8/17/2007 - Study: Antioxidant supplements don't protect women's hearts Antioxidant supplements don't appear to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems in high-risk women, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Antioxidants are compounds found in plant foods (such as fruits and vegetables) that appear to limit the sort of cell damage linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). The current findings come from the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study, which lasted nearly 10 years and involved 8,171 women ages 40 and older. All the women were at high risk for CVD, either because of previous history or risk factors. During the study, they were randomly assigned to take one or more of the following: · 500 milligrams vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or placebo daily. · 600 international units vitamin E or placebo every other day. · 50 milligrams of beta carotene or placebo every other day. The women were followed for an average of 9.4 years, during which 1,450 of them had one or more CVD events such as stroke, heart attack, bypass surgery or angioplasty. The study's primary goal was to see if the antioxidants had an effect on a woman's combined risk for CVD events. They did not. However, when researchers looked only at stroke, they found a lower risk among women who took both vitamins C and E. They said this finding might be worth further study. Side effects were generally similar between all groups, though people taking beta carotene had a small increase in reports of upset stomach. Based on the findings, widespread use of individual antioxidants to protect against CVD does not appear to be warranted, researchers concluded. The American Heart Association does not currently recommend that people take supplements of antioxidant vitamins to prevent CVD. However, the group does recommend getting antioxidants from food sources such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Back