Many Angelenos take one or more—sometimes a dozen or
more—vitamins daily; however, that may not be a good thing. Falling on the
heels of a study published October 10, which suggested an increased risk of
death for older women taking vitamin and mineral supplements, is a new study on
men taking vitamin and mineral supplements. The study, which was published in
the October 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association,
reported that men taking Vitamin E and selenium had a slightly higher risk of
developing prostate
cancer. These two new studies add to the growing body of evidence that
taking extra doses of vitamins can do more harm than good. “You go back 15 or
20 years, and there were thoughts that antioxidants of all sorts might be
useful, said Dr. Eric Klein, a Cleveland Clinic physician and national study
coordinator for the prostate cancer and vitamin E study. He added, “There
really is not any compelling evidence that taking these dietary supplements
above and beyond a normal dietary intake is helpful in any way, and this is
evidence that it could be harmful.
Read This: Prostate
Cancer and Erectile Dysfunction
The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, which
was dubbed the Select trial, evaluated whether selenium and Vitamin E, either
alone or in combination, could lower a man’s risk for prostate cancer. The
trial was halted early in 2008 after a review of the data showed no benefit.
Furthermore, it found a slight risk of prostate cancer and diabetes that wasn’t
statistically significant. The latest data, based on longer-term follow-up of
the men in the trial, reported that users of Vitamin E had a 17% higher—and
statistically significant—risk of prostate cancer compared with men who did not
take the vitamin, a level that was statistically significant. There was no
increased risk
of diabetes.
The dosage evaluated in the Select trial was 200 micrograms
of selenium and 400 international units of vitamin E. By comparison, most
multivitamins contain about 50 micrograms of selenium and 30 to 200
international units of vitamin
E. The authors concluded: “Based on existing evidence, we see little
justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements.
Everyone requires vitamins, which are essential nutrients that the body cannot
manufacture; however, in the past few years, several high-quality studies have
failed to show that high doses of vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent
chronic disease or prolong life.
No comments:
Post a Comment