmic events are temporally associated with longer periods between HD with a three-fold risk of events in the 12 hours preceding the longest inter-dialysis interval. The exact cause of these findings is unknown.
Curated cross-source summaries (TRIP Database and similar).
Cochrane reviews on Heart Failure
Cochrane
The Cochrane Library provides a collection of systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to heart failure, evaluating the effectiveness of various interventions.
Cochrane Library: Heart failure
Cochrane
The Cochrane Library provides systematic reviews and meta-analyses on various interventions for heart failure, offering high-quality, evidence-based information for healthcare decision-making.
Conventional medical treatment for heart failure typically involves a combination of medications such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, which aim to improve heart function, reduce symptoms, and prevent disease progression. Device therapies like pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators may also be used. Regular monitoring by
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This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Heart failure is a serious condition requiring professional medical diagnosis and treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment plan,
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