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Vitamins, supplements, and herbal hazards in heart disease
People are regularly taking vitamins and herbal remedies in higher quantities than ever before, often without mentioning these over-the-counter products to their doctors. Some agents have powerful effects on the cardiovascular system, while others can interact with heart medications to strengthen or weaken their effects.
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Showing 1 - 25 of 26 documents.
Vitamin-D deficiency linked to fatal stroke in whites but not blacks
Medscape Medical News
Vitamin-D deficiency linked to fatal stroke in whites but not blacks
4 COMMENTS - Nov 15, 2010 13:45 EST
Using NHANES III data, researchers showed that although blacks are more likely to be vitamin-D deficient, that deficiency did not appear to affect the risk for fatal stroke, unlike in whites.
Increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke with vitamin E cancels lesser benefits on ischemic stroke
Medscape Medical News
Increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke with vitamin E cancels lesser benefits on ischemic stroke
4 COMMENTS - Nov 5, 2010 14:45 EDT
A new meta-analysis suggests that vitamin-E supplementation would cause one additional hemorrhagic stroke for every 1250 individuals taking vitamin E and would prevent one ischemic stroke per 476 individuals taking vitamin E.
Lipid/Metabolic
"Statin" levels vary wildly in red yeast rice
Oct 26, 2010 09:30 EDT
Red-yeast-rice extract contains the compound that became lovastatin and related ones, but how much is in a capsule depends on the manufacturer.
B vitamins fail to prevent secondary major vascular events: Final VITATOPS results published
Medscape Medical News
B vitamins fail to prevent secondary major vascular events: Final VITATOPS results published
Aug 6, 2010 10:45 EDT
The researchers say it's not the end of the road, as they await results of three other ongoing trials.
Calcium supplements boost heart-attack risk: Meta-analysis
Prevention
Calcium supplements boost heart-attack risk: Meta-analysis
19 COMMENTS - Aug 3, 2010 18:00 EDT
Calcium supplements, which are commonly recommended to prevent or treat osteoporosis but reduce the risk of fracture only marginally, are shown in this meta-analysis to increase the risk of MI.
Cardiologists don't ask about nutraceutical/OTC meds
Clinical cardiology
Cardiologists don't ask about nutraceutical/OTC meds
1 COMMENT - Jul 5, 2010 17:00 EDT
Doctors seeing patients in a cardiology clinic hardly ever asked patients about their use of nutraceuticals or over-the-counter medications, according to a new survey carried out by clinical pharmacists.
Clinical cardiology
Be wary of food and drug interactions with emerging oral anticoagulants: Review
2 COMMENTS - Jun 7, 2010 17:15 EDT
At present, there are few documented interactions with the new drugs, including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, but considering the extensive food and drug interactions with warfarin, caution should be taken with the new agents, according to researchers.
Clinical cardiology
Herbal and nonherbal supplements a danger for warfarin patients
6 COMMENTS - May 18, 2010 16:00 EDT
The safety of warfarin use can be compromised by many popular herbal and nonherbal supplements taken by individuals, with eight of the 10 mostly widely used supplements interacting with warfarin, and many of these associated with significant changes in the INR.
Arrhythmia/EP
Fish-oil capsules don't stop post-CABG atrial fib in randomized trial
4 COMMENTS - May 17, 2010 10:45 EDT
Omega-3 PUFAs from fish oil, started a day or two before surgery, didn't protect against the common post-CABG complication in a >200-patient placebo-controlled trial; on the other hand, researchers reported elsewhere at the HRS sessions that a much longer daily intake of fish-oil caps by patients with symptomatic SVT seemed to help stabilize the atria at electrophysiologic testing.
Lipid/Metabolic
"Nutraceutical" combo for lipid lowering shows promise in small, preliminary trial
4 COMMENTS - May 6, 2010 11:00 EDT
In a short-term study of just 50 patients, investigators report small but significant reductions in total and LDL cholesterol.
Vitamins C and E: No benefit in pregnancy-associated hypertension
Hypertension
Vitamins C and E: No benefit in pregnancy-associated hypertension
Apr 7, 2010 17:00 EDT
The largest study so far to examine the use of antioxidant doses of vitamins C and E to prevent the complications of pregnancy-associated hypertension, including preeclampsia, has found no benefit of this approach.
Omega-3 PUFAs may help preserve sinus rhythm after AF cardioversion
Arrhythmia/EP
Omega-3 PUFAs may help preserve sinus rhythm after AF cardioversion
13 COMMENTS - Mar 26, 2010 17:30 EDT
The addition of omega-3 fatty acids at 1 g/day to standard antiarrhythmics cut the risk of recurrence after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation in a randomized trial.
Herbal heartache: New review reminds cardiologists to query supplement use
Clinical cardiology
Herbal heartache: New review reminds cardiologists to query supplement use
Feb 1, 2010 17:00 EST
More than 15 million people in the US alone take herbal remedies and/or vitamins at doses that may be interacting with their cardiovascular medications, potentially putting them at risk.
Lipid/Metabolic
FDA once again expands list of tainted weight-loss products
2 COMMENTS - Jan 28, 2009 18:15 EST
UPDATED // The expanded list ups the number of contaminated products from 28 to 70. Many of these "natural" or "herbal" products contained sibutramine, phenolphthalein, and even rimonabant.
Hibiscus tea reduces blood pressure
Hypertension
Hibiscus tea reduces blood pressure
9 COMMENTS - Nov 11, 2008 13:30 EST
Results of a small randomized trial show that hibiscus tea given three times daily reduced systolic blood pressure by about 7 mm Hg in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive subjects. (American Heart Association 2008 Scientific Sessions.)
Heart failure
Safety of mixing hawthorn supplements with heart-failure meds questioned
Jun 13, 2008 09:30 EDT
Adding the widely used herbal medicinal to evidence-based drug therapy seemed to worsen HF progression almost immediately in a retrospective analysis of a randomized trial. (Zick SM et al. Eur J Heart Fail 2008; 10: 587-593.)
Heart failure
Herbal mainstay hawthorn can benefit in heart failure, says pooled analysis
Jan 23, 2008 13:45 EST
Measures of exercise performance appear to improve when hawthorn extract is given along with standard therapy, a new Cochrane review concludes. (Pittler MH et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev; published online January 23, 2008.)
Heart failure
Hawthorn extract for systolic HF shows no clinical effect in rare placebo-controlled test of herbal drug
Mar 28, 2007 12:00 EDT
But it did show that the commercial preparation, derived from a medicinal plant used widely for centuries, was safe when added to conventional HF medications. The study also hinted that the drug may confer some protection against sudden death. (American College of Cardiology 2007 Scientific Sessions.)
Lipid/Metabolic
Goodbye, garlic? Randomized controlled trial of raw garlic and supplements finds no effect on lipids
Feb 26, 2007 16:00 EST
Despite decades of research suggesting that garlic can improve cholesterol profiles, a new NIH-funded trial found absolutely no effects of raw garlic or garlic supplements on LDL, HDL, or triglycerides. The findings underscore the hazards of meta-analyses made up of small, flawed studies and the value of rigorously studying popular herbal remedies. (Gardner CD et al. Arch Intern Med 2007; 167:346-353.)
News
Noni, a traditional Polynesian remedy, lowers total cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Mar 2, 2006 18:00 EST
Noni, a traditional Polynesian remedy for a variety of health conditions, lowered total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in a group of healthy smokers after 30 days. (American Heart Association 46th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease, Epidemiology, and Prevention.)
News
Federal judge strikes down ban on ephedra
3 COMMENTS - Apr 15, 2005 14:00 EDT
The FDA has not decisively proven that the supplement—linked to arrhythmias and sudden death—is harmful if taken at the manufacturer's recommended dose, a federal court judge has ruled.
News
NIH conference focuses on effects of dietary supplements on antithrombotics
Jan 20, 2005 10:00 EST
The two-day conference aimed to outline a research agenda on interactions between dietary supplements—used by an estimated 52% of Americans—and widely used agents such as warfarin and aspirin. (National Institutes of Health Conference on Dietary Supplements, Coagulation, and Antithrombotic Therapies.)
News
Ginseng reduces anticoagulant effect of warfarin
Jul 5, 2004 17:00 EDT
As ginseng is one of the most widely used herbal supplements, physicians should ask patients about its use when prescribing warfarin. (Yuan CS et al. Ann Intern Med 2004; 141: 23-72.)
News
Cinnamon reduces lipid, glucose levels in type 2 diabetes, small study shows
Jan 22, 2004 15:15 EST
with slides / Pakistani researchers report that 1 g to 6 g of cinnamon daily reduced fasting serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels over 40 days in type 2 diabetics. No such reductions were seen in placebo-treated diabetics. (Khan A et al. Diabetes Care 2003; 26:3215-8.)
News
Ephedra-containing supplement linked to increases in QTc and blood pressure
Nov 17, 2003 15:00 EST
Researchers have possibly found a pharmacologic basis for cases of arrhythmia among patients taking Metabolife 356, a top-selling herbal supplement containing ephedra. (American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2003.)

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