NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vitamins C and E and beta carotene, taken alone or in combination, do little, it appears, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events or heart-related death in women at high risk for heart disease, according to a study published today.

"Widespread use of these individual agents for cardiovascular protection does not appear warranted," concludes the Boston-based study team.

Antioxidants scavenge harmful molecules that accumulate in the body called "free radicals" and limit the damage they can do. Diets rich in antioxidant-packed fruits and vegetables have been tied to reduced rates of heart disease and stroke, with the benefits often ascribed to vitamins C and E and beta carotene.

But in members of the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study, supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta carotene, alone or in combination, over an average of about 9 years had no discernible impact on rates of heart attack, stroke, need for bypass surgery or angioplasty, or heart disease-related death.

On the other hand, there was "no evidence of harm" from taking these antioxidants, Dr. Nancy R. Cook from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and colleagues note in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The results are based on 8,171 women age 40 or older (the average age was 60.6 years old) at study enrollment between 1995 and1996. The women, who had a history of heart disease or had three or more heart disease risk factors, were randomly assigned to take 500 milligrams of vitamin C or placebo daily; 600 international units of vitamin E or placebo every other day; and 50 milligrams of beta carotene or placebo every other day.

By 2005, a total of 1,450 women had one or more cardiovascular events, including 274 heart attacks, 298 strokes, 889 coronary revascularization procedures (bypass surgery or angioplasty) and 395 cardiovascular-related deaths - out of a total of 995 deaths.

As mentioned, the researchers failed to detect any noteworthy consistent preventive effects of any of the tested antioxidants, alone or in combination, on heart attack or other cardiovascular episode.

However, women who took both vitamin C and E experienced fewer strokes. Therefore, the researchers think "additional research into combinations of agents, particularly for stroke, may be of interest."