Some Vitamin Supplements Increase Death Risk Say Researchers
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=64100\
The title of this article caught my eye. The article says that research from a recent study suggests that taking certain vitamin supplements actually increases your risk of death. An international research team reviewed the published evidence on beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, Vitamin C and selenium and then published their findings. Many people take these dietary supplements because they are antioxidants and should improve health and guard against diseases like cancer and heart disease by eliminating free radicals. Antioxidants are also thought to slow down the aging process, which promotes their use even further. When looking at the studies with the least bias in them, the researchers found that Vitamin A increased death risk by 16 per cent, beta carotene by 7 per cent, and Vitamin E by 4 per cent. As for Vitamin C, the results suggest that it increases death risk by 6 per cent, either on its own or in combination with other supplements. An interesting find in this study was that selenium appears to reduce death risk by 10 per cent, either on its own or in combination with other supplements. These results are only for dietary supplements, and usually death risk increases when too much is taken. The conclusion of the study was that research shows that beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may increase mortality risk, but vitamin C and selenium need further study. There is the possibility that the data from these trials could be slightly off because some of the patients may have already been sick.
Reasons given for the results of this study were that possibly free radicals, that are thought to cause the oxidative stress, really are the byproducts and there is another underlying cause. Another theory is that free radicals may play an important role in the immune system and eliminating them causes a problem. Between 10 and 20 per cent of people in Europe and North America take dietary supplementsm, so finding more conclusive data on this is important.
The title of this article caught my eye. The article says that research from a recent study suggests that taking certain vitamin supplements actually increases your risk of death. An international research team reviewed the published evidence on beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, Vitamin C and selenium and then published their findings. Many people take these dietary supplements because they are antioxidants and should improve health and guard against diseases like cancer and heart disease by eliminating free radicals. Antioxidants are also thought to slow down the aging process, which promotes their use even further. When looking at the studies with the least bias in them, the researchers found that Vitamin A increased death risk by 16 per cent, beta carotene by 7 per cent, and Vitamin E by 4 per cent. As for Vitamin C, the results suggest that it increases death risk by 6 per cent, either on its own or in combination with other supplements. An interesting find in this study was that selenium appears to reduce death risk by 10 per cent, either on its own or in combination with other supplements. These results are only for dietary supplements, and usually death risk increases when too much is taken. The conclusion of the study was that research shows that beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may increase mortality risk, but vitamin C and selenium need further study. There is the possibility that the data from these trials could be slightly off because some of the patients may have already been sick.
Reasons given for the results of this study were that possibly free radicals, that are thought to cause the oxidative stress, really are the byproducts and there is another underlying cause. Another theory is that free radicals may play an important role in the immune system and eliminating them causes a problem. Between 10 and 20 per cent of people in Europe and North America take dietary supplementsm, so finding more conclusive data on this is important.
posted by JulieAnnJohnson at 10:55 AM
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