Condition
Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, which makes the right side of the heart work harder and can lead to right heart failure. Iron has the strongest evidence among supplements, moderate, with symptoms improving when low iron was corrected, while small studies of inhaled vasoactive intestinal peptide found lower lung artery pressure and better cardiac output. Most other supplements, such as coenzyme Q10, have only limited evidence.
Sources: PMID 18978135
- Supplements studied
- 1
- Medicines and peptides
- 1
- Graded outcomes
- 2
- Trials
- 1
- People studied
- 25
Evidence by supplement
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Pressure Small Improvement | Improves (the measure goes down) | Small effect | 7 studies | 25 people | ||
Studies that measured blood pressure
| ||||||
| Exercise Capacity | Improves (the measure goes up) | 25 people | ||||
Prescription medicines and peptides studied, for context
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP/Aviptadil)
- Pulmonary Hemodynamics: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary Hemodynamics Petkov 2003: Inhaled VIP reduced pulmonary artery pressure, improved cardiac output and mixed venous oxygen in PAH patients. VIP deficiency found in PAH patient serum and lung tissue. Small clinical studies show promise. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 4 studies |
Key findings
- Blood PressureImproves (the measure goes down)
The Pulmonary Hypertension Supportive Care protocol
2 primary supplements · 7 supporting supplements
- Coenzyme Q10100–300 mg daily
- IronIV iron if deficient (oral often inadequate); dosing per physician
Shop the evidence-backed picks
Support alongside medical care. These supplements are not a treatment for Pulmonary Hypertension. If you are being treated for it, talk to your clinician before adding one: supplements can interact with medicines.
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Studies cited
11 studies from PubMed
- A Clinical Approach for the Use of VIP Axis in Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases
- Immunomodulation of innate immune responses by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP): its therapeutic potential in inflammatory disease
- Inhalation of vasoactive intestinal peptide in pulmonary hypertension
- Vasoactive intestinal peptide modulates proinflammatory mediator synthesis in osteoarthritic and rheumatoid synovial cells
- Nitric oxide precursors and congenital heart surgery: a randomized controlled trial of oral citrulline
- Oral l-citrulline malate in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and Eisenmenger Syndrome: a clinical trial
- Acute Effects of Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping After Exercise in Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
- Inter-Individual Responses to Citrulline Malate Oral Supplementation on Post-Exercise Hypotension in Hypertensives: A 24-Hour Analysis
- Effect of L-arginine or L-citrulline oral supplementation on blood pressure and right ventricular function in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction
- Improvement of ventricular function in systolic heart failure patients with oral L-citrulline supplementation
- Effect of oral L-citrulline on brachial and aortic blood pressure defined by resting status: evidence from randomized controlled trials