Start with food
The Heart Foundation recommends 2 to 3 servings of fish a week, including oily fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel, and suggests Australians aim for 250 to 500 mg of marine omega-3s (EPA and DHA) a day. It notes that food sources are enough for most people and suggests checking with your doctor before taking omega-3 supplements. Plant sources of ALA include walnuts, chia and flaxseed.
What is in this collection
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Omega-3 (fish oil). EPA and DHA are found mainly in fish and seafood, and your body converts only small amounts of plant ALA into them. Supplements come as fish oil, krill oil, cod liver oil and algal oil.
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Magnesium. Involved in muscle and nerve function and in making protein, bone and DNA. The upper limit from supplements for adults is 350 mg a day.
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Potassium. Used for heart and kidney function and muscle contraction. Most supplements provide no more than 99 mg per serve, so food remains the main source.
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Vitamin K2. Vitamin K supports normal blood clotting and bone health.
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Beetroot. A source of dietary nitrate, studied mainly for exercise performance. See our beetroot collection.
How to compare products
- For fish oil, read the EPA plus DHA content per serve, not just the total oil weight.
- Check the number of capsules per serve, which changes how long a bottle lasts.
- Compare the dose with the upper limits above, and count any multivitamin you already take.
Safety and medicines
This is a category where checking with your doctor or pharmacist matters. High doses of omega-3 may increase bleeding risk with warfarin or other anticoagulants. People on warfarin are advised to keep vitamin K intake about the same each day, so adding a K2 supplement can affect treatment. Potassium can build up in people with kidney disease or those taking ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics. Magnesium can reduce absorption of some antibiotics and osteoporosis medicines if taken too close together. If you take any blood pressure, cholesterol or blood-thinning medicine, talk to your doctor before adding a supplement, including nattokinase.
Popular picks at Supps247
Related categories
Sources: Heart Foundation: omega-3, omega-6 and heart health; NIH ODS: Omega-3 fatty acids; NIH ODS: Potassium.
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Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or take regular medication, check with your doctor first.
How much omega-3 should I have each day?
The Heart Foundation suggests Australians aim for 250 to 500 mg of marine omega-3s, EPA and DHA combined, each day, and recommends 2 to 3 servings of fish a week. If you choose a supplement, read the EPA and DHA content per serve on the label rather than the total fish oil weight, and check with your doctor first.
Can I take fish oil if I am on blood thinners?
Talk to your doctor first. The US National Institutes of Health notes that high doses of omega-3s may cause bleeding problems when taken with warfarin or other anticoagulant medicines. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you whether a supplement is suitable alongside your medicine and what dose, if any, makes sense.
Why does vitamin K matter if I take warfarin?
Warfarin works against vitamin K's role in blood clotting. The US National Institutes of Health advises people on warfarin to keep their vitamin K intake from food and supplements about the same every day, because a sudden change can affect how the medicine works. Check with your doctor before starting a K2 product or a D3 and K2 combination.
Are potassium supplements safe?
Most potassium supplements provide no more than 99 mg per serve, so food is the main source. The US National Institutes of Health warns that people with kidney disease, or who take ACE inhibitors or potassium-sparing diuretics, can develop high blood potassium. Salt substitutes often contain potassium too. Check with your doctor if any of these apply to you.
What is CoQ10 and should I take it?
Coenzyme Q10 is a substance your body makes naturally and uses in energy production. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says results for heart disease are inconclusive, the effect on blood pressure appears small, and the overall evidence does not support CoQ10 for statin-related muscle pain. It is generally well tolerated, but it may interact with warfarin. We stock CoQ10 by NOW Foods, Beast Labs CoQ10 200 mg and Life Extension Super Ubiquinol CoQ10 with PQQ. Talk to your doctor first if you take heart medicines.
What are heart health supplements?
Heart health supplements contain nutrients involved in normal heart and blood vessel function, such as omega-3 fish oil, magnesium, vitamin K2, CoQ10 and beetroot. In this range that includes NOW Foods Omega 3 1000 mg, NOW Foods Magnesium Glycinate, Nutricost Vitamin K2 MK7 100 mcg and Force Factor Total Beets. They sit alongside a healthy diet, activity and regular check-ups, and they cannot replace blood pressure or cholesterol medicines. Several, including fish oil, vitamin K2 and nattokinase, can affect blood thinners, so check with your doctor first.
What is the difference between CoQ10 and ubiquinol?
They are two forms of the same compound. Ubiquinone is the form used in many CoQ10 supplements, such as
Beast Labs CoQ10 200 mg, and ubiquinol is the reduced form, sold in products like
Life Extension Super Ubiquinol CoQ10 50 mg. Your body converts one into the other. Ubiquinol is often marketed as better absorbed, but the research is not settled: a 2020 review of CoQ10 absorption argued that how a product is formulated matters more than which form it uses. Compare the dose per capsule and the price rather than paying more for the name alone.
What are the side effects of CoQ10 and ubiquinol, and are they safe?
NCCIH says no serious side effects of CoQ10 have been reported, although some people get trouble sleeping or an upset stomach. Mayo Clinic also lists nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, dizziness, headaches and rash. Ubiquinol is the same compound in another form, so the same cautions apply. CoQ10 may interact with warfarin, insulin and some chemotherapy drugs, and its safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established. If you take any regular medicine, check with your pharmacist before starting, and take it with food if your label says so.
How much CoQ10 should I take per day?
There is no official recommended daily intake, because your body makes its own CoQ10. Supplements in this range run from 50 mg of ubiquinol per softgel to 200 mg of CoQ10 per capsule, so follow the serve on your label rather than a number from the internet.
California Gold Nutrition CoQ10 100 mg with BioPerine, for example, is one capsule a day with food, while
Nutricost CoQ10 200 mg and Beast Labs CoQ10 provide 200 mg per capsule. If you take warfarin or diabetes medicine, ask your doctor what dose, if any, suits you.
Does CoQ10 boost energy or exercise performance?
Your cells use CoQ10 to make energy, and Mayo Clinic notes that levels fall with age and may be lower in people who take statins. That is the reason many people take it, but supplement research has not shown clear benefits for healthy, active people. Mayo Clinic describes studies on exercise performance as inconclusive, and NCCIH says the overall evidence does not support CoQ10 for statin-related muscle pain. If you feel unusually tired or are considering CoQ10 because of a heart condition or a statin, speak with your doctor first rather than changing any medicine.
Is CoQ10 good for men?
There is no men-only form of CoQ10, but two questions come up often. Men on statins sometimes take it because statins can lower CoQ10 levels, yet NCCIH says the evidence does not support it for statin-related muscle pain. CoQ10 has also been studied for male fertility. Memorial Sloan Kettering notes some data suggesting improved sperm motility in men with low motility, while NCCIH says the research is too limited to draw conclusions. If you and your partner are trying to conceive, see your GP for proper testing before relying on a supplement.
Which CoQ10 or ubiquinol is best, and where can I buy it in Australia?
Compare the milligrams per capsule, the form and any extras. Beast Labs CoQ10 is a single-ingredient 200 mg ubiquinone capsule,
NOW Foods CoQ10 comes in 30 mg, 100 mg and 200 mg strengths, California Gold Nutrition adds BioPerine black pepper extract, and
Life Extension Super Ubiquinol CoQ10 with PQQ pairs 100 mg of ubiquinol with PQQ and shilajit. Order online for Australia-wide delivery, usually 2 to 8 business days, or visit one of our 18 stores in Victoria and Richlands, Queensland, using the
store finder.
