More evidence vitamins don't slow heart disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking antioxidants or other vitamins does not seem to slow the buildup of artery-clogging plaques that can lead to heart disease or stroke, according to a new study.
The findings, from an analysis of 16 clinical trials, add to evidence that vitamin supplements do not prevent heart attacks, strokes or deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Though researchers had hoped that B vitamins and antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, would offer some protection, clinical trials in recent years have failed to confirm those expectations. Some studies have even suggested supplements might be harmful to heart health.
"I think (the results of) those trials have been overwhelmingly negative," said Dr. Eliseo Guallar, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Still, he told Reuters Health, some researchers have argued that the vitamins may hinder the progression of atherosclerosis -- the accumulation of plaques on the artery walls that can eventually lead to heart attack or stroke.
The lack of benefit against heart attacks and strokes might, for instance, be the result of starting the vitamins too late in the course of atherosclerosis.
To see whether supplements might forestall atherosclerosis, Guallar and his colleagues pooled the results from clinical trials that tested folic acid and other B vitamins, or antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamins C, E and beta-carotene. In some studies, participants took a single vitamin supplement, while in others various supplement combinations were used.
The researchers found no evidence that any of the vitamins slowed the progression of atherosclerosis.
"The end result is, there is nothing," Guallar said.
The fact that pills do not seem to offer heart protection doesn't negate the importance of diet, however. The nutrients in foods and the large vitamin doses found in pills are fundamentally different, Guallar noted.
He advised that people strive to maintain a generally healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, getting regular exercise and eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
People who rely on vitamins for preventing cardiovascular disease are "at least wasting their money," Guallar said, and at worst, possibly harming their health.
He recommends spending money on something else, like a gym membership.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2006.
Source: www.checkfreshnews.com
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