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Vitamins Might Raise Risk of Death
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A review of 67 health studies found that taking supplements of vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene may increase the risk of premature death.
30-Second Summary
The review, conducted at the Copenhagen University hospital in Denmark, analyzed 67 studies with over 230,000 subjects.
U.K. paper The Guardian reports that when the supplements were evaluated individually, “vitamin A was linked to a 16 percent increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7 percent increased risk and vitamin E to a 4 percent increased risk.”
The report also concluded that vitamin C and selenium supplements had no benefits.
Nonetheless, antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, and beta-carotene, are very beneficial when consumed as fruits and vegetables. Foods high in antioxidants defend the body from damage by free radicals, which harm cells, tissues and organs.
But Reuters reports: “the Department of Health said most people are able to meet their nutritional needs by eating a balanced and varied diet, including having plenty of fruit and vegetables,” although there are exceptions for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
In fact, an excess of antioxidants in a person’s bloodstream could actually “protect cancer cells and have carcinogenic effects,” writes Jeremy Laurance on a blog for British newspaper The Independent.
Dr. Mark Moyad, the director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center, advises people to take supplements in moderation rather than let the study shake their faith in vitamins.
In addition, The New York Times health columnist Jane E. Brody warns consumers to be cautious when it comes to supplements, because the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have the capacity to test every product on the market: “Caveat emptor.”
U.K. paper The Guardian reports that when the supplements were evaluated individually, “vitamin A was linked to a 16 percent increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7 percent increased risk and vitamin E to a 4 percent increased risk.”
The report also concluded that vitamin C and selenium supplements had no benefits.
Nonetheless, antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, and beta-carotene, are very beneficial when consumed as fruits and vegetables. Foods high in antioxidants defend the body from damage by free radicals, which harm cells, tissues and organs.
But Reuters reports: “the Department of Health said most people are able to meet their nutritional needs by eating a balanced and varied diet, including having plenty of fruit and vegetables,” although there are exceptions for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
In fact, an excess of antioxidants in a person’s bloodstream could actually “protect cancer cells and have carcinogenic effects,” writes Jeremy Laurance on a blog for British newspaper The Independent.
Dr. Mark Moyad, the director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center, advises people to take supplements in moderation rather than let the study shake their faith in vitamins.
In addition, The New York Times health columnist Jane E. Brody warns consumers to be cautious when it comes to supplements, because the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have the capacity to test every product on the market: “Caveat emptor.”
Headline Link: The possible threat of antioxidant supplements
The review, conducted by the Cochrane Collaboration, found that in 47 trials with 180,938 people, there was no information to suggest vitamin C and selenium were beneficial or harmful. It also found that the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E correlated with “significantly increased rates of mortality,” according to the authors.
Source: The Guardian
Pamela Mason, a spokeswoman for the vitamin-industry-backed Health Supplements Information Service, responded to the results of the review: “Antioxidant vitamins, like any other vitamins, were never intended for the prevention of chronic disease and mortality.”
Source: Reuters
Opinion & Analysis: The implications of the study
Jeremy Laurance, blogger for British newspaper The Independent, says that the review lacked an explanation as to why the supplements may be more dangerous, so Laurance inserts his own suggestion: “people vary in their need for anti-oxidants … according to the level of free radicals—damaging substances—circulating in their blood. Those with high levels of free radicals need extra vitamins to neutralize them but in those with low levels, extra vitamins may paradoxically protect cancer cells and have carcinogenic effects.”
Source: The Independent
Mark Moyad, M.D, the director of preventive and alternative medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Center, wrote an article in Best Life magazine saying the Cochrane findings should be taken into perspective. “What the study authors didn’t say is that the population studied included people who suffered all sorts of chronic ailments, from Lou Gehrig’s disease to cancer, and in some of the studies, people were taking doses as high as 65 times the recommended daily value.” But there is a threshold of healthy vitamin consumption that should not be crossed, and Moyad proceeds to explain how one can maintain a healthy dosage.
Source: Best Life
In a New York Times’ Personal Health column from April 8, 2008, Jane E. Brody writes that consumers should beware the health risks associated with supplements, because the FDA doesn’t have the resources to fully police the dietary supplement industry. A 2002 Harris poll showed that “70 percent of adults in the United States take vitamins, minerals, herbs or other supplements,” Brody says. However, “no one knows how many … adverse effects befall supplement users, because there has been no reliable reporting system.”
Source: The New York Times
Related Topic: ‘Airborne Agrees to $23.3 Million False Claims Settlement’
A March 7, 2008, article from findingDulcinea reported that the cold remedy-vitamin supplement Airborne would pay out $23.3 million in a “class-action settlement for making false claims” that the product could fend off colds and build up the immune system.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: The review
The Cochrane Library provides a “plain-language summary” of the review on its Web site. The Library concludes, “Antioxidant supplements need to be considered medicinal products and should undergo sufficient evaluation before marketing.”
Source: The Cochrane Library
The Journal of the American Medical Association provides the full text of the review.
Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association
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