Omega 3 and vitamin D supplements are ineffective at protecting against cancer and heart disease, one of the largest studies to date on the topic suggests.
More than 25,000 people over 50 took part in the large-scale study and were prescribed either a daily dose of vitamin D, omega 3 or a placebo pill.
After five years, the researchers said there were no significant differences between rates of cancer or heart disease diagnosis among people taking supplements compared to those taking a placebo.
The research, from Harvard Medical School, follows a study by the University of East Anglia earlier this year, which concluded omega 3 supplements do “very little” to protect against heart disease, stroke or early death.
The latest research found participants were no less likely to be diagnosed with cancer or heart disease if they took the supplements. But among participants who were diagnosed with cancer or experienced heart disease, the researchers noted rates of death were slightly lower among those who took vitamin D or omega 3 supplements, compared to the placebo group.
However, they said this secondary finding should be interpreted “with caution” as more research is needed in this area.
Following the study, Naveed Sattar, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, urged the public not to “waste time” on vitamin D supplements in relation to heart health.
“By and large the marketing of supplements is done very cleverly, but it’s not backed up by evidence,” he told The Independent. “Don’t waste your time on vitamin D. There are thousands of people still popping it, but this is the biggest trial in the world to date, so forget vitamin D, draw a line under it.”
Victoria Taylor, senior dietician for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) previously told HuffPost UK rather than taking supplements, people should eat a healthy, balanced Mediterranean style diet: “This includes white and oily fish along with plenty of fruit, vegetables and pulses, lentils, nuts, seeds, unsaturated oils and wholegrains. We need to focus on our whole diet rather than the use of supplements of individual nutrients to ward off heart disease.”
The latest research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.