Multivitamin pills ‘have no clinical benefit’ for heart

Minerals and supplements, do not protect against cardiac arrest, study of two million people concludes

MULTIVITAMINS do not protect against heart attacks, a study has found.

Researchers analysed the results of studies and clinical trials undertaken since 1970, involving more than two million people. Overall, they found “no association” between taking multivitamin and mineral supplements and the development of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or strokes and their related deaths.

Joonseok Kim from the University of Alabama’s department of medicine, who led the study, said: “We meticulously evaluated the body of scientific evidence.

“We found no clinical benefit of multivitamin and mineral use to prevent heart attacks, strokes or cardiovascular death.” The study also found that there was no cardiovascular benefit to taking a “therapeutic” supplement due to deficiency, such as vitamin D.

It found “even sparser” evidence of any such benefits for those taking multivitamins without a confirmed deficiency, and noted that several studies had demonstrated that daily vitamin and mineral supplementation in certain groups, such as the elderly, could actually have a negative effect.

Around one in three British adults takes some form of nutritional supplement, the most popular being multivitamins, followed by vitamin C.

Mr Kim, an assistant professor of cardiology, said: “It has been exceptionally difficult to convince people, including nutritional researchers, to acknowledge that multivitamin and mineral supplements don’t prevent cardiovascular diseases.

“I hope our study findings help decrease the hype around multivitamin and mineral supplements, and encourage people to use proven methods to reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases – such as eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising and avoiding tobacco.”

He said his team had set out to offer clarity on the subject because although many studies had concluded that multivitamin and mineral supplements did not prevent cardiovascular diseases, the notion had still proved controversial.

Researchers noted that fruits and vegetables were associated with a lower risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, with a strong link between the amount consumed and the benefits. Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We know that eating a healthy balanced diet, like the traditional Mediterranean diet, can help to lower our risk of heart and circulatory diseases. There are no shortcuts when it comes to nutrition – supplements are not a replacement for healthy food.”

The analysis was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.