A recent study has shown that daily multivitamins, used by middle-aged or older men for more than 10 years, do not reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events occurring – this includes hearts attacks, strokes or fatalities. Although the long term benefits of vitamins are unknown, many people take a supplement each day as a way of preventing chronic diseases and improving general health and wellbeing.
In addition to this, it is a common misconception that vitamin supplements can also help to improve cardiovascular health and therefore reduce the risk of heart problems. However, research suggests that this is not the case – a large-scale study tested men aged 50 and over in a randomised multivitamin versus placebo test. At the midpoint stage of the study, 1732 of the men had suffered from cardiovascular events – 652 of these suffered with heart attacks, 643 with stroke and 829 with fatal heart problems. Within this study, researchers concluded that there was no effect made from taking a daily multivitamin – although there were fewer deaths among the group who took supplements, the difference was not significant. There was also a limited effect on the rates of angina and congestive heart failure.
The effects of a sedentary lifestyle, such as poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise, greatly increase the chances of suffering from heart problems. Those who take a multivitamin in the hope of rectifying the damage caused by such a lifestyle are under a misconception that vitamins can remove the health risks associated with it. However, those running such risks should be aware that while cardiovascular problems are preventable, this needs to be achieved through major changes to your diet, stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake and increasing physical activity rather than relying on supplements. In addition, those suffering with more serious health problems should seek medical advice and take proven, safe medications.
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