[Heather]

Do you take vitamins? Did you know that a number of recent research studies are not finding them to lead to healthy outcomes? There is some suggestion of the opposite, though I wouldn't say the evidence is really set yet.

Here's an article from the Chicago Tribune that discusses yet another research study which suggest that vitamins might be harmful, even for people who are healthy.

The title discusses "antioxidants" but if you read the article, it's clear they are not talking about naturally occurring antioxidants in food, but vitamins only.

Here's the opening, link below:

"Adding to a growing scientific consensus, a large study released Tuesday concluded that vitamin E and other antioxidant supplements provide no health benefits and may even produce a small increase in the risk of death.

The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association immediately was criticized by vitamin-makers and some researchers, but its findings are similar to other studies suggesting that supplements are not as quick and easy a way to improve health as their promoters claim."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/featur...l=chi-news-hed

If I have time, I want to search for more information on this, as I'm interested in the researchers method.

[Heather]

If anyone's interested, I did some follow up reading on this research, and it seems that there is some controversy among statisticians about the kinds of research studies included in the analyses. Here's a link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=64058


I guess like many, I'm wondering what this means for lil ole me. The sense I get from a lot of the literature is that it is best to try to get our nutrients from our food, when we can, but that it is hard to know exactly what we're getting from our food. On the other hand, vitamins attempt to provide us the daily requirements, but it's unclear how these more artificial antioxidants really work in our bodies ... they might be harmful, but the evidence on healthy individuals is less well known.

I guess I'm going to keep vitamins around for days I don't feel I eat well, but continue to try to get my nutrients from my food...

[NotTheCheat]

Heather - These studies really are confusing. One minute not taking something will kill you, the next minute it will. I agree that the best way is to try and get our nutrients from our food. One thing I can be totally sure about is that it does help me to supplement with iron at certain times. The others? I am not so sure, but I do notice my energy levels seem to be better when I take vitamins, although that may be placebo affect.

[kaplods]

I take a multi-vitamin, folic acid, and niacin. The multi-vitamin was my idea, and the others were "prescribed." The folic acid by my neurologist for the "brain fog," of fibromyalga, and the niacin by my family doctor to improve my cholesterol levels.

My husband bougth the book "Vitamins for dummies," which was an interesting read, but really didn't help me decide whether taking additional supplements were a good idea or not. The biggest problem with taking vitamin/mineral supplements, is that so many of them have antogonizing effects on each other. Too much of one, depletes another and vice versa (moreso the minerals I think like sodium and potassium and zinc and copper).

[Heather]

It really is confusing. Growing up, it just seemed vitamins were a good thing. Now... unclear.

And YES, those antagonizing effects...

Or like with calcium. Best absorbed when taken with Vitamin D (which they add to milk), but NOT when taken with caffeine... so there go the health benefits I thought I was getting from my coffee.

But so far, at least, the research seems to consistently point toward eating a variety of fruit, veggies and whole grains.

Nancy -- the placebo effect really is the coolest thing, I think!

Okay, I'm rambling again...

[Lilion]

But Heather, didn't you know that milk is dangerous?
www. notmilk. com

As is canola oil!
www. tidesoflife. com/canola_oil.htm

And Spenda - www. womentowomen. com/nutritionandweightloss/splenda.asp

Beware of floride in your drinking water! www. sweetliberty. org/issues/health/flouridedangers.html

and of vaccinating your children.. www. know-vaccines. org/3myths.html

And at this moment, your computer could be hurting you!!! www. indiana. edu/~uitspubs/f026/

And really just about everything else!!!
www. antibioticfailure. com/hidden%20dangers/index.htm

Personally, I figure I'll just take my chances and if I'm wrong I'll suffer the consequences.

(I added some spaces to the links since some of these sites sell things! If you want to check them out just cut and paste and remove the spaces!)