Another Study debunking Vitamins

Here's the first part, for more details check out the locations in the subtitle. Pplease leave comments. Curiously enough, when I tried to post my comment on AOL there was 1 comment posted. My comment seemed to have trouble being posted, and I copied it and returned, and there were 285 comments posted! Hot topic?

I believe that this study was completed by last years big Vitamin E scare. A 2-4% increase in death is about the same benefits claimed by statin drugs working. Statin drugs are know to cause many increased health side effects.

If 96% of people using the vitamins stayed the same: not bad: they are not having the other side effects where they would get worse.

If 20% of those people got healthier while they were alive: that's good news. If 2% of people taking vitamins lived longer, then the drug companies, if a vitamin were a drug would be blasting success!

So don't be scared away by the fearmongers. Comments encouraged! (ALSO come visit me at www.about-albuquerquenm.com) Read on

Study Suggests Vitamins, Mortality Linked
CNN
Posted: 2008-04-16 17:26:01
Filed Under: Health News
LONDON (April 16) - Taking antioxidants like vitamins A and E to prolong life may actually have the opposite effect, new research has found.

A review of 67 studies involving more than 230,000 people found "no convincing evidence" that the vitamins prolonged life, the Press Association reported.

Mario Tama, Getty Images
A British analysis of studies on vitamin use found that three supplements -- beta-carotene and vitamins A and E -- may increase the risk of death. But some experts called the analysis flawed, saying that those vitamins can help maintain health.

"Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality," according to the researchers.

However, other health specialists said the research was "flawed" and the supplements were safe to take.

The review, published by The Cochrane Collaboration, involved trials on beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium.

What's Your Take?

The experts said the studies involved different doses of each antioxidant. A total of 232,550 people were involved.

Forty-seven trials included 180,938 people and had a low risk of bias. In these trials with a low risk of bias, the "antioxidant supplements significantly increased mortality", the report's authors wrote.

When the different antioxidants were assessed separately and low risk of bias trials were included and selenium excluded, vitamin A was linked to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a seven percent increased risk and vitamin E to a four percent increased risk.

However, there was no significant detrimental effect caused by vitamin C, the authors said.

"We found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention," they added. "Beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E given singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements significantly increase mortality."

There was no evidence vitamin C increased longevity.

"Selenium tended to reduce mortality but only when high-bias risk trials were considered. Accordingly, we need more research on vitamin C and selenium."

Goran Bjelakovic, a visiting researcher who carried out the review at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, told the Press Association: "We could find no evidence to support taking antioxidant supplements to reduce the risk of dying earlier in healthy people or patients with various diseases.

"The findings of our review show that if anything, people in trial groups given the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E showed increased rates of mortality."

Patrick Holford, a nutritionist who has formulated some supplements for the firm Biocare, told the Press Association that the Cochrane review was a "stitch up."

"Antioxidants are not meant to be magic bullets and should not be expected to undo a lifetime of unhealthy habits," Holford said.

"But when used properly, in combination with eating a healthy diet full of fruit and vegetables, getting plenty of exercise and not smoking, antioxidant supplements can play an important role in maintaining and promoting overall health."

Dr Michele Sadler, of the Health Food Manufacturers' Association, said the analysis was "flawed."

"Healthy consumers can still feel confident that they can safely take their antioxidant supplements."

2008-04-16 09:37:08