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Some dietary supplements may be better for your heart than others, study finds

By Mallika Marshall, MD

December 12, 2022 / 5:36 PM EST / CBS Boston

HealthWatch: Vaping student-athletes; dietary supplements for your heart; identical twin study

BOSTON -- A large analysis finds some dietary supplements may be better for your heart than others.

Researchers in China and the U.S. looked at nearly 900 randomized controlled trials and found several micronutrients that improve at least two of nine risk factors for heart disease such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

For example, omega-3 fatty acid supplements decreased death from heart disease while folic acid reduced the risk of strokes.

Several supplements such as vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E had no effect on the risk of heart attack or stroke, and beta-carotene supplements were linked to an increased risk of death from all causes.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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