Alan Richman, Contributing Writer01.02.12
If recent research results are to be believed, your mother was wrong when she told you to take your vitamins. On two days in October 2011, disquieting reports suggested that taking vitamins might do more harm than good.
The first study, published October 10, 2011 in the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Archives of Internal Medicine, indicated that women who took supplements had, on average, a 2.4% increased risk of dying over the course of the 19-year study compared to women who didn’t take supplements. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 39,000 older women who participated in the Iowa Women’s Health Study and adjusted for factors including age and calorie intake.
Subjects were questioned about their use of multivitamins, vitamins A, C, D and E, beta-carotene, B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc.
Lead author Jaakko Mursu, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said, “I would conclude that supplements are not protective against chronic diseases. In some cases they may be harmful, especially if used for a long time.”
<
The first study, published October 10, 2011 in the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Archives of Internal Medicine, indicated that women who took supplements had, on average, a 2.4% increased risk of dying over the course of the 19-year study compared to women who didn’t take supplements. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 39,000 older women who participated in the Iowa Women’s Health Study and adjusted for factors including age and calorie intake.
Subjects were questioned about their use of multivitamins, vitamins A, C, D and E, beta-carotene, B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, copper, magnesium, selenium and zinc.
Lead author Jaakko Mursu, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said, “I would conclude that supplements are not protective against chronic diseases. In some cases they may be harmful, especially if used for a long time.”
<
Continue reading this story and get 24/7 access to Nutraceuticals World for FREE
FREE SUBSCRIPTION
