While many people take multivitamins in the hope of warding off various illnesses, a new study suggests that daily multivitamin use does not reduce the risk of heart disease in men.

US scientists monitored almost 15,000 men over the age of 50 for a 10-year period. The participants were given either a daily multivitamin or a placebo. Any incidences of heart disease, heart attacks or stroke were recorded.

The study found that the daily use of multivitamins did not reduce the risk of heart-related events. These results applied to both men who had no heart disease and those who had shown signs of it at the beginning of the study.

According to the scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, as so many people take multivitamins, 'studies like this are key to providing us with valuable information about what specific benefits multivitamins do or do not provide in terms of their long-term impact on chronic diseases'.

They said that their findings did 'not support the use' of daily multivitamins 'for the sole purpose of preventing cardiovascular disease in men'.

"The decision to take a multivitamin should be made in consultation with one's doctor...For cardiovascular disease, we must continue to emphasise a heart healthy diet, physical activity, smoking cessation and regular screening for cardiovascular risk factors," they added.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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