B COMPLEX 50:
B Vitamins Protect Heart Patients:
The Best Evidence Yet
- Promote heart health
- Capacity to reduce homocysteine
- Produce regression of atherosclerosis
Supplementing with three
B vitamins (folic acid, vitamin
B6 and vitamin B12) improves clinical outcome in heart patients, according to
a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2002;288:973-9).
Although numerous preliminary studies have suggested
that taking these vitamins might promote heart health, this
new study is the best designed and most definitive one to date. The implication
of the study is that widespread use of an inexpensive and nontoxic vitamin combination
could have a major impact in the battle against America's number one killer.
Five hundred fifty-three
men and women who had undergone a procedure to open one or more blocked
coronary arteries (angioplasty) were randomly assigned to receive a placebo
or a daily combination of folic acid (1 mg), vitamin B6 (10 mg) and vitamin
B12 (400 mcg) for six months. These individuals were observed during the supplementation
period and for an additional six months (total observation period, one year).
During that time, the proportion of study participants suffering a cardiac event
(defined as either death from heart disease, non-fatal heart attack, or need
for a repeat angioplasty or bypass operation) was 32% lower in the vitamin group
than in the placebo group (15.4% vs. 22.8%; a statistically significant difference).
In addition, the incidence of cardiac death was 48% lower in the vitamin group,
although the difference between groups was not statistically significant.
The protection afforded
by these vitamins against heart disease may be due in large part to their
capacity to reduce homocysteine levels in
the body. Homocysteine is a byproduct of
amino acid metabolism that is believed to promote the development of heart disease.
It is well established that an elevated blood level of homocysteine is associated
with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. One previous study demonstrated
that lowering homocysteine by supplementing
with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 can reverse the buildup of plaque
in arteries (atherosclerosis). However,
the new study is the first to show that taking these vitamins actually improves
clinical outcome (i.e., a reduction in adverse cardiac events).
While individuals with
high homocysteine levels appear to obtain the most benefit from B-vitamin supplementation,
these vitamins have also produced regression of atherosclerosis in people with
normal homocysteine concentrations. That
observation suggests that at least some of the improvement that results from
B-vitamin therapy is due to mechanisms other than homocysteine lowering. For
example, vitamin B6 has been shown to have a mild blood-thinning effect and
to strengthen the walls of arteries; each of these actions would be expected
to help prevent or reverse atherosclerosis.
Food sources of folic acid, vitamin B6 or both
include whole grains, leafy green vegetables, beans, wheat germ and meat. Vitamin
B12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods.
Multivitamin with trace minerals
may improve immune function, according to a new study in Nutrition Research.1
Middle-aged adults who take a daily.
While taking a similar multinutrient formula
has been shown to boost immunity in individuals 65 years and older,2 this new
trial demonstrates that daily use of such a formula produces comparable effects
in adults between 50 and 65 years old. In addition to improving immune function,
the supplement also corrected nutritional deficiencies in the participants,
which are common to people in this age group.
This year-long controlled
study examined 44 healthy men and women assigned to receive either a daily multinutrient
formula or a placebo. Nutrient levels and markers of immune function
were assessed through blood samples at the beginning of the study, and again
at 6 and 12 months. For the duration of the study, participants were contacted
every two weeks to learn whether they were experiencing new illnesses or infections.
Immune response was also measured by blood tests taken 12 weeks after a flu
vaccine was administered.
In the group taking the daily multinutrient
formula, there was a significant increase in cells and chemicals that play a
role in immune function, compared with the same markers in those taking the
placebo. The antibody response to the flu vaccine was 56% higher in the treatment
group than in the placebo group, a statistically significant difference. Compared
with individuals taking the placebo, those taking the multinutrient supplement
had 53% fewer days of illness due to infection. This effect was more pronounced
in the second half of the trial, suggesting that it may take at least 6 months
of regular use to receive the full benefit of the multinutrient compound. No
side effects were reported in either group.
The researchers also found
that 43% of all participants were deficient in one or more nutrients at the
beginning of the study. By the end of the trial, the nutritional deficit
in all but one person taking the multinutrient formula had been resolved, while
the nutritional status of malnourished participants in the placebo group did
not improve. A bigger improvement in immunity was seen in those with initial
nutritional deficiencies than in those with initially normal nutrient levels.
Malnutrition has been
linked with poor immune status in all age groups and is a significant factor
in the development of various infections,3 especially
in older adults. The results of this study suggest that daily use of
a multivitamin with trace minerals improves immunity in both healthy and malnourished
individuals and that impaired immune function may be improved in as little as
six months. This intervention offers a safe, cost-effective approach to preventing
disease in middle-aged, as well as elderly adults, which may ultimately lead
to fewer physician office and hospital visits and a better quality of life.
-- Darin Ingels, N.D.