Table 3.
Common supplements used by cardiac patients, pooled results from included studies.
| Supplement | Number of studies | Pooled n | Pooled sample | Pooled prevalence (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aloe vera | 2 | 15 | 423 | 3.6 |
| Bilberry | 2 | 4 | 439 | 1.0 |
| Calcium | 6 | 1,017 | 4,629 | 22.0 |
| cayenne pepper/capsicum | 2 | 26 | 486 | 5.3 |
| chromium/chromium picolinate | 3 | 11 | 679 | 1.6 |
| coenzyme Q10 | 7 | 58 | 2,335 | 2.5 |
| Dandelion | 2 | 4 | 359 | 1.0 |
| Echinacea | 5 | 705 | 11,503 | 6.1 |
| fish oil/omega-3 | 7 | 279 | 14,014 | 2.0 |
| flax seed/flax seed oil | 5 | 48 | 1,235 | 3.9 |
| folic acid | 7 | 160 | 5,108 | 3.1 |
| Garlic | 12 | 902 | 16,417 | 5.5 |
| Ginger | 6 | 302 | 11,909 | 2.5 |
| ginkgo biloba | 6 | 572 | 15,131 | 3.8 |
| Ginseng | 8 | 502 | 14,471 | 3.5 |
| glucosamine/chondroitin | 8 | 499 | 11,855 | 4.2 |
| green tea | 4 | 61 | 931 | 6.6 |
| Hawthorn | 4 | 13 | 913 | 1.4 |
| Iron | 4 | 26 | 673 | 3.9 |
| Kelp | 2 | 7 | 486 | 1.4 |
| Lecithin | 3 | 8 | 492 | 1.6 |
| multivitamins and minerals | 9 | 1,883 | 5,525 | 34.1 |
| Magnesium | 6 | 50 | 1,352 | 3.7 |
| mint/lemon balm | 2 | 44 | 417 | 10.7 |
| Nettle | 3 | 68 | 864 | 7.9 |
| Parsley | 4 | 214 | 10,824 | 2.0 |
| Peppermint | 2 | 214 | 10,824 | 2.0 |
| Potassium | 3 | 87 | 4,034 | 2.2 |
| Sage | 2 | 29 | 417 | 7.0 |
| saw palmetto | 4 | 32 | 1,023 | 3.1 |
| Selenium | 2 | 8 | 385 | 2.0 |
| St John's wort | 3 | 220 | 11,053 | 2.0 |
| Valerian | 3 | 24 | 882 | 2.7 |
| vitamin A/beta-carotene | 6 | 107 | 4,671 | 2.3 |
| vitamin B/B12/B complex | 8 | 470 | 5,261 | 8.9 |
| vitamin C | 9 | 768 | 5,408 | 14.2 |
| vitamin D | 4 | 42 | 1,047 | 4.0 |
| vitamin E | 8 | 1,056 | 5,318 | 19.9 |
| Zinc | 5 | 37 | 1,123 | 3.3 |
Note: Only supplements with reported ≥1% use in 2 or more studies were included. Some figures were calculated from reported percentages.