Research in Russia on Vitamins and Atherosclerosis

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Abstract
Effects of vitamins on athero-genesis and its clinical complications have been investigated extensively in Russia during the past 15 years. The importance of certain vitamins in the treatment of coronary heart disease seems to be generally accepted. This is particularly true for vitamin C which is now widely used in Russia for treatment of coronary heart disease. Recently, favorable effects of treatment with vitamin B12 have been reported and there seems to be considerable interest in further exploration. However, the clinical experience is as yet too limited for conclusive evaluation. Favorable effects of choline treatment of atherosclerosis also have been reported. In contrast, the effect of vitamin D2 is generally accepted in Russia to be unfavorable. Thiamine and pyrodoxine were investigated but seem to have little effect. There are some favorable reports on the effect of nicotinic acid, however, massive dosage of nicotinic acid as used in the United States has not been studied in Russia. The clinical application of vitamin treatment is based on animal experiments (serum cholesterol and aortic degeneration in cholesterol-fed rabbits, treated with vitamins) and on clinical material (serum cholesterol, ecg, and clinical course in patients with coronary heart disease). The experimental basis and limitations of the Russian investigations are critically reviewed; whenever possible, the reviewers evaluated the results with accepted statistical procedures.