Your heart pumps life through your veins and arteries at every moment, but how well it can circulate blood depends on many factors. One of the most important of these factors is science-based nutrition.  

Ensuring that your diet incorporates plenty of micronutrients is a great approach to supporting your cardiovascular health and function. Let’s examine some of the best vitamins for blood circulation and where you can get them, including foods and supplements for circulation. 

Why Healthy Circulation Matters

Having healthy circulation means that your blood is flowing throughout your body without being impeded. Here are some of the reasons why having healthy circulation is so important: 

• It carries oxygen and essential nutrients to your tissues and organs. 
• It removes waste products (urea and carbon dioxide) to prevent the buildup of harmful substances. 
• It helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels as hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease. 
• It prevents blood clots, DVTs, and fatty buildup (atherosclerosis) which can increase your risk of peripheral artery disease, heart attacks, or strokes. 
• It helps regulate body temperature.

Best Vitamins for Blood Circulation

Getting a variety of vitamins in your diet is key for healthy blood flow. These may come from foods in your diet (ideally, first) and potentially certain circulation supplements. Here are some of the best vitamins for blood circulation.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps strengthen blood vessel walls and keep them elastic and flexible. It also supports the production of collagen, the largest structural protein in your body, essential for healthy blood vessels. 

Finally, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to protect against oxidative stress and damage to your vessels that can impede circulation. Find vitamin C in fruits and veggies, especially strawberries, citrus fruits, broccoli, and bell peppers. 

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is also an antioxidant. It protects blood vessels from oxidative damage and reduces the risk of atherosclerosis. It also helps prevent blood clots, ensuring unobstructed blood flow.

Research on vitamin E supplements is mixed, with some studies indicating that they can increase the risk of heart failure and others suggesting that low circulating vitamin E levels increase your risk of cardiovascular issues. 

Focus on getting enough vitamin E from foods first, like nuts, seeds, fish, cooking oils, avocado, kiwi, greens, and sweet peppers. 

Vitamin K

Vitamin K (as vitamin K1 and K2) plays a crucial role in blood clotting to prevent excessive bleeding. It also supports the health and strength of your blood vessel walls, reducing the risk of vascular calcification (hardening of vessels and arteries) and supporting overall circulatory health.

Vitamin K1 is abundant in leafy greens, broccoli, and dry roasted cashews, while vitamin K2 is found in animal products and fermented foods like natto, sauerkraut, and kefir. 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important for healthy blood circulation because it helps regulate blood pressure by influencing the renin-angiotensin system and helping your blood vessels relax. 

The renin-angiotensin system regulates blood pressure and fluid balance. It controls how your blood vessels constrict as well as the release of hormones like aldosterone, which increase blood volume (and consequently blood pressure). Vitamin D also helps reduce inflammation and prevent arterial stiffness, so that blood can flow more easily.

You’ll find some vitamin D in eggs, fortified milk, and yogurt. Your skin also produces some vitamin D when it’s exposed to direct sunlight. However, many people can benefit from a supplement to meet their needs. 

To determine whether you need a vitamin D supplement for circulation, and how much is warranted, get your blood levels checked by your healthcare provider.

B Vitamins

The B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins that support various functions involved in your cardiovascular system. Each B vitamin has unique roles but they work together to support healthy circulation. 

Here are some of the jobs B vitamins have in cardiovascular health: 

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine): Helps convert nutrients into energy, supporting heart muscle function and blood flow.
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): Works as an antioxidant, protecting blood vessels from oxidative stress.
• Vitamin B3 (niacin): Improves blood circulation by dilating blood vessels and reducing cholesterol to prevent blockages.
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): Assists in the production of hemoglobin, boosting the transport of oxygen in your blood.
• Vitamin B9 (folate): Supports the formation of red blood cells and reduces homocysteine, an amino acid that can damage your arteries and increase cardiovascular disease risk.
• Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): Essential for red blood cell production and nerve function.

B vitamins are found in foods like salmon, leafy greens, eggs, beef, milk, oysters, poultry, and legumes. They also come in supplement form, as a vitamin B complex or individual B vitamins, but it’s important to take caution with high-dose supplementation.

Recent research has shown that niacin supplements for circulation or otherwise can increase the risk of blood clots. One study, published in Nature Medicine in early 2024, examined the blood samples of over 1,000 people looking for small molecules whose levels could independently predict someone’s risk of cardiovascular disease. 

The researchers found two byproducts from excessive niacin intake, called 2PY and 4PY. These were highly elevated when someone had an increased risk of stroke, heart attacks, and other cardiac events. 

In other words, excessive intake of niacin, which may be achieved by taking a niacin supplement in addition to eating niacin-rich foods, appears to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular problems. 

Should I Take Supplements for Circulation? 

Practicing good nutrition is essential for your heart and whole-body health. Sometimes, optimizing your nutrition means adding a supplement or two to your daily routine. However, I’m a foods-first practitioner, so I strongly encourage my clients to get most of their vitamins and minerals from whole and minimally processed foods. This is often possible with a varied diet that includes plenty of healthy, colorful foods that contribute fiber, fat, lean protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. 

Plus, some supplements (particularly the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K) can build up in your body to toxic levels if you’re regularly getting more than the RDA between food and supplements. Others can interact with certain medications or herbal products. Before adding a slew of supplements to your lifestyle, discuss them with your registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease to make sure the brand, type, dosage, and overall use of supplements you’re considering is safe, beneficial versus harmful for heart disease, and appropriate for you. 

Supporting Your Circulatory Health with Vitamins and More

Ensuring a variety of vitamins in your diet is one piece of a full lifestyle approach to supporting cardiovascular wellness and healthy circulation. Rather than relying first on supplements for circulation, prioritize vitamin-rich foods in your diet, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and other lean proteins. Get regular exercise, practice stress management, and practice habits that support healthy sleep. 

If you’re interested in personalized assessment, guidance and a customized plan to help optimize your circulation and cardiovascular health, book a discovery call to see if we’re a good fit for my 1 on 1 programs. I also offer a 6-week Heart Health Optimization group program that goes into the nitty gritty details of heart healthy science based nutrition. 

References

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