AHA:Antioxidants Not Recommended for CVD Prevention

DALLAS--Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, killing approximately 500,000 women each year. Numerous studies have been done on the disease, including how to help prevent and treat it. Taking these studies into account, the American Heart Association (AHA; www.americanheart.org) published the first set of evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of CVD in women in its Feb. 4 issue of Circulation (109, 4:672-93, 2004) ( circ.ahajournals.org). Lifestyle changes and reducing major risk factors (such as blood pressure and cholesterol) were recommended, while antioxidant supplements were not.

AHAs recommendations are based on a womans level of CVD risk--either low (a 10-percent chance of having a heart attack), intermediate (a 10-percent to 20-percent chance of having a heart attack) or high (more than a 20-percent chance of having a heart attack). According to AHA, all American women fall somewhere on the risk-continuum.

Antioxidants may not be useful or effective for CVD prevention, and may, in fact, be harmful, according to the reports authors; taking antioxidants fell into the lowest category (Class III) of risk-reducing interventions. The evidence refuting the heart benefits of antioxidants was based on recent clinical trials showing they held no benefit for CVD prevention and had possible adverse effects, according to the reports authors. They noted, however, that major trials have been limited to specific types and dosages of the supplements, and those results may not be indicative of dosages and compounds not tested in clinical studies. The authors instead recommended interventions that included lifestyle interventions that were useful and effective(Class I) or reduced major CVD risk factors (Class II). Lifestyle interventions, including smoking cessation, regular exercise, eating a heart-healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight, were recommended for women in all risk levels. These recommendations may not only reduce CVD, but may also prevent major CVD risk factors from developing, according to the report. Reducing major risk factors was also recommended for women in all risk levels. Folic acid and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was recommended for high-risk women, and maintaining healthy blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol levels (by way of pharmaceutical drugs, if necessary, depending on a womans risk level) was recommended, as was limiting saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total calories.