Little Proof Exists That Supplements, Some Widely Recommended Diets Have Power To Prevent Heart Disease, Review Suggests

eports research indicates that “there was strikingly little proof from rigorous studies that supplements and some widely recommended diets have the power to prevent heart disease,” researchers found after analyzing data on “24 supplements and diets...from 277 trials of cardiovascular prevention involving a total of 992,000 people.” The review’s findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The NBC News (7/8, Edwards) website reports, “Though the researchers did find that fish oil offered some benefit in reducing the risk of heart attack and overall heart disease, and that folic acid was associated with a lower risk of stroke, they said the majority of supplements analyzed offered no benefits” whatsoever. In some cases, taking supplements could even cause harm. For example, “taking calcium plus vitamin D, the researchers found, was associated with an increased risk for stroke.” The authors of an accompanying editorial observed that the Western diet “already has significant dietary fortification with calcium plus vitamin D.” Also covering the story are CNN (7/8, Azad) and HealthDay (7/8, Reinberg). https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heart-health/most-dietary-supplements-do-not-protect-against-heart-attack-stroke-n1027366