Clipping Board » Dangerous Medicinal Tonics ─ Nutrients should be moderate in the body—excessive supplementation only becomes a burden.
China Times Electronic News, Chen Youwen, January 12, 2014
Many people take multivitamins in hopes of preventing cancer, heart disease, and slowing memory decline. However, an editorial recently published in the *Annals of Internal Medicine* advises consumers to stop wasting money on multivitamins and other dietary supplements, as there is no evidence they are effective and they may even be harmful.
The editorial, titled *"Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements,"* states that most dietary supplements do not prevent chronic diseases or death and should be avoided, with research findings over the years largely disappointing.
Dr. Guallar, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and one of the authors of the editorial, said: "We have repeatedly found that taking supplements is useless... We don’t need to keep studying this anymore."
In addition to the editorial, the journal also published two papers examining the efficacy of multivitamins, along with a report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. One of the studies followed nearly 6,000 male doctors aged 65 and older for 11 years and found that taking multivitamins did not help slow cognitive decline.
The second paper showed that high-dose multivitamin supplementation did not prevent the recurrence of heart disease. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s earlier report also noted that evidence supporting the use of vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent cancer or cardiovascular disease is limited, with some studies even suggesting potential harm—especially for smokers taking beta-carotene, which may increase the risk of lung cancer.
However, the research did not find that taking multivitamins at recommended doses caused harm. Dr. Guallar noted that for consumers, one possible downside is wasting money, while research funding is also being squandered. Still, he pointed out exceptions, such as health officials strongly urging women of childbearing age to take folic acid to reduce the risk of fetal abnormalities.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E5……B% 96% E5% 91% BD- 213000115. html
Global Pharma News - Medical Journal: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamins
Many people take multivitamins in hopes of preventing cancer, heart disease, and slowing memory decline. However, an editorial recently published in the *Annals of Internal Medicine* advises consumers to stop wasting money on multivitamins and other dietary supplements, as there is no evidence they are effective and they may even be harmful.
The editorial, titled *"Enough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements,"* states that most dietary supplements do not prevent chronic diseases or death and should be avoided, with research findings over the years largely disappointing.
Dr. Guallar, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and one of the authors of the editorial, said: "We have repeatedly found that taking supplements is useless... We don’t need to keep studying this anymore."
In addition to the editorial, the journal also published two papers examining the efficacy of multivitamins, along with a report from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. One of the studies followed nearly 6,000 male doctors aged 65 and older for 11 years and found that taking multivitamins did not help slow cognitive decline.
The second paper showed that high-dose multivitamin supplementation did not prevent the recurrence of heart disease. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s earlier report also noted that evidence supporting the use of vitamin and mineral supplements to prevent cancer or cardiovascular disease is limited, with some studies even suggesting potential harm—especially for smokers taking beta-carotene, which may increase the risk of lung cancer.
However, the research did not find that taking multivitamins at recommended doses caused harm. Dr. Guallar noted that for consumers, one possible downside is wasting money, while research funding is also being squandered. Still, he pointed out exceptions, such as health officials strongly urging women of childbearing age to take folic acid to reduce the risk of fetal abnormalities.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E5……B% 96% E5% 91% BD- 213000115. html