Supplements with folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 apparently don't help your heart after all.

In fact, the rate of heart attacks, strokes and related deaths were no less common in women at high risk of heart disease who took the supplements than in high-risk women who didn't, researchers said.

"Our study does not suggest that taking folic acid, B6 or B12 primarily to prevent cardiovascular disease would be worthwhile," Dr. Christine M. Albert, a heart specialist at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, told the American Heart Association annual convention in Chicago. "Women who are taking them solely for that purpose may want to discontinue."

Seven-year study

Albert's findings come after her team analyzed information on the health of more than 5,400 participants in the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study.  During the project, some women took a daily combination of 2.5 milligrams of folic acid, 50 milligrams of vitamin B6 and one milligram of vitamin B12. For comparison's sake, the other women took fake pills.
 
Seven years later, Albert's team found no decrease in the number of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems in women who took the supplements as opposed to women who didn't, according to the results.

"If we don't see a benefit in a high risk population we are unlikely to see a benefit in a lower risk population," said Dr. Rita F. Redberg, a researcher with the University of California, San Francisco. "I think there's no getting away from a heart-healthy diet and regular exercise."

Other reasons for taking the supplements 

But, Albert cautioned, people shouldn't throw away their folic acid and vitamin B and B12 supplements. There are other reasons for taking the supplements.

Sometimes known as vitamin B-9 or folate, folic acid, when taken during pregnancy, may help prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. The B vitamins also help with your body's digestion, metabolism, immune and nervous system, cell development and other functions. 

The American Heart Association recommends folic acid supplements in its preventive guidelines for women, but only when they can't get enough folic acid from beans and legumes; citrus fruits and fruit juices; wheat bran and other whole grains; dark, green, leafy vegetables; poultry, pork and shellfish; and liver. 

Fortified cereals, beans, meat, poultry, fish and some fruits and vegetables are major sources of vitamin B6. You can find Vitamin B in meat, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs.

'Real question' 

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, a Washington, D.C.- based trade group representing the supplement industry, jumped on the findings in fears that women who don't have risk factors for heart disease will stop taking the supplements. Council leaders noted that the U.S. Institute of Medicine and Centers for Disease Control endorse taking the supplements.

In addition, the council cautioned the results cannot extend to the general population because the study focused only on women who already had heart problems or risk factors for such conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and smoking.

"It is unrealistic to expect vitamins to undo damage caused by heart disease, nor should consumers look to B vitamins to treat disease," said Dr. Annette Dickinson, the council's past president, in a statement. "The real question should be whether a healthy lifestyle - eating fruits and vegetables, getting exercise, regular physician visits, and consistent use of vitamin supplements - could have prevented these women from getting heart disease in the first place.

"There are numerous studies that have shown benefits of B vitamins in reducing cardiovascular risk in healthy populations."

Source: American Heart Association
Reference: American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2006.

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