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One study suggests that few nutritional supplements can protect people from developing or cardiovascular disease, and some may even be harmful.
The researchers examined data from 277 trials involving nearly a million participants to evaluate the effects of 16 nutritional supplements and 8 dietary interventions on the risk of heart problems and stroke. brain.
Most vitamins, minerals, supplements and diets do not protect against heart attacks or strokes, nor do they reduce the risk of cardiac death, report the researchers in Annals of Internal Medicine.
"People should focus on a healthy diet based on nutritious food, not on vitamins or supplements, but on a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and not smoking," said Dr. Safi Khan , lead author of the study and researcher at West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown.
The American dietary recommendations recommend several healthy eating habits, including Mediterranean and vegetarian diets, but do not recommend routine use of supplements to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or other chronic diseases, noted the researchers.
Previous research has linked a Mediterranean diet rich in healthy fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and fats to a healthier heart and brain, especially as people get older. Vegetarian diets have also been associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
Despite the lack of evidence of a clear benefit for most supplements, about half of American adults are taking a type of supplement that they believe will improve their health, writes the study team.
In the present study, researchers found evidence that a reduction in salt intake was associated with a lower risk of premature death from all causes in patients with normal blood pressure.
Omega-3 fatty acids appeared to reduce the risk of heart attacks and coronary heart disease.
And folic acid seemed to help reduce the risk of stroke.
The analysis also revealed that supplements combining calcium and vitamin D were associated with a higher risk of stroke.
In addition, there appeared to be no significant effect on mortality or the cardiovascular consequences of other supplements, such as multivitamins, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D alone, calcium alone, folic acid and iron, or through dietary interventions such as the Mediterranean diet, a reduction in saturated fat intake, a change in fat intake, a reduction in consumption of dietary fats and increased consumption of fish oil supplements.
Even though the analysis looked at data from clinical trials that randomly assigned some patients to take supplements while others did not – the gold standard for test the effect of specific interventions – some limitations remain.
The major disadvantage is that smaller studies of the analysis have used various methods to test the effect of supplements and have examined different doses and formulations of these products for varying periods of time.
Nevertheless, the authors conclude that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that people should not start taking supplements simply because they want to prevent heart problems.
"There is no convincing data to assert that a vitamin or supplement reduces heart attacks," said Dr. Eric Topol, coauthor of an accompanying editorial. Research and Senior Vice President Scripps Research in La Jolla, California.
"Do not take supplements," said Topol by email.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/30tyMWm Annals of Internal Medicine, online July 8, 2019.
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