More than half of Americans take at least one vitamin or nutritional supplement every day, according to the study, amounting to around $31 billion spent annually on these over-the-counter supplements. Most of that money may be going to waste, the researchers concluded after conducting a ‘massive’ analysis of 277 existing clinical trials.
The good news is that taking most of these supplements weren’t linked to any sort of health harm. The downside is that most of these supplements also weren’t linked to any sort of heart health protection or increase in lifespan, potentially making them a big waste of money.
There were two potential exceptions to the findings: folic acid and omega-3 fatty acid supplements. The researchers found an association between omega-3 fatty acids and eating a low-salt diet, and also ‘possibly’ found health benefits associated with taking folic acid.
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Whereas the calcium and vitamin D combo supplement was found to increase stroke risk by 17-percent, folic acid was found to decrease that risk by 20-percent. A low sodium diet lowered death risk by 10-percent and taking fish oil supplements reduced heart attack and disease risk by 7-percent.
Read full, original post: Most vitamins may be a waste of money, but study finds two exceptions
