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Vitamin B May Harm, Not Help, Heart Patients

September 6, 2005

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Taking lots of vitamin B may not help patients recover from a heart attack. In fact, new research from Norway suggests too much vitamin B can cause heart patients more harm than good.

Results from the Norwegian Vitamin Trial were not what many physicians were expecting. The trial compared patients who received vitamin B in addition to standard treatment for a heart attack with those who received a placebo. Those who took the highest amounts of vitamin B saw their heart risk increase by 20 percent.

The research was driven, in part, by increasing interest in vitamin B as a treatment, but researchers say the assumption has always been that it would be helpful. They said B vitamins have the ability to reduce the level of an amino acid called homocysteine, which is suspected to damaging the lining of arteries.

Some heart patients already receive a vitamin B therapy, but the study authors say there were no subgroups of patients in Norwegian trial who benefited from taking B vitamins. Those who suffered from high levels of homocysteine seemed to do the worst.

The B vitamins are a group of eight individual vitamins, often referred to as the B-complex vitamins. The B-complex vitamins are actually a group of eight vitamins, which include thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), cyanocobalamin (B12), pantothenic acid and biotin.

Nutritionists have long recommended these vitamins for the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, the breakdown of fats and proteins, muscle tone in the stomach and intestinal tract, and skin, hair, and eye health. Some doctors and nutritionists suggest taking the B-complex vitamins as a group for overall good health. However, most agree that the best way to get our B vitamins is naturally, through foods that naturally contain them.

The Norwegian trial is the first to examine whether high doses of B vitamins prevent recurrent heart disease in patients who have had a myocardial infarction.

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