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The benefits of beta blockers may be a myth
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Scientists have not found a connection between the use of beta blockers and a reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This applies to patients who are at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease or who already have the disease.
"Beta-blocker therapy remains the mainstay of therapy for patients with coronary artery disease, and is often prescribed to people who have had a heart attack," says Shripal Bangalore, MD, of New York University.
Beta blockers are a group of pharmacological drugs that, when they enter the human body, block beta-adrenergic receptors.
A team of scientists led by Dr. Bangalore conducted a study that attempted to evaluate the effects of beta blockers on cardiovascular disease in the long term.
The observational study used data from the REACH registry, which included information on 44,708 patients, of whom 14,043 had experienced heart attacks, 12,012 had coronary artery disease but had not experienced heart attacks, and 18,653 were simply at increased risk of developing coronary artery disease.
The last such statistics were collected in 2009, and were used by the authors of the study.
The study found that heart attacks were virtually as common in people taking beta blockers as in those not taking them. Similar results were seen in the group with coronary heart disease but no history of heart failure.
After analyzing a group of people with an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease, the scientists also failed to find a link between taking beta-blockers and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers don't plan to stop there. The next study will break down the groups used in the latest study into subgroups. It may be possible to find more specific groups of people who might benefit from beta blockers to combat cardiovascular disease.
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