Multivitamins didn’t broadly affect blood pressure in older adults, but they did offer small, helpful benefits for those with less healthy diets or already normal blood pressure.
New research from Mass General Brigham suggests that taking a daily multivitamin long-term might lower the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) and could also slightly reduce blood pressure in specific groups of older adults.
Researchers re-analyzed data from the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS). They found that, a daily multivitamin didn’t make a significant difference in hypertension risk or blood pressure compared to a placebo. Though,the analysis showed modest but noticeable benefits for participants who had poorer diets and for those who began the study with normal blood pressure. The study’s findings were published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
“Good nutrition is key to controlling blood pressure and hypertension. We discovered that a daily multivitamin could be helpful in reducing the risk of hypertension for people who don’t get enough nutrients in their diet,” explained Rikuta hamaya, MD, PhD, MS, of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Mass General Brigham.
“It seems our findings suggest a daily multivitamin isn’t a global solution for blood pressure control, but it could be beneficial for certain groups of older adults,” added Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, also of the Division of Preventive Medicine at mass General Brigham.
Study Design and Participants
COSMOS was a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. It was designed to investigate the effects of cocoa extract and multivitamin supplements.
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