Antioxidant Supplements Reduce Risk of Heart Disease: Epidemiologic vs Clinical

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Antioxidant Supplements Reduce Risk of Heart Disease: Epidemiologic

vs Clinical Studies

 

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Antioxidant Supplements Decease Risk of Heart Disease: Epidemiologic

Studies Not Trumped by Clinical Trials

Epidemiologic studies, including results from at least four large

cohorts, indicate that among the healthy population the long-term

use of antioxidant supplements, specifically vitamin E and vitamin

C, helps protect against heart disease. " It is puzzling how the

American Heart Association's nutrition committee could recommend

against the use of antioxidant supplements for primary prevention of

heart disease, in the face of evidence such as this, " said Annette

Dickinson, Ph.D., president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

 

" Even if recent secondary intervention trials have been

disappointing, those results do not trump the epidemiological data

on primary prevention. " (Primary prevention is avoiding or delaying

heart disease in healthy people; secondary prevention is avoiding a

second heart attack or stroke in people who have already had one.)

A study of more than 80,000 nurses found that women who took vitamin

E supplements for more than two years had a 41% reduction in risk of

major coronary disease. (Stampfer 1993) A later study of the nurses'

cohort found that women who took vitamin C supplements had a 27%

reduction in risk of coronary heart disease. (Osganian 2003) A study

of almost 40,000 male health professionals (mostly dentists) found

that men who took vitamin E supplements for at least two years had a

37% reduction in risk of coronary disease. (Rimm 1993) A study in

more than 11,000 elderly people found that those who used vitamin E

supplements had a 47% reduced risk of coronary disease mortality,

and those who used supplements of both vitamin E and vitamin C had a

53% reduced risk of coronary mortality. (Losonczy 1996) These are

large and important effects. The exception is a study of almost

35,000 post-menopausal women that found a protective effect of

vitamin E from conventional foods, but not from supplements ñ but

the authors noted that relatively few of the women used vitamin E

and they had no information on the duration of use. (Kushi 1996)

The American Heart Association's science advisory recognizes that

the epidemiological data is compelling, but implies that such

evidence applies only to the intake of antioxidants from

conventional foods, and not from supplements. (AHA 2004) This is not

the case, since the studies cited above specifically examined

supplemental intake, and four of the five reported significant

benefits in the primary prevention of heart disease associated with

the use of antioxidant supplements in healthy populations.

What is the best advice for consumers? For overall health

maintenance as well as potential protection against some chronic

diseases, the Council for Responsible Nutrition recommends consuming

the best possible diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables and two

servings of fish per week; getting regular exercise; and

supplementing those healthy habits with what UCLA's David Heber,

M.D., has called the " basic four " nutritional supplements: a

multivitamin, extra calcium, extra vitamin E, and extra vitamin C.

(Heber 2001)

REFERENCES

• AHA Science Advisory: Antioxidant vitamin supplements and

cardiovascular disease. Circulation 2004; 110: 637-641.

• Heber D. What Color is Your Diet? Regan Books (HarperCollins

Publishers), New York, NY, 2001.

• Kushi L, et al. Dietary antioxidant vitamins and death from

coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women. NEJM 1996; 334:1156-

1162.

• Losonczy KG, et al. Vitamin E and vitamin C supplement use and

risk of all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality in older

persons: the established populations for epidemiologic studies of

the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr 1996; 64:190-196.

• Osganian S, et al. Vitamin C and risk of coronary heart disease in

women. J Am Coll Cardiology 2003; 42:246-252.

• Rimm EB, et al. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary

heart disease in men. NEJM 1993; 328:1450-1456.

• Stampfer MJ, et al. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary

disease in women. NEJM 1993; 328: 1444-1449.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a

Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary

supplement industry ingredient suppliers and manufacturers. CRN

members adhere to a strong code of ethics, comply with dosage limits

and manufacture dietary supplements to high quality standards under

good manufacturing practices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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