- Heart attack sufferers prescribed high doses of multi-vitamins and minerals
- Daily pill was given to half the patients, while the remainder had a placebo
- Scientists logged deaths, second heart attacks and other further problems
- No difference found between the two groups after four and a half years
By
Jenny Hope
20:04 EST, 16 December 2013
|
03:01 EST, 17 December 2013
Multi-vitamin supplements do nothing to protect those at high risk from serious illness, researchers said last night.
People who take vitamins and minerals in the long term are wasting their money, two major studies found.
US researchers who gave pills to heart attack victims to ward off further problems found they made no difference.
Claim: People who take vitamins and minerals in the long term are wasting their money, two studies found
A second study showed the brain function of older men who took vitamin pills for 12 years was no better than those who did not.
Both studies are published in the journal the Annals Of Internal Medicine with a warning to patients not to waste their money.
‘Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified and they should be avoided,’ it warns.
More than 1,700 people aged 50 and over who had a heart attack six weeks earlier were prescribed high doses of multi-vitamins and minerals.
The daily pill, which contained 28 different ingredients, was given to half the patients, while the remainder had a placebo.
Researchers logged deaths, second heart attacks, strokes or hospitalisation for angina or surgery. After four and a half years, there was no difference between the two groups.
‘While the multi-vitamin and mineral regimen was not harmful, it did not seem to reduce cardiovascular events in patients,’ said the study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
In a separate 12-year trial, Harvard Medical School researchers asked almost 6,000 male doctors aged at least 65 to take either a daily multi-vitamin containing vitamins A, B, C, E and beta carotene or a placebo.
The study was testing the idea that
supplements could halt cognitive decline – the age-related reduction in
brain functions, such as memory.
Discovery: US researchers who gave pills to heart attack victims to ward off further problems found they made no difference
After an initial cognitive assessment, the men were tested at two, six and ten years. The researchers found no difference in cognitive function between the two groups of men. They concluded there was no benefit to taking a daily multi-vitamin to preserve brain power.
Dr Carrie Ruxton, of the Health Supplements Information Service, said vitamin supplements were intended for the maintenance of health rather than the management or treatment of pre-existing disease normally treated with medicines or surgery.
She said all the people entered in the
heart trial were in poor cardiovascular health, with health problems
such as high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, angina, diabetes,
congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and heart valve disease.
‘Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified and they should be avoided’
More than half had been smokers, most were taking medication for cardiovascular disease and many were already taking multi-vitamins or herbal products, she said.
She added: ‘Almost half of the trial participants from both the vitamin and placebo groups dropped out of the study. Given that they had to take six large caplets each day, this is perhaps not unexpected.
‘Many such multi-vitamin preparations contain recommended daily amounts of vitamins, which is the way multi-vitamins are intended to be used, and their size and daily dosage makes them easier to take than the preparation used in this trial.
‘In the UK, data continue to show that a significant proportion of the population fail to consume recommended intakes of vitamin and minerals.
‘This applies particularly to younger women, a population group not included in the current study.
‘Given this fact, a multi-vitamin supplement in recommended amounts is a sensible way to contribute to the maintenance of health.’
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kathryn,
Aberystwyth,
5 minutes ago
Multi vits for prevention, not when you are medication as many medications take all or some of the vits out of your body, otten there is a reduction in the body before you are ill then you are pumped with meds which make you more ill. Too late for multi vits then!
Cinnamon,
London, United Kingdom,
13 minutes ago
That’s a lie, I’m a living prove that they work. That’s like telling us not to bother going to the doctors when we’re ill, because the medicine they give you wont work.
hemp2saveworld,
Wales, United Kingdom,
20 minutes ago
Another article which is a load of bull, why is there an American Senator in the US trying to get Vitamins added to Schedule 2 on the drugs and narcotics control list then? Also the Senator has a huge amount of shares in various Pharma companies? Big questions eh?
Mcqueen,
Dublin, Ireland,
43 minutes ago
Can I get a refund ?
John.S.,
Bristol,
46 minutes ago
Big Pharma at it again,to give the same random combinations of vitamins in a single pill to all of the participants is highly illogical and would produce the kind of results they were expecting.I will carry on with my supplements as I am well now after years of illness brought on by their dodgy drugs.
daz,
hereford, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
The problem with all these headlines is they’re based on an editorial published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a pro-pharma publication almost entirely funded by pharmaceuticals which compete with multivitamins. When I visited the study publication page on Annals.org, I was immediately greeted with a pop-up advertisement trying to hawk a pharmaceutical drug. It’s almost as if the pharma-funded publication is saying, “Here, while we trash the reputation of vitamins, why don’t you buy some drugs from our sponsors?†make sure these multivitamin studies fail produce positive results, these studies are universally structured so that they are based on cheap, low-grade, synthetic vitamins and inorganic minerals. Not coincidentally, these brands of low-grade multivitamins are actually manufactured by companies owned by pharmaceutical interests. They really do have a financial incentive to make multivitamins look bad, so their multivitamin formulations are intentionally designed to fail.
isabel,
newport,
1 hour ago
well how come I never get a cold !!!!!!!!!!! I hsae been taking vit tabs for over 20 years now I don’t buy boots make they are too dear I buy wilkos and are 3 for 2 , garlic is good for you so I take garlic tab every day !! plus cod liver oil helps keep cholestral down .
chris,
cambridge uk,
1 hour ago
Vitamin B12 is ESSENTIAL for good health, especially brain function. Vitamin D is also essential for good bone health. Everything else should be processed from a normal healthy diet.
Bella,
London, United Kingdom,
1 hour ago
So the pharmaceutical companies would have you believe. The flu and cold epidemic is due to a vitamin d deficiency in the UK during the winter and the high factor sun cream people have been told they should use. Since taking supplements I’ve never felt better and am less tired and drained.
Nordica,
Helsinki, Finland,
1 hour ago
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I personally have never taken any kinds of vitamins apart from some short lived experiments which I stopped as I noticed no difference whatsoever. I eat normally, mostly good but sometimes naturally treat myself too…and I exercise 5-13 hours a week. I have plenty of energy and the last time I was ill (with the flu) was exactly one year ago. I’m 45 and have always been healthy. I think whether or not you need vitamins/supplements depends on your genes and your lifestyle — to each their own.
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