The heart-health “quick fix” every woman should know about
from the OmniVista Health Learning News Desk
Modern society is one of quick fixes, which doesn’t always work when it comes to good health. But what if there really is an easy, simple way to substantially reduce your risk of fatal cardiovascular disease? Especially if you’re an older woman?
All you need is a daily multivitamin.
In a newly published study, researchers tracked nearly 9,000 people, age 40 or older, for an average of 18 years. They found that women who took multivitamin and mineral supplements every day for at least three years had a 35 percent less risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than women who didn’t take multis.
The much-maligned multivitamin is safer and more effective in many cases than the battalion of drugs used to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. And this isn’t the first study to prove it.
Back in 2010, a huge study of nearly 32,000 Swedish women, ages 49 to 83, found that the women who took multivitamins for five or more years had a 27 percent less risk of having a heart attack than their non-supplement using peers.
No doubt that’s because most multis contain vitamin D and magnesium — two potent nutrients that are proven to fight heart disease. And multis also are packed with antioxidants — especially vitamin C — that help reduce your risk of stroke.
Interestingly, although the new study included people from both sexes, the favorable results were only for women. The researchers didn’t find that daily multis lowered cardiovascular disease risk for men.
Heart disease and cancer prevention aren’t the only reason to take multivitamins. Other studies have shown how multis can help you lose weight, boost brain performance, improve mood, and even guard against cataracts. And they help fill in any vital nutrients you may not be getting from your daily diet.
Source:
1“Multivitamin-mineral use is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease mortality among women in the United States.” J Nutr. 2015 Mar;145(3):572-8.
2“Multivitamin use and the risk of myocardial infarction: a population-based cohort of Swedish women.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;92:1251-1256.