Vitamin B12

Does vitamin B12 lower the risk of heart disease?

Updated 3 Nov 2026

Short answer

No. B12 lowers homocysteine, but a 2017 Cochrane review of 15 trials with 71,422 people found that B vitamins did not prevent heart attacks or deaths. Strokes were slightly fewer: 4.3% against 5.1%.[1] The trials gave B12, folic acid or vitamin B6, alone or together.[1] See the goal cardiovascular.

Sources (1)

  1. Homocysteine-lowering interventions for preventing cardiovascular events. Martí-Carvajal AJ, Solà I, Lathyris D, Dayer M Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2017. PMID 28816346

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For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.