Multivitamin Studied for Heart Health

by CP Staff

In a recently published study, researchers investigated the possible protective effect between multivitamin intake and heart health in women.

The subjects included 31,671 women with a healthy cardiovascular system and 2,262 women between 49 and 83 years of age with known cardiovascular issues. The subjects completed a questionnaire regarding supplement intake, diet and lifestyle factors. The subjects were then followed for an average of 10.2 years.

The results of the study indicate that long term multivitamin use is associated with improved heart health. In the women without previous cardiovascular disease, multivitamin use was associated with a 27 percent enhancement in heart health, compared to the women that did not take multivitamins. The combination of multivitamins and other supplements was associated with a 30 percent improvement of heart wellness. In these women, the use of supplements other than a multivitamin resulted in a 7 percent reduction in heart risk. Furthermore, the use of multivitamins for 5 years or longer was associated with a 41 percent enhancement in heart protection in these women. In the subjects with previous cardiovascular disease, there was no association between multivitamin intake and reduced risk of heart issues.

The study authors concluded that the intake of multivitamins is associated with substantial promotion of heart health, particularly with long-term intake in women without previous cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

Rautiainen S, Akesson A, Levitan EB, Morgenstern R, Mittleman MA, Wolk A. Multivitamin use and the risk of myocardial infarction: a population-based cohort of Swedish women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Sep 22. Published Online Ahead of Print.