Vitamin Information Center

People who take vitamin supplements may not benefit their health and could increase the risk of premature death, according to a new report.

Danish researchers found that antioxidants do not prolong life expectancy as some may hope and that beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may actually increase the risk of death.

They did not uncover evidence that vitamin C and selenium have either positive or negative effects.

Their findings are based on a review of data from 67 randomised trials that involved just under a quarter of a million people and were released today by the Cochrane Library.

“We could find no evidence to support taking antioxidant supplements to reduce the risk of dying earlier in healthy people or patients with various diseases,” said Goran Bjelakovic, who performed the systematic review at the Copenhagen Trial Unit at the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.

“Regarding these antioxidants we need more data from randomised trials. The bottom line is that current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in the general healthy population or in patients with certain diseases.”

Commenting on the review, the UK’s Food Standards Agency said: “Most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

“If consumers do choose to take supplements, it is important they are informed and they may also wish to also consult with their GP. For some vitamins and minerals, taking too much or taking them for too long can cause harmful effects.

We’re still in a recession. Our currency is still struggling. Inflation is worsening. Companies are worried. I addressed all this last month. This time I want to extend the discussion about where to put technology dollars and how to pitch a recessionary budget. Lots of technology gurus and pundits talk about the distinction between vitamin pills and pain killers. Put another way, there’s an obvious distinction between investments that make money and those that save money – assuming, of course, that all goes well with the projects designed to save or make money. At the simplest level is the relationship between cost management investments (pain killers) versus investments designed to generate revenue (vitamin pills).

So what will it be today – and for the next year or two? (Yes, I think that this recession will be longer and deeper than the last few.) Pain killers – without a doubt.

Those projects that contribute to cost reduction will be well received in many companies, while those designed to generate revenue – vitamin pills – will be closely scrutinized. Continuing with some other metaphors, it may be better to buy or sell shovels as everyone looks for gold-plated growth.

So is it time to buy shares in Cisco and EMC or Oracle and SAP? If you equate infrastructure with pain killers then Cisco and EMC make sense; if you see Oracle and SAP as vitamin pills then you may want to think twice about your investments in their products and services. Conclusion? Infrastructure projects are closer to pain killers and pain killers are closer to cost management than applications projects, vitamin pills or revenue generating projects.

The only problem with all this is that it’s all wrong.

While infrastructure projects often save money (and reduce pain), applications projects are where struggling companies should place their bets. Why? For the same reason why struggling companies in general should play offense rather than defense. This means that while cost management projects are always appealing, when times are tough companies should invest in projects that will eventually make them money. Throwing a long pass on fourth and one is risky – but courageous and often very smart.

As I said last month, there’s no question that projects must either save money or make money in a recessionary economy. But the relative distribution of these projects should be closely scrutinized. The conservative play is to invest only in projects that save you money, often in infrastructure projects that reduce some form of pain. But the smart play is to mix investments with as many – or more – applications projects that can contribute to revenue growth, so-called vitamin pills.

It’s sort of like contrarian stock market investors or those that play counterintuitive trends. Does it work? More often than any of us care to admit. So if you’re about to present your 2008 – 2009 technology budget, here’s some advice:

1. Lead with pain killers likely to yield impressive cost savings; this will build credibility.

2. Selectively propose projects that look like they will save money and make money, knowing that they’re more likely to make money than save it.

3. Mange the hell out of these projects. If they start to go south, kill them quickly and reload with another revenue generating project (in cost-saving clothing).

Some of this requires a little slight of hand and some adult-sized hype. But if you want to emerge from this recession as a hero, then work the system toward projects designed to score revenue gains, not just hold the competition to field goals.

There’s little doubt that our society puts a premium on looking young. But appearances aside, life expectancies are increasing, but it’s not enough to live longer lives - we want to live better lives. The good news is that it’s not a matter of quantity versus quality; indeed, there’s no reason why we can’t be active and healthy throughout our later years. The key, though, is finding the right anti-aging formula that will both stop and reverse the aging process. Continue Reading…