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How nutrition works

Cardiovascular health

What studies show about diet and cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease depends on many factors, including diet, physical activity and predisposition. Here you find what studies show about individual nutrients and where the results are inconsistent – with evidence level and sources.

Nutrients & foods

  • Evidence: insufficientmixed

    Calcium

    • A general cardiovascular benefit from calcium supplements is unproven, and evidence of possible harm is inconsistent. [1]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: moderate

    Dietary fibre

    • Higher habitual dietary fibre intake in adults is associated with lower risks of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular mortality. [2]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: insufficientneutral

    Vitamin B6

    • There is insufficient evidence of an independent benefit of vitamin B6 supplements for preventing cardiovascular events. [3]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: insufficientneutral

    Vitamin C

    • Vitamin C supplements have no demonstrated benefit for preventing major cardiovascular events. [4]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: strongneutral

    Vitamin D

    • In adults aged 50–74 years, vitamin D supplements have not been shown to reduce cardiovascular events. [5]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: moderatemixed

    Folate

    • Homocysteine-lowering B-vitamin regimens containing folic acid may modestly reduce stroke risk in studied at-risk populations, but show no clear benefit for heart attacks or overall mortality. [3]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: moderateneutral

    Selenium

    • In the adult populations studied, selenium supplements have no demonstrated benefit for preventing cardiovascular events. [6]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: limitedmixed

    Vitamin B12

    • Homocysteine-lowering B-vitamin regimens, including B12-containing combinations, did not reduce heart attacks or deaths; a small reduction in strokes cannot be attributed to B12 alone. [3][7]

      Evidence

  • Evidence: limitedmixed

    Vitamin K

    • Vitamin K supplements can improve vitamin K status biomarkers, but whether they slow vascular calcification is uncertain. [8]

      Evidence

Sources

  1. 01National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsCalcium - Health Professional Fact SheetOpen source
  2. 022019Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analysesPubMed 30638909Open source
  3. 03Cochrane · 2017Homocysteine-lowering interventions (B-complex vitamin therapy) for preventing cardiovascular eventsOpen source
  4. 04Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2017Vitamin C supplementation to prevent cardiovascular diseaseOpen source
  5. 05The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2024A Systematic Review Supporting the Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines on Vitamin DOpen source
  6. 06CochraneSelenium supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular diseaseOpen source
  7. 07National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsVitamin B12 - Health Professional Fact SheetOpen source
  8. 08Frontiers in Nutrition · 2023Vitamin K supplementation and vascular calcification: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsDOI 10.3389/fnut.2023.1115069PubMed 37252246