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Researchers Find Some "Health" Supplements Risky

Your Vitamins Could be Killing You

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

February 28, 2007      Spanish version

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An apple a day keeps the doctor away but antioxidant supplements may not. As a matter of fact, they can even hurt you, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers in Denmark studied 250,000 people. Those who took supplements containing beta carotene or Vitamins A or E had a 5% increase in their death rate. While some people do need supplements like iron, most folks are better off eating a variety of fruits and veggies, not popping pills.

"Beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E given singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements significantly increase mortality," the researchers wrote.

"There is no evidence that vitamin C may increase longevity," they added. "We lack evidence to refute a potential negative effect of vitamin C on survival. Selenium tended to reduce mortality, but we need more research on this question."

Noting that their findings contadict popular belief and smaller studies, the researchers cautioned that their results should not be quickly dismissed.

"Considering that 10 percent to 20 percent of the adult population (80-160 million people) in North America and Europe may consume the assessed supplements, the public health consequences may be substantial."

In plain English, the study clearly shows that eating a healthy diet, not popping pills is the way to go.

People should discuss all their diet supplement with a doctor. Some folks need supplements, like iron. But for most folks, eating lots of fruits and veggies, not taking antioxidant pills, is the right way to stay healthy.

The meta-analysis and review was published in the February 28 issue of JAMA.

Goran Bjelakovic, M.D., Dr.Med.Sci., of the Center for Clinical Intervention Research, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues conducted an analysis of previous studies to examine the effects of antioxidant supplements (beta carotene, vitamins A and E, vitamin C [ascorbic acid], and selenium) on all-cause death of adults included in primary and secondary prevention trials.

Using electronic databases and bibliographies, the researchers identified and included 68 randomized trials with 232,606 participants in the review and meta-analysis.

The authors also classified the trials according to the risk of bias based on the quality of the methods used in the study, and stratified trials as "low-bias risk" (high quality) or "high-bias risk" (low quality).

In an analysis that pooled all low-bias risk and high bias risk trials, there was no significant association between antioxidant use and mortality. However, in 47 low-bias trials involving 180,938 participants, the antioxidant supplements were associated with a 5 percent increased risk of mortality.

Among low-bias trials, use of beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E was associated with 7 percent, 16 percent and 4 percent, respectively, increased risk of mortality, whereas there was no increased mortality risk associated with vitamin C or selenium use.

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