Vitamins Prevent Heart Disease

Two recent scientific publications reported that the risk of heart disease is reduced by half or more in people with high levels of vitamins in their diet and blood. Since a wide variety of vitamins are consumed together, either in multiple supplements or in nutritious, unrefined foods, the population with lowest risk would be expected to have high levels of the whole spectrum of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and antioxidants—although only the vitamins B-6 and folate were specifically measured in these research projects. Strokes have the same underlying cause as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and should therefore benefit equally from this reduced risk.

Click on the references below to read abstracts at the National Library of Medicine.

Tavani A, Pelucchi C, Parpinel M, Negri E, Vecchia CL: Folate and vitamin B(6) intake and risk of acute myocardial infarction in Italy. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004 Sep;58(9):1266-72.

Voutilainen S, Virtanen JK, Rissanen TH, Alfthan G, Laukkanen J, Nyyssonen K, Mursu J, Valkonen VP, Tuomainen TP, Kaplan GA, Salonen JT: Serum folate and homocysteine and the incidence of acute coronary events: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Aug;80(2):317-23.