Update of Supplemental Vitamins and Minerals for CAD

An update of the previous 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis of vitamin and mineral supplementation on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and all-cause mortality shows similar findings for preventive benefits from both folic acid and B vitamins for stroke, and an increased risk with niacin (with statin) for all-cause mortality. In general, over the past 2 years, no new associations between micronutrients and CVD or mortality have been found. As previously identified by the USPSTF 7 years ago, the data on the popular supplements, multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin C, continue to show no consistent benefit for the prevention of CVD, nor is there a benefit for all-cause mortality despite further studies on some of these micronutrients , with the exception of folic acid and the B vitamins that reduce the risk of stroke (methylcobalamin or oxocobalamin may be preferred over cyanocobalamin). Data on diets that encourage a move to more plant-based diets have shown reductions with respect to CVD and all-cause mortality. In the absence of clear micronutrient health benefits and with concerns that excess consumption of certain micronutrients may have undesirable consequences, consuming plant-based food is a safe approach to increasing micronutrient intake, as advised now internationally. Source: https://www.jacc.org/