Posted on 02/28/2007 2:45:16 AM PST by XR7
Vitamin supplements taken by millions of people every day for their health could be increasing their risk of death a new Danish-led study suggests.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The international research team reviewed the published evidence on beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, Vitamin C and selenium. The team was led by Dr Goran Bjelakovic, from Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
These dietary supplements are marketed as antioxidants and people take them in the hope they will improve health and guard against diseases like cancer and heart disease by eliminating the free radicals that cause "oxidative stress" and damage and kill off cells.
Antioxidants are also marketed as anti-aging products because they are thought to slow down the aging process.
Some studies have suggested that antioxidants are beneficial to health, while others, mostly larger clinical trials, have concluded they have no effect on health and say in some cases that taking too many of them can be harmful.
In this study, Dr Bjelakovic and colleagues did a meta-analysis on research published before October 2005.
Meta-analysis is a way of sifting through published studies against a quality standard that looks at a number of reliability criteria such as potential for bias. Then the ones that pass the standard are taken through a statistical process to find out if they are saying something consistently reliable. There can be several levels of "sifting", each producing a more reliable and robust set of evidence.
In this case the researchers followed a method established by the Cochrane Collaboration, a group of 6,000 health care specialists who review biomedical trials and other research projects.
They started with 815 clinical trials of which 68 passed the first level of quality standard. At this level the results were inconclusive. The supplements were found to have no effect on death risk one way or the other.
They then went back and eliminated 21 of the trials, leaving only the "low-bias" ones. This was the next level of quality standard.
At this level of meta-analysis the results were different.
When looked at separately they found that Vitamin A increased death risk by 16 per cent, beta carotene by 7 per cent and Vitamin E by 4 per cent. The results for Vitamin C were not so clear, but by looking at the best quality trials there was a suggestion that it increased death risk by 6 per cent, either on its own or in combination with other supplements.
The figures from the best quality trials on selenium however showed that it might reduce death risk by 10 per cent, either on its own or in combination with other supplements, but this was not found to be statistically significant.
The overall conclusion of the study was that on balance, the best quality research shows that beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may increase mortality risk, but vitamin C and selenium need further study.
A spokesperson for the supplements industry said the research was "flawed" because it included studies conducted on people who were already very sick.
The researchers say there are several potential reasons for these results. One is that the free radicals that are thought to cause the oxidative stress are the byproduct rather than the cause of disease. Another is that they may play an important role in the immune system and eliminating them could be counterproductive.
The researchers pointed out that the studies they examined only used synthetic supplements, and therefore their observations and conclusions do not apply to natural antioxidants such as those found in fruit and vegetables.
They added however that this study is important for public health reasons because between 10 and 20 per cent of people in Europe and North America take dietary supplements.
Nutritionists say that instead of taking supplements the best way to protect your health is to eat a balanced diet and to get all the vitamins you need from your food.
"Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention; Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." Goran Bjelakovic, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Lise Lotte Gluud, Rosa G. Simonetti, and Christian Gluud. JAMA 2007;297:842-857. Vol. 297 No. 8, February 28, 2007
Furthermore, case reports are beginning to emerge of uncontrollable hemorrhage during surgical procedures in persons taking greater than 1000mg daily. I am familiar with this phenomenon since I participated in the care of such a patient in January.
Are you suggesting Omega oils are more dangerous than aspirin? You take your aspirin, I'll take the Omega oils and we're both happy.
The patented drug companies have a vested interest in destroying the supplement industry.
I've never been a big supplement guy. But, recently, my doctor put me on Lipitor, and I just didn't tolerate it well, and I stopped taking it several times. Finally, at the advice of my dad, I tried a supplement called Policosanol.
When I had my next lipids test, it was vastly improved. So, I think some of the supplements are worthwhile.
"It's so tasty, too!"
I'm interested in knowing what supplements you take. Thanks.
And as for who takes what, I'm allergic to Aspirin and I take fish oil. If I were to have elective surgery, though, I'd stop it 3-4 weeks ahead. I had emergency surgery 2 years ago and bled more than expected.
My sister had psoriasis so bad that she could barely walk...it was especially severe on her feet. To look at her, you would never know since she was able to cover the areas that were affected.
For at least 10 years I suggested she take fish oils, flaxseed, or primrose oil. But she refused....she didn't believe in supplements.
I got a call from her about a month ago. She's been taken fish oil supplements, and the psoriasis is completely gone!
I think Lipitor is a statin drug. I would NEVER take one unless every safer, natural alternative had been tried. Besides there are those who claim cholesterol is not the cause of coronary artery disease anyway.
It is wise to consider all these issues. Sometimes I wonder what would happen to all those I know who are on blood thinners. They have to keep getting their blood monitored. Why not just take some Vit E, Vit C and Fish oil?
I am so happy for your sister. It's so difficult to see people destroy themselves with drugs when there are far safer and more effective alternatives.
There's only so much anticoagulant effect that one can get from supplements and they like aspirin target the platelets, not the plasma clotting factors. Oral anticoagulants like Coumadin target the plasma clotting factors and really do require careful monitoring. If someone has an artificial valve, for example, targeting the platelets simply isn't enough to prevent clot formation.
"The medical establishment doesn't want us treating ourselves."
Fourteen years ago I started to experience an irregular heartbeat with every beat of my heart. I went to the Chief of Cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. He prescribed meds which didn't help, including a beta blocker. During that time, an aquaintance suggested I take the supplement, Co-enzyme Q10. I'm an RN and thought that was the most preposterous thing I had ever heard.....a vitamin to regulate my heart?
It took another six months for me to "give in" and go to my nearest GNC. At first, I took 30 mg/day. Within two or three weeks, my heart was regular. After six months, assuming I was cured, I stopped the Co-Q10. My irregular heart beat returned within 48 hours.
I immediately resumed taking Q10, and it took another two weeks for a regular beat. I have had to gradually increase my dosage to 100mg. over the years. By the way, when I told the cardiologist about my "cure" he just laughed and didn't believe me. I never went to him again.
One theory I have read is that Q10 is manufactured in our body when we're young, and decreases with age.
If anyone is interested, GNC brand is the most economical....especially when it's on sale.
http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/CoenzymeQ10.html
Isn't the risk of death running somewhere around 100% already?
I take probably about 4 1/2 grams Ester C; 400 IU Vit E; 1000 mg Vit D; 3 phyto (plant-based) multi vitamin and 1500 mg omega oils (fish/flax seed/borage oil combination) and 1000 mg calcium. I take these in 3 divided doses.
I hurt my shoulder a few years ago. I think it was a torn rotator cuff but I did not go to a doctor so never had a definitive diagnosis. At the time I was not taking this much Vit C but during the acute state of the injury I realized that whenever I took a gram of Vit C, the pain in my shoulder was better. I googled "pain,Vit C". It's worth doing. I realized then that it was not in "my head" that the pain in my shoulder eased when I took a gram of Vit C.
I now almost totally depend on Vit C for pain relief for just about everything. My motto now is that if it hurts, take Vit C until the pain goes away.
I don't think it helps a headache much though.
I love medical message boards and one of the best is curezone.com When I gave up Coca Cola, my headaches almost totally disappeared.
The bulk chemicals that go into vitamin manufacture are often made by pharma companies. You could not be more wrong.
I know CoEnzyme Q10 is very beneficial for the heart and I also know statin drugs deplete the body of Co Enzyme Q 10. I bet there are very few doctors who prescribe Co Enyme Q 10 when they prescribe statin drugs.
It's like doctors refusing to prescribe probiotics when they prescribe antibiotics. I have had several family member suffer nearly fatal consequences of antibiotics when a probiotic could have prevented the disastrous consequences.
I realize that. But there's a lot more money in patent medicines than in vitamins.
"I am so happy for your sister. It's so difficult to see people destroy themselves with drugs when there are far safer and more effective alternatives."
Yes, that poor woman went from doctor to doctor trying every oral med and lotion prescribed. I felt so sorry for her. I'm glad she's a believer in supplements now. She could have avoided 15 years of suffering. Now I'm trying to convince her to try MSM/Chondroiton/Glucosamine or Bromelain for her arthritis.(She's 70 years old.)
By the way, I have a wonderful book:
"Prescription for Nutritional Healing"
by James F, Balch, MD and Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.