Vitamin Information Center

Taking vitamin supplements does not improve health and may increase the risk of premature death, according to media reports.

A review of 67 randomised trials found that taking the supplements vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene could lead to premature death.

The evidence for vitamin C and selenium suggested that the pills did not increase the risk of death, but there was no benefit in taking the pills compared with a placebo.

The researchers concluded that the current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in a healthy population.

There is no suggestion from the review, however, that a diet rich in natural sources of antioxidants could be damaging to health, say the papers.

Around 12 million people in Britain are taking vitamin supplements fuelling a £330 million industry.

What is the research?
The reports are based on the findings of a Danish study into the impact of antioxidant supplements on mortality rates.

A search of published literature and other studies held by manufacturers identified 815 trials. But only 67 were considered to be adequately run randomised controlled trials. These included 232,550 people aged an average of 62 years.

Twenty-one of the trials focused on the use of supplements in healthy individuals, while the rest tested patients with a range of diseases. Trials including children, pregnant women or patients with acute conditions, such as cancer, were excluded.

Antioxidant supplements were found to increase the risk of premature death in 47 trials.

Overall, antioxidant supplements were linked to a 4 per cent increased risk of death compared with placebo.

But when antioxidants were assessed separately, the researchers found that vitamin A was linked to a 16 per cent increased risk of premature death. For beta-carotene there was a 7 per cent increased risk of death and for vitamin E a 4 per cent increased risk of death.

The use of vitamin C or selenium did not increase the risk of death but showed no beneficial health effects compared with placebo.

Antioxidant supplements could lead to early death by eliminating too many free radicals, suggest the researchers. This could interfere with some essential defensive mechanisms such as apoptosis and detoxification, they say.

What do the researchers say?
Lead author Dr Christian Gluud, from the centre for clinical intervention research at Copenhagen University, called for better regulation of antioxidant supplements.

‘If a patient can eat a healthy, varied diet, then there is no need to take vitamin supplements. According to our results this may even be harmful.

‘Based on our results, as well as the results from other studies, it seems that these supplements might increase the progression of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

‘It seems that the increased mortality comes from an acceleration of disease progression rather than from the development of new diseases.’

The team has not looked at whether a diet rich in natural antioxidants could be harmful to health but it would be good to conduct some large scale trials into this, said Dr Gluud.

What do other experts say?
Anne Sidnell, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said: ‘The findings of this study are in line with other studies that have shown that antioxidants have no health benefits when consumed as supplements rather than through food.

‘Our bodies are designed to take in the correct amounts of nutrients from food, but there is a danger of overdosing when using supplements.’

There may be occasions when supplements are needed, such as vitamin D supplements for the elderly or folic acid for pregnant women, but overall a balanced diet is the best way to stay healthy, she added.

But Pamela Mason, nutritionist and spokeswomen for the Health Supplements Information Service, said: ‘Trials using antioxidant supplements have shown inconsistent findings and yet another review or meta-analysis is not going to tell us anything at this stage.

‘Antioxidants, including these noted in the Cochrane review, are essential for health and UK national dietary surveys have shown that some people have poor intakes of such nutrients.’

Antioxidants are not ‘magic bullets’ and were never intended for the prevention of chronic disease and mortality but for health maintenance, she added.

a chemical found in baked and fried foods, thought to increase the risk of cancer in humans

It’s often said that good health is the foundation of beauty. I’m willing to take that statement a step farther and claim that a balanced diet is the foundation of good health - and, therefore, beauty. For proof, just read the numerous medical studies that link healthy eating with disease prevention and disease reversal. These same studies connect high fat intake, high sodium consumption, and diets with too much protein to numerous illnesses, including obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diverticular diseases, hypertension, and kidney disease. And of course, there are all the looks-stealing side effects of a poor diet, such as thinning hair, scaly skin, breakouts, pale complexion, nail disorders, and excess weight. A nutrient-weak diet can also exacerbate existing skin conditions such as psoriasis and rosacea.

There are all kinds of health reasons to curb your salt intake to the recommended limit of 500 mg per day. For those prone to breakouts, iodine - a mineral found in iodized salt and seafood is believed by many professionals to contribute to acne flare-ups.

But what exactly is a balanced diet? Generally speaking, it is a diet comprising carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fat, protein, water, 13 vitamins, and 20 minerals. More specifically, it is a diet built around a wide variety of fruits, legumes, whole grains, and vegetables. Animal protein, high-fat foods, high-sodium foods, highly sugared foods, sodas, and processed foods are consumed sparingly, if at all. Of course, there are several ways to get your daily allotment of nutrients. Here are several of the most common diets.

All about omnivores

How healthy is an omnivorous diet? It depends. Omnivores may eat cheese, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, or seafood every day, choose refined snacks, and get only one daily serving of fruits and vegetables. This is not the healthiest option for those on an omnivorous diet.

On the other hand, those omnivores who limit animal-based foods to two or three times a week, choose water over soft drinks, and get the recommended five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables have a much healthier diet. The usual complaints about traditional omnivorous diets revolve around the diet’s high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat (found in animal-based foods), which can increase the risk of cancer diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. However, an omnivorous diet can actually be a healthy one, provided that thoughtful choices are made. To keep cholesterol and saturated fat to a minimum and nutrients to a maximum, omnivores should aim to eat five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables, choose whole grains over refined grains, enjoy daily legume or soy food protein sources, and limit their consumption of animal-based foods.

With the growing awareness of the importance of healthy food, many people are also becoming vegetarian because it matches the kind of low fat, high fiber diet recommended by dieticians and doctors. Concern about the environment is another factor as people become more aware of the effect raising animals for their meat is having on the environment. Or you may be concerned about wasting world food resources by using land to raise animals for meat instead of growing crops that can feed more people directly.

Animals need far more water than grain crops. According to the USDA, growing the crops necessary to feed farmed animals requires nearly half of the United States‘ water supply and 80% of its agricultural land. Additionally, animals raised for food in the U.S. consume 90% of the soya crop, 80% of the corn crop, and a total of 70% of its grain.

One acre of pasture produces an average of 165 pounds of beef; the same acre can produce 20,000 pounds of potatoes.

Vegetarian diets have been found to satisfy the nutritional needs for all stages of life, and large-scale studies have shown vegetarianism to increase longevity, improve health, and significantly lower the risks of many diseases.

Studies show that vegetarian diets help to keep body weight under control and reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoperosis and many cancers - particularly lung cancer and colon cancer. Vegetarians tend to have lower levels of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less incidence of dementias such as Alzheimer’s. Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe coronary artery disease.

It was once widely believed that vegetarians had to carefully combine plant protein sources in each meal in order to obtain all the essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids needed to stay healthy. However, scientific studies have shown that the human body can store essential amino acids and combine them as necessary. So, while combining beans and rice, or peanut butter and bread produces a complete protein, it’s not necessary to consciously do this at every meal. If you eat a varied diet and adequate calories, combining proteins is not an issue.

Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein. They’re also high in folate, anti-oxidant vitamins like C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals.

Some famous vegetarians are Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton and Thomas Edison. Famous modern day vegetarians include Bryan Adams, Alicia Silverstone, Liv Tyler, Jerry Seinfeld, Kim Basinger, and Paul McCartney.

If you are new to vegetarianism, The Higher Taste by Srila Prabhupada is a great beginners booklet. Not only does it explain vegetarianism clearly but it also gives some delicious easy to follow recipes.

There are many vegetarian websites today that provide many delicious recipes. There are a large variety of vegetarian recipes available from Italian and Greek cuisine to Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese cuisine.

I love greens for so many reasons, but mainly because they TASTE GREAT!!! In salad, sautéed in olive oil with a bit of garlic or stir fry in a festive mix, greens are my favorite food. However I know that many of you will only be coaxed into trying greens with a list of all of the great nutritional properties of these most wonderful vegetables, so here goes. Continue Reading…

Many people consider it unnecessary to take supplements. They believe that we get all the nutrition we need from our food. Maybe that used to be so. Our ancestors didn’t need nutritional supplements. The food they consumed was mostly fresh and unprocessed so, therefore, rich in vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. Continue Reading…

Here are 10 tips for women to stay fit and healthy: 1. Staying fit and healthy starts with a balanced diet. Know and monitor the right weight for your age. Consult your doctor to learn what food you should avoid and follow your eating discipline routines. If you are trying to lose some weight, foods with high calories should be omitted from your meals. Food with high fiber and low fat should be included a priority in your grocery list instead of red meat, sugars and fats. Continue Reading…

You are probably familiar with the naughty children’s rhyme: “Beans, beans, good for the heart/The more you eat, the more you…” The first part is true, and as for the second, well, it can now be cut by up to 70 percent. Beans deserve their reputation for causing flatulence. Flatulence results when carbohydrates (scratches and sugars) arrive in the colon incompletely digested and are fermented by the bacteria there. The fermentation process releases gas. Any incompletely digested carbohydrate ��” from bagels to pasta ��” can ferment in the colon and cause gas. But beans are the richest sources of two particular carbohydrates, raffinose and stachyose, that the body cannot digest because humans lack the enzyme to do it. Continue Reading…

Choosing a multivitamin today can be very stressful as there are hundreds of companies looking to sell them to you. Since not all vitamins are created equal, with different ingredients and daily values (DV), it is important that you know what you are looking at on the label. A good multivitamin should provide 100 percent of the DV of vitamins and minerals, but there are some exceptions. Some you do not need at all, some you only need a little and some you can benefit from more. Continue Reading…

Multivitamins Are the Key to Great Health Diet and vitamin supplements have continuously proven their worth to health conscious individuals.

A daily multivitamin supplement does not only develop your general bodily functions but also improves your physical and mental. However specification is needed in appropriately supplementing nutrients to deal with any individual needs. For example Alzheimers disease can be prevented by a Vitamin C and E intake. Continue Reading…