Question: Does taking a multivitamin help prevent heart attack?

Dr. Brownstein's Answer:

A Swedish study found evidence that it does. Scientists followed nearly 34,000 Swedish women for 10 years to ascertain if multivitamin use would decrease the risk of developing a heart attack. Compared to women without heart disease who did not take a multivitamin, women who took a daily multivitamin had 27 percent less chance of having a heart attack. The women who took other supplements (in addition to a multivitamin) had a 30 percent lower risk of heart attack.

In women who had a prior history of heart disease, those who took a multivitamin had a 41 percent lowered risk of heart attack compared to women who did not take a multivitamin.

A good multivitamin can provide the body with the basic raw materials it needs to function. My experience has shown that nearly all patients are suffering from mineral and vitamin deficiencies. A good multivitamin is worth the money. Bio-Multi Plus (Biotics Research), Optivite, and Gynovite (both from Optimox) are examples of high-quality multivitamins.