Antioxidants: Effective or Not?
The last 15 years of research have been unkind to this once-promising theory of antioxidant vitamins (C, E, Beta-carotene) and chronic disease.
The latest dagger in this hypothesis was released in the August 13th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, which concluded that there was no overall benefit or risk of taking vitamins C, E and Beta-Carotene when it comes to cardiovascular disease in women.
So is it useless to take these vitamins? The answer is a resounding... maybe.
This study (or at least the interpretation of this study) has predictably drawn the ire of those who support natural health options, particularly Mike Adams (aka the Health Ranger), who claims that people who actually took the vitamins as instructed reaped considerable benefits.
This prompted me to do a little digging… I contacted the study’s lead author, Nancy Cook – who very graciously provided me with a detailed explanation of the results. Dr. Cook confirmed that those who took the vitamins did actually show some benefit in terms of reduced cardiovascular risk, HOWEVER she cautioned that there were other factors to consider, most notably the “self-selection bias”, which may skew the results.
If I were to formulate this study into a take-home message, here’s what it would look like;
- Recent literature does not appear to support antioxidant supplementation to counter heart disease.
- Studies HAVE shown that eating foods high in antioxidant content has a marked benefit on cardiovascular health and averting other chronic diseases. There seems to be a synergistic effect of nutritionally dense whole foods that is simply not there with a single capsule.
- Like most other things, genes play a prominent role as to who may and may not respond to antioxidant therapy.
- While the research sorts itself out, keep exercising and eating a variety of colorful veggies and other high-nutrient foods. Consider adding a multivitamin to supplement your healthy eating.
Special thanks to Nancy Cook, ScD of Brigham and Women's Hospital for her insight into the study and to PhD candidate Andrea Corcoran from the U. of Alaska Fairbanks for helping me sift through the technical jargon.
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HA! Take that vitamin enriched soft drinks! :P
ReplyPeople who eat fresh produce do all kinds of other good things, so sorting out the confounding factors is virtually impossible, although you'll never get a researcher to admit that (they think they can do it). This was demonstrated by all the studies of supermarket scanner records that showed that people who buy wine also buy generally healthy foods (and people who buy beer buy sausages), putting some doubt into the idea that wine is healthy.
ReplyWell how about other effects besides what was mentioned... such as a better digestive tract or better energy.. can they help us out in those areas??? Just hoe much research has been done???
Replyhow not hoe ! ;-()
ReplyI get all my antioxidants from my food...I eat a lot of carrots, dark leafy greens, and lots of food with antioxidants that occur naturally. They make me feel fan-f***ing-tastic and they are good for you too. Why do you think plants don't get cancer? They're onto something, I tell ya.
Replyabout 3 years ago we were given a free health checkup in work. The one where they do all the blood tests , height check etc. At the time I did take a selection of vitimans and minerals.. a-e vits in seperate tablets, selenium, cod liver oil and a few more I could mention.
When the blood test came back it should some abnormal levels indicating I was an alcoholic though I rarely drink (1 or 2 cans of normal lager a week). I went to the doctors and he suggested stopping the vitamins. Did this and revisited the docs about 3 months later and the level were better but way from perfect... in a series of ultra sound tests etc blood tests it took almost a year for my body to get back to normal.. since then i've not taken any vitamins at all and have in fact dramatically improved my diet and still have blood test ever 6 months now and my liver toxin levels are normal again...
Just a warning to beware all the hype on anti-toxins as a multitude of vitamins can induce the effect you are trying to negate.
ReplyI think the only research I really need to take seriously on this one is how my body responds to the antioxidants that I take. My body, for instance, when presented with an infection such as strep, requires both the antibiotics AND high doses of vitamin C to get better--when it is at it's worst. Before it gets really bad, I can completely head off sickness with vitamin C. I think maybe research is helpful at best, because I believe all medicine would have to be tailored to each and every unique body out there to be accurate. Who has money to do that kind of research? That's why all of us each have to be responsible for our own health as much as possible, and do our part to be informed, taking the latest information and research with a grain of salt--and mix with our personal knowledge of our own bodies.
ReplyAs most of you know being health and fit does not mean you will not contract any medical conditions...
ReplyI just heard on the radio and looked up the paper on antioxidants and cancer. Recent studies showed that a potent mix of different antioxidants given to rats with a highly aggressive form of colon/prostate cancer had the cancer reduced by %30 which is very significant.
Research is still being conducted.
In my personal opinion supplements are in too higher levels for our bodies to handle in one dose. A range of fruits and veges are much better digested and your body will take what it needs when it needs it.
Many of these studies are inherently biased in the way they conduct the research. One issue is that most of the time, they are evaluating one vitamin or antioxidant at a time in isolation. The reality is that many of the vitamins and antioxidants work best when taken together. This creates synergistic benefits. That's why I've taken a multivitamin for years. Another flaw is that they will use a less potent or effective form of the vitamin being researched. Quality varies greatly from vitamin to vitamin.
ReplyIn this study, a big flaw was that there were large variations in how religiously people took the vitamins. Apparently, some hardly took them at all. But, they reported the AVERAGE results across the board. The people who actually took their vitamins regularly showed significantly improved heart health. Funny how the article failed to mention that.
It's also funny how little we see the positive research study results in the mass media. And there are quite a few such studies.
My advice is to take high-quality vitamins, along with eating a good food diet and getting exercise. The great benefit comes when doing ALL THREE consistently. That's the SECRET to good health.