An advisory statement published by the American Heart Association in the August 3 issue of Circulation says that there is no good reason for people to take antioxidant supplements. This conclusion was reached by the AHA's nutrition committee after an extensive review of the medical literature.
The committee reviewed 20 separate clinical trials, conducted between 1994 and 2002, that examined whether taking antioxidant supplements (specifically, vitamin E, beta-carotene, antioxidant cocktails, or the combination of vitamins E and C) would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Most of these studies showed no effect at all on the risk of cardiovascular disease. A few of the studies (generally the smaller ones) did show some effect - but the effect was just as likely to be adverse (that is, to increase risk) as beneficial. Taken together, the conclusion was clear and straightforward: these studies indicate that antioxidant supplements have no effect on cardiovascular risk, either one way or the other.
The bottom line:
The theory behind the use of antioxidants is very good. But study after study has failed to show any measurable benefit from taking antioxidant supplements. So: either the theory is wrong, or the antioxidant supplements available to us just aren't powerful enough. Whatever the explanation, the AHA's advisory statement is sound. There is no good reason, at this point, to spend your money on antioxidant supplements.
