CORRECTION APPENDED

Taking antioxidant vitamins does not reduce the risk of heart disease in women, according to a new Harvard Medical School (HMS) study.

Earlier observational research—based on food intake and over-the-counter supplements—had suggested that antioxidant vitamins might have cardiovascular benefits for women, according to JoAnn E. Manson ’75, the lead researcher and a professor of medicine at HMS.

But Manson’s randomized clinical trial, which she said “is considered more rigorous,” did not support the previous findings.

The results of the study were presented at the American Heart Association’s meeting in Chicago on Monday.

In the study, over 8,000 women at high risk of heart disease were randomly assigned different combinations of vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene for over nine years—the first large-scale randomized clinical trial of these vitamins, Manson said.

Vitamins lower blood serum levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. However, Manson said that this relationship could be “due to confounding by other factors that are true risk factors.”

Manson, who is also chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, added that some subgroups of women did show benefits from taking vitamin C and vitamin E. Women who had three or more risk factors had a 42 percent lower risk of stroke, and smokers also appeared to have a reduced risk of stroke.

Manson said that these subgroup findings are “intriguing and warrant further study, but we’re cautioning that they could be due to chance.”

She added that women of childbearing age should still consume adequate folic acid, even if it does not provide cardiovascular benefits.

“It’s very important to have adequate intake to prevent [birth] defects and neural defects that have been linked to inadequate folic acid intake,” said Manson. “Be sure that you either have a balanced diet in order to get these vitamins and micronutrients or it’s important to take a multivitamin that will provide them.”

CORRECTION

Due to an editing error, the headline of the Nov. 15 news article, "Vitamins Not Vital for Women," did not reflect the content of the story. The study's lead researcher, Brigham Professor of Women's Health Jo Ann E. Manson, was quoted in the article cautioning that her findings -- which cast some doubt on the link between vitamin intake and cardiovascular health in women --  "warrant further study, but we're cautioning that they could be due to chance." As the article explained, Manson's study did show that intake of vitamins C and E did lead to fewer strokes for women who smoke or exhibit other risk factors. And, as the article further staed, Manson advises pregnant women to take folic acid -- even if that vitamin does not produce cardiovascular benefits.

The Crimson regrets the error.