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.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2524992/Multi-vitamins-NOTHING-protect-illness-experts-warn.html#ixzz2nlxHIQkT
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