(Rich Haridy/ New Atlas) — A massive umbrella study, encompassing 277 clinical trials, into the effects of nutritional supplements and dietary interventions has concluded almost all vitamin and mineral supplements play no role in protecting from cardiovascular disease, or extending one’s lifespan.
The new study gathered data from a large number of randomized clinical trials examining 16 vitamin supplements and their associations with general mortality and cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack or stroke.
Almost all the supplements reviewed, including multivitamins, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin D, showed no association with either increased or decreased risk of death or heart disease.
Only three specific interventions displayed associations of any statistical significance. Unsurprisingly, the most relevant result was the finding that low-salt diets reduced heart disease and death by around 10 percent in healthy subjects. Both omega-3 and folic acid supplements showed small beneficial effects, but the researchers ranked these interventions as of a low impact. (…)