Brief review: who 2009 guidelines for anti-retroviral theraphy: its implication for primary care physician.

Bad news for dietary supplements: folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids do not prevent cardiovascular events in adults with prior cardiovascular disease. Galan P, Kesse-Guyot E, Czernichow S, et al. Effects of B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids on cardiovascular diseases: a randomised placebo controlled trial. BMJ. 2010;341:c6273. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993045/pdf/bmj.c6273.pdf 2501 adult patients with a history of myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or ischaemic stroke, were randomized to receive vitamins (folate, vitamin B6, B12) or omega 3 fatty acids or placebo and followed up for 4.7 years. Allocation to B vitamins lowered plasma homocysteine concentrations by 19% compared with placebo, but had no significant effects on major vascular events (hazard ratio, 0.90, 95%CI 0.66 to 1.23, p=0.50). Allocation to omega 3 fatty acids increased plasma concentrations of omega 3 fatty acids by 37% compared with placebo, but also had no significant effect on major vascular events (hazard ratio 1.08, 95%CI 0.79 to 1.47, p=0.64).