Source: The Lancet

This week's issue of the Lancet features a meta-analysis of randomised trials which concludes that antioxidant vitamins are not effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. It also suggests that supplements containing vitamin A compounds could actually contribute to an increase in cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality.

Marc S Penn from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA, and colleagues analysed seven randomised trials of treatment with vitamin E and eight trials of treatment with beta carotene (a source of vitamin A). All the trials included over 1000 participants, and follow-up ranged from one to twelve years. In the trials examined, the researchers concluded Vitamin E was ineffective in reducing death from cardiovascular causes, all-cause mortality, or in reducing the incidence of stroke compared with people given control treatment. They also found that Beta carotene use correlated with a small (0.4%) increase in all-cause mortality and a 0.3% increase in cardiovascular death.

Contact Information: Alicia Sokol, Department of Public & Media Relations, Cleveland
Clinic Foundation, W14, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA, T)+1
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