Previous research studies had presented conflicting results about the effect of multivitamins on the risk of heart disease in men. While some studies had concluded that multivitamins actually increase the risk of early death and cancer development, other studies published findings that linked daily multivitamins to the prevention of early death caused by cancer or cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attack or heart disease in men. What has recent research uncovered about the link between multivitamins and heart disease risk factors? Read on to learn about the recent findings published in The Journal of American Medical Association.
The research study published in The Journal of American Medical Association was part of a long-term trial called the Physician?s Health Study II. 14, 661 male doctors served as the participants for this 11 year study co-funded by the National Institutes of Health. The results showed that daily multivitamins were not effective as a deterrent for heart disease in men.
The U.S National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health quotes the authors of the study, ?we found that after more than a decade of daily multivitamin use among middle age and older men, daily multivitamin use did not reduce the primary end point of major cardiovascular events.? Researcher Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, agrees with these findings and explains that primary motive to take daily multivitamins should not be to reduce heart disease risk factors, but to fulfill the body?s nutrient requirements.
With the dietary supplements industry growing by leaps and bounds every year, the effects of daily multivitamins on heart disease in men is a legitimate concern. The authors of the research study expressed their apprehensions about people neglecting other more traditional and therapeutic forms of preventing heart disease risk factors in men, in favor of daily multivitamins. It is important to clear the misconception that daily multivitamins might somehow reduce the risk of heart disease in men, so that people do not become negligent about healthy eating, regular exercise and positive lifestyle habits. According to Cardiologist Suzanne Steinbaum, director of heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, good dietary habits and a healthy lifestyle can never be replaced by simply taking daily multivitamins.
This research study however showed an overall improvement in health and an 8% decrease in the risk of cancer in the male participants of the study. According to Duffy MacKay, vice president for scientific affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group, an improvement in overall health was to be expected anyway since multivitamins are designed to help fulfill the nutrient requirements of the body in order to facilitate optimum functioning of the system. However, Duffy Mckay is of the opinion that despite the well-controlled and comprehensive nature of the study, the results might not be largely applicable to the average American since all the participants were healthy to begin with.
References:
Usa today- multivitamins fail to prevent heart problems
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2012/11/05/multivitamins-heart-problems/1682189/
medline plus- multivitamins do not prevent heart diseases
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/podcast/transcript120312.html
web md- multivitamins do not prevent heart disease
http://men.webmd.com/news/20121105/multivitamins-heart-disease
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