Minimal Cardiovascular Benefit and Some Risks from Dietary Supplements and Interventions

Nutritional supplements are used widely despite minimal or no evidence of value for many of them. This meta-analysis included 227 randomized controlled trials that addressed the effect on cardiovascular outcomes of 16 types of supplements and 8 types of dietary interventions.

Significant results were found for the following supplements and interventions:

• All-cause mortality was 10% lower with reduced salt intake in normotensive patients.

• Cardiovascular-related mortality was 33% lower with reduced salt intake in hypertensive patients, but statistical significance was borderline, with a wide confidence interval (risk ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46−0.99; P=0.04).

• ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were associated with 8% lower risk for myocardial …