Nutrition Does Not Influence the Effects of Multivitamins on CVD Risk

Baseline nutritional status did not influence the effect of multivitamin use on major cardiovascular disease events (CVD), according to a recent study.

In their study, researchers analyzed baseline intake of key foods, individual nutrients, dietary patterns, and dietary supplement use of 13,316 male physicians from the Physicians’ Health Study II who completed a 116-item semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Participants in the Physicians’ Health Study II were randomly assigned to receive either a multivitamin or placebo. The mean age of participants at the start of the trial was 64 years, and they were followed for 11.4 years.
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Major cardiovascular events were assessed as the primary outcomes, and myocardial infarction, total stroke, CVD mortality, and total mortality were assessed as the secondary outcomes.

The researchers did not find any consistent evidence supporting a modifying effect between baseline food, nutrients, dietary patterns, or supplement use on the effects of multivitamin use on primary or secondary CVD end points.

While statistically significant interaction effects were observed between multivitamin use and vitamin B₆ intake on myocardial infarction, between multivitamin use and vitamin D intake on CVD mortality, and between multivitamin B₁₂ intake on CVD and total mortality, there were inconsistent patterns in hazard ratios across tertiles of each dietary factor. This inconsistency is likely explained by multiple testing, according to the researchers.

“The results suggest that baseline nutritional status does not influence the effect of randomized long-term multivitamin use on major CVD events,” the researchers concluded. “Future studies are needed to investigate the role of baseline nutritional biomarkers on the effect of multivitamin use on CVD and other outcomes.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Rautiainen S, Caziano JM, Christen WG, et al. Effect of baseline nutritional status on long-term multivitamin use and cardiovascular disease risk: a secondary analysis of the Physicians’ Health Study II Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Cardiol. 2017;2(6):617-625.