Multivitamin use 'don't cut heart disease risk in men'
Washington, November 6 (ANI)
Taking a daily multivitamin does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged or older men, according to a new study.
"The findings from our large clinical trial do not support the use of a common daily multivitamin supplement for the sole purpose of preventing cardiovascular disease in men," said Howard D. Sesso, ScD, lead author and an associate epidemiologist in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Researchers enrolled nearly 15,000 men over the age of 50 in the study and followed them for more than 10 years.
The men were randomly assigned to take either a multivitamin or a placebo every day which ensured that both treatment groups were identical with respect to risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The men self-reported episodes of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular disease, and a panel of physicians reviewed and confirmed their events with medical records.
Researchers then compared the group that took the multivitamin with the group that took the placebo and found no significant impact on risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular mortality.
Researchers reported last month that the same trial showed that a daily multivitamin reduced the men's overall risk of cancer by 8 percent.
"We still feel very comfortable with the conclusions for the cancer findings," Dr. Sesso said.
"The lack of effect for cardiovascular disease versus cancer benefit isn't necessarily inconsistent. There could be a difference in mechanism of effect," he added.
The study will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.