Cardio Myopia?

For all the criticism the dietary supplement industry has endured over the science behind the purported benefits of various natural products, it seems conventional medicine is not much better. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently highlighted a JAMA study report the reveals only 11 percent of the 2,700 recommendations approved by cardiologists are backed by quality scientific research. In fact, most such recommendations rely largely on non-randomized studies or expert opinion. The WSJ article noted aspirin and statins are among the recommendations with the highest quality study support. One reason for the lack of consensus on many recommendations is the pharmaceutical industry control over clinical trials, especially the large research studies. Does all this sound familiar?

One point made is about Obama's new Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) program, which is intended to study healthcare treatment options head-to-head and determine which are the most effective, including cost analysis. Nutritional and herbal supplements have done well in research on heart disease prevention, which is the more manageable side of heart disease—especially costs—so the dietary supplement industry should be part of this CER project. Ignoring their value and contribution to heart health would definitely be nearsighted, particularly in light of the lack of evidence behind many conventional cardio care recommendations.