Recent Study Supports Using Multivitamins for Heart Health

For heart patients who don't already take statins, a new study reveals there are great benefits in taking multivitamins for heart health.

The Importance of Multivitamins for Heart Health

Looking at how multivitamins affect heart health, an expansive study evaluated patients at 134 different sites throughout North America. The study's initial purpose was to examine how effective and safe EDTA chelation is for patients with a history of heart disease or those with coronary artery disease. Typically, patients administered EDTA chelation through an alternative medicine caregiver also take high doses of multivitamins. Considering this factor, researchers also wanted to see what role, if any, those multivitamins played in affecting heart health.

Chelation is the process of binding molecules together and withdrawing them from the body. Even though there haven't been any previous studies on this procedure's effectiveness or safety, its use has risen considerably in recent years. Between 2002 and 2007, the use of this process has grown by nearly 68 percent in the United States. More than 111,000 people had undergone the treatment by 2007.

For the study, researchers wanted to obtain more detailed results, so they divided patients into four groups:

• those taking Chelation in addition to multivitamins
• those taking Chelation, but with placebo multivitamins
• those taking placebo Chelation, but with real multivitamins
• those taking placebo Chelation and placebo supplements

An additional factor that contributed to determining the benefits of multivitamins for heart health had to do with whether patients were taking statins at the time of the study. Researchers noted that 73 percent of patients were taking statins, while 27 percent had not been prescribed any statins. The study found that those individuals taking statins experienced no changes from taking the multivitamin supplements. Conversely, the 27 percent who were not taking statins did exhibit beneficial changes, regardless of whether they were receiving actual chelation therapy or the placebo replacement.

Patients taking high doses of multivitamins exhibited far fewer incidences of:

• all heart-related deaths
• angina hospitalizations
• coronary artery bypass procedures
• heart attacks
• strokes

The Quality of Multivitamin Supplements Also Plays a Role

In examining the benefits of multivitamins for heart health, researchers also found that the type of multivitamin administered also played a role. The same benefits were not achieved by those individuals taking over-the-counter or generic multivitamins as those taking a high-quality multivitamin supplement. For this reason, consumers should look for vitamin manufacturers who take an interest in ensuring their products are manufactured with a dedication to the latest multivitamin research and ingredient quality.

The best multivitamins for heart health come from those manufacturers who enlist outside certification and testing services. For manufacturers, this gives their brand a higher degree of credibility, which may become more important as the results of this study become more widely known.

Another Study Reveals Why Multivitamins are so Helpful

Bruce Ames is a biochemist and author of Triage Theory of Aging, which was released in 2006. In looking at how micronutrient levels affect the body, he observed that a shortage of nutrients forced the body to send those compounds to where they were needed most, depriving other parts of the body. For instance, a calcium deficiency would compel the body to send the existing calcium from the bones to the blood stream, in order to prevent metabolic acidosis. When that deficiency is prolonged, the absence of calcium in the bones precipitates bone loss.

He concluded that the key to resolving this condition is to provide a greater balance of vitamins and nutrients to the body. A good quality multivitamin taken regularly can restore balance to the body's metabolism and ensure it's getting all of the nutrients it needs and in the quantities required for normal functioning. As a lack of proper nutrient levels can cause degenerative illnesses and diseases to develop in deprived systems, this may be the key to reducing the risks of developing conditions like heart disease or osteoporosis.

The results of these studies point to the importance of multivitamins for heart health, but only where patients aren't also taking statins and where the supplement is of a high quality. As future studies explore this premise further, practices for treating heart disease may change to incorporate an emphasis on taking high doses of multivitamins. In addition to helping avoid heart risks, multivitamins may also strengthen other systems throughout the body.