There is not enough evidence to recommend for or against taking most vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer, a new report by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes.
However, there are two vitamins — vitamin E and beta-carotene — that the task force recommends against for the prevention of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Evidence shows that there is no benefit to taking vitamin E and that beta-carotene can increase the risk for lung cancer in people already at risk, such as smokers and those with occupational exposure to asbestos, it notes.
“This is essentially the same recommendation that the task force made in 2014,” said USPSTF member John Wong, MD, professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston.
“We recognize that over half of people in the US take a vitamin supplement of some sort every day and 30% take a vitamin/mineral combination,” [Wong said.]
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The editorialists recommend that lifestyle counseling to prevent chronic diseases should continue to focus on evidence-based approaches, including balanced diets that are high in fruits and vegetables and physical activity.
