People should not take beta-carotene supplements or vitamin E to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer, a panel of U.S. health experts recommended June 21.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded with "modern certainty" that the harms of beta-carotene supplementation outweigh the benefits of any prevention efforts, and that there is "no net benefit" of vitamin E supplementation on prevention.
"The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms of supplementation with multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer," the statement said. "Evidence is lacking and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined."