Taking a daily multivitamin does not cut the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in older men, according to a new study.
The longitudinal research by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined 15,000 doctors aged 50 plus over a ten year period. Participants were randomly assigned to take a placebo or multivitamin supplement.
“We found that after more than a decade, there is neither benefit nor risk," said Dr Howard Sesso, the study’s author and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.
"It is hard for us to recommend, at this point in time, taking a multivitamin to avoid cardiovascular disease.”
Sesso added that there remains a risk of multivitamins being perceived as a quick-fix for preventing cardiovascular disease at the expense of more effective actions, such as stopping smoking or reducing alcohol consumption.
The study follows the publication of research last month which found taking a multivitamin supplement to reduce the risk of developing cancer by 8%. However, Sesso said that the research projects are not contradictory.
“We still feel very comfortable with the conclusions for the cancer findings. 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.
