Study: Vitamins No Magic Bullet for Heart Health

Aug. 13, 2007 — -- Contrary to popular belief, taking antioxidant vitamins may do little to protect your heart.

A study released today in the Archives of Internal Medicine is the latest to put a dent in the theory that vitamins such as C, E and antioxidants such as beta carotene can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular events.

Alhough previous research has come to similar conclusions, the study at hand is perhaps one of the largest to debunk the idea that these vitamins can lead to a healthier heart.

The research involved 8,000 women at high risk for heart disease who were assigned to take either vitamins alone or in combination or a placebo over nine years.

Study author Nancy R. Cook, a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, notes that these results "add to the body of evidence that antioxidants do not add to the prevention of heart disease."

She adds that when the study first began in 1996, "we were expecting to find that these substances had a beneficial effect."

Cook's team was not alone in its hopes. Previous research found that diets high in fruits and vegetables -- and in turn antioxidants -- were associated with decreased heart problems.

However, further studies have not been able to show any proven benefits when looking at dietary supplements.

"Although theoretically these antioxidants would appear to be protective … these antioxidant vitamins have not lived up to their promises," says Dr. Carl Lavie, director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at Ochsner Medical Center.

The research could be disappointing to many who may have hoped that dietary supplements would represent a "magic bullet" for heart ills.

"Studies of nutrients for disease prevention all indicate that the active ingredient in a healthful diet is a healthful diet, and not some isolated nutrient we can put in a pill," says Dr. David Katz, director of the prevention research center at Yale University.

Dr. Susan Bennett, director of the Women's Heart Program at George Washington University, agrees. "People are always getting keyed into something that is easy to do. People think taking a pill is easier than quitting smoking, exercising or eating well."