None a Day

By | April 18, 2008
4 Comments

From KurzweilAI.net:

Vitamins ‘may shorten your life’

BBC News, April 16, 2008

Copenhagen University research has suggested that certain vitamin supplements do not extend life and could even lead to a premature death.

A review of 67 studies with trials involving 233,000 people found “no convincing evidence” that antioxidant supplements cut the risk of dying,” and suggested that vitamins A and E could interfere with the body’s natural defences, and that beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality.

The researchers linked vitamin A supplements to a 16% increased risk of dying, beta-carotene to a 7% increased risk and vitamin E to a 4% increased risk.

More details here. This sounds kind of like when they figured out that, with trans fatty acids and all, margarine is worse for your heart than butter.

Sheesh. Be careful out there.

  • http://http:/beyondwordsworth.com Kathy

    I’m always intrigued by language like a “16% increased risk of dying.” Does that mean a 16% reduction in immortality? :)

    BTW, I stopped taking supplements a few years ago and haven’t noticed any negative effects to my health or energy level.

  • Phil Bowermaster

    I see no other way to read it. Get off vitamin A, vitamin E, and beta carotene and you stand a 27% better chance of never dying!

  • Stephen Gordon

    There’s contrary evidence on supplementing with other vitamins. From memory these are Vitamin D, C, Folic Acid, and chromium.

    Some vitamins are not harmful in excess doses – Vitamin C for example.

    Others you can take too much. The ones that can be overdone should only be supplemented if you have reason to believe are lacking in your diet.

  • Wildezword

    Not so sure about this study. It’s not a study in itself, its somehow a combination of 67 studies, all of which probably had very diverse purposes. And most people (that I know) who take vitamin supplements are those who are sick in some way or trying to prevent a relapse of something they had. In other words, the sample pool of those who take vitamins may actually be unhealthier from a general starting point than those who don’t think about health at all. That may account for the higher percentage of “dying.” A quarter of a million people are involved. So, I can’t imagine there was any strict control of type, quantity or brand of vitamins.