Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that taking multivitamins and mineral supplements does not prevent heart attacks, strokes, or heart death.
Heart disease is a catch-all phrase for a variety of conditions that affect the heart’s structure and how it works.
Coronary heart disease is a type of heart disease where the arteries of the heart cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart. It is the leading cause of death in the United States.
A stroke, also known as a transient ischemic attack or cerebrovascular accident, happens when blood flow to the brain is blocked. This prevents the brain from getting oxygen and nutrients from the blood.
Without oxygen and nutrients, brain cells begin to die within minutes. Sudden bleeding in the brain can also cause a stroke if it damages brain cells.
A stroke is a medical emergency. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death.
A multivitamin is a preparation intended to serve as a dietary supplement with vitamins, dietary minerals, and other nutritional elements.
While in China during the 1910s and 1920s, Carl F. Rehnborg witnessed a direct correlation between people’s diets and their optimal health.
In 1934, he created the first multivitamin/multimineral supplement for sale in the United States.
Many multivitamin formulas contain vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, A, E, D2 (or D3), K, potassium, iodine, selenium, borate, zinc, calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, beta carotene, and/or iron.
Many studies have tried to identify the association between multivitamins and mineral supplementation and heart disease risks, but the benefits remain unclear.
In the current study, researchers reviewed published papers on the associations between multivitamins and mineral supplementation and various disease risks, including coronary heart disease and stroke.
They included 18 studies with more than two million participants. Five studies specified the dose/type of multivitamin and mineral supplements.
Overall, the team found there was no association between multivitamins and mineral supplementation and general heart disease death risk, coronary heart disease death, and stroke.
The researchers also found there was no association between multivitamins and mineral supplements and heart disease death risk in different groups of people.
Based on the findings, they concluded that multivitamin and mineral supplementation does not improve heart disease outcomes in the general population.
Other researchers suggest that vitamin supplements cannot replace a healthy diet.
Those who may need vitamin supplements include women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who consume alcohol in amounts over those recommended as safe, drug users, and the elderly.
Taking vitamins and mineral supplements in large doses can be harmful to your health and cause toxicity.
The research was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes and conducted by Joonseok Kim et al.
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