The truth is, whether you've had high cholesterols and chronic heart failure in the past or you're just looking to avoid it all together, there are some lifestyle modifications and vitamins that have been proven to help.

In a seven-year international study spanning more than 10,000 patients, researchers from the American Medical Association found that those taking vitamin E supplements had no fewer occurrences of heart disease, strokes or cancer. In fact, the risk was 13% higher! Less controversial studies find that vitamin E simply has a placebo effect and is neither harmful nor beneficial in treating heart disease, cancer and strokes. Most doctors can agree that vitamins will always be important for optimal body function, but can be toxic if taken at extreme levels.

Lifestyle factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and taking certain medications can prevent our uptake of vitamins and minerals, which made lead to a deficiency disease. For example, rickets is caused by a lack of vitamin D, scurvy by a lack of vitamin C, beriberi by a lack of thiamin and pellagra by a lack of niacin. However, most of these deficiencies are due to very rigid diets or lack of nutrition in general and most people who eat a variety of foods and eat often will not encounter these painful diseases.

"Vitamin supplements are not the substitutes of good nutrition," warns Annamalai Nagar, a professor of pharmacy at Annamalai University. "Unnecessary use of vitamins not only causes toxic effects, it also has a telling effect on our pocket." Health experts remind us that exercise, eating a diet of low cholesterol foods and quitting smoking are the real solutions to optimal heart health.

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