Controversy Surrounding Antioxidants: Vitamins Can be Bad for Your Health
Antioxidants have long been known for their excellent free radical scavenging potential in combating cancer, eradicating damaging effects of free radicals, preventing the damage of DNA cells, major organs and cell membranes by a torrential chain of million, billion or even more killers of free radicals in your body. However, the Danish conducted “meta-analysis” report has denied their roles in reducing the risk of chronic diseases. How true is this finding? Can the vitamins kill your health?
In the contrary to the health benefit linked with vitamin supplements, a Danish-led review of 47 meta analysis of clinical trials entitled “Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”, involving 180,938 patients, has concluded that vitamins A, E and beta carotene were closely linked to a rise of 5% higher risk of death. Another alarming fact was that beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E were respectively represented by 7%, 16% and 4% increased risk of death. Some of the eye-catching articles entitled “Vitamins could shorten lifespan” and “Antioxidants Don’t Mean Longer Life” were also discussed in this report.
This report was led by a Serbian doctor, Goran Bjelakovic of the Centre for Clinical Intervention Research at Copenhagen University Hospital and was published on February 28, 2007 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which has triggered the newspaper headlines of The Times, UK (”Supplements raise death rate by 5), Le Soir, France (”Des vitamines dangereuses pour la santé?”), BBC News, UK (”Vitamins ‘could shorten lifespan”), Los Angeles Times, USA (”Another knock on antioxidants”) and most of the media coverage around the world. Indeed, these findings have come out as a shock to the scientists as it appeared to contradict to the previous epidemiological studies that concluded the vitamin supplement is a key factor to reduce risk of chronic diseases, as well as some academic documentations that remarked higher levels of intake of the natural antioxidants deriving from vegetables and fruits have positive effects towards human health.
In the report, it was written that “Beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E given singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements significantly increase mortality,” and “Our findings contradict the findings of observational studies, claiming that antioxidants improve health.” The research also concluded that no evidence saying that vitamin C can increase longevity when it is remarked as, “We lack evidence to refute a potential negative effect of vitamin C on survival.”Another report by JAMA remarked that, “Neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or total cancer.”
Some experts even have doubt on the health properties of synthetic antioxidants as the clinical tests on the effects of antioxidants don’t take nutrient synergy into consideration, but the pharmaceutical studies rely wholly on artificial analogs and synthetic versions of the healthy property of antioxidants. In contrary to natural antioxidants, the synthetic analogs cannot be reused or recycled by the organism. That is to say, once they’ve “spent”(donate) their electron, they prone to increase a harmful metabolic by-products rather than decreasing, in which of course will cause a total load of oxidative stress on the organism. Perhaps, this is a convincing explanation why it leads to a contradictory outcome.
Liked it
Debra. | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
Wow! Very detailed, interesting and thought provoking article! Thanks Chan for sharing. A must read!
God bless.
Louie Jerome | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
I have always been concerned about artificial vitamins. An interesting read.
Jenny Heart | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
This is much needed information these day. Most people think the opposite, Thanks for the information. Great writing!
Inna Tysoe | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
An interesting and informative read.
Thank you,
Inna
Betty Carew | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
I am always interested in things to improve your health and I think I have heard of this before that to many vitamins can acually kill a person but you’ve educated me today I didn’t know about the antioxients. thanks for a very informative article.
Judy Sheldon | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
Comprehensive information. Thanks so much for sharing. I was amazed when I learned about certain supplements too, and oral supplements of Beta Carotene can actually be harmful to smokers, and I had to reduce my Vitamin E to 400 mg. because it raises blood pressure. You are so right.
Take care & God bless!
nobert soloria bermosa | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
thanks for bringing this to our attention,nice stuff as always bro
Unofre Pili | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting and really worth sharing.
CA Johnson | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting article. I take vitamins all of the time so it’s good to know more information about them.
Little Miss Lizzy | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
A great look at the other side of the vitamin coin. Interesting and thought provoking article. well done
Siti Zaida Mikaila aka SZM | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
According to old knowledge vitamin is only danger when use it too much.
monica55 | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
Well done work. But what conflicting stories these vitamins researchers have 4 us? It is good one minute, then harmful in another. Great writing.
Monica
goodselfme | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
Even suppliments have to be monitored. I learn from you all the time.
papaleng | Jan 18, 2009 | Reply
another great and interesting article. Thanks Chang for indeed i’m privilege to attend a medical conference just by reading your articles.
Sakuragi | Jan 19, 2009 | Reply
Great article!
Alicia Wind | Jan 19, 2009 | Reply
Oh really? U know what , i bookmarked this–gonna forward it to all of my friends who loved to take vit. e, a, c and d,–they gotta know!
Most people doesn’t know the effect of takin those vitamins–they thoght that when one person take vitamins–it can improved their health—well, yes! it does coz people who sell those tablets and even doctors recommend those–However, the side effects will result later in life–
As usual, very informative and good source article for health beneifits!
believer | Jan 19, 2009 | Reply
very informative read, what is safe anymore???
valli | Jan 19, 2009 | Reply
What a comprehensive and informative article!
Chambo | Jan 20, 2009 | Reply
Very informative piece Chan. Well done. RJ
Ruby Hawk | Jan 20, 2009 | Reply
I have been reading about this and it makes you question taking vitamins. I do and my doctor has always reccomended them but we find something every day that was supossed to do wonders for us that is actualy hurting us. What will it be next?
jimy1666 | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
Good job!
PR Mace | Jan 21, 2009 | Reply
Excellant piece, makes me wonder about the vitamins I take.
eddiego65 | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
Another excellent and informative piece as usual. I am not aware of some of the facts presented here. Thanks for sharing them.
IreniaPehuajo | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
Excellent,good details.
Thanks.
Vladislav | Jan 23, 2009 | Reply
Exelente!
Muy buen articulo,aunque tuve que usar diccionario,ya que mi ingles es muy básico
Espero que te animes a escribir es español.
——
(Google translater)
Exelente!
Very good article, but I had to use the dictionary, because my English is very basic
I hope it will encourage you to write in Spanish.
Gail Nobles | Jan 25, 2009 | Reply
I believe vitamins could be bad for our health if we just take vitamins and don’t eat right. We might not need as much vitamins if we did eat right. We should always eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. That’s what we were made to eat from the beginning of time and is always good for you. Great article.
AC Hamilton III | Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Excellent information. You obviously put a lot of work into this valuable piece.
AC
Odanneyboy | Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Yet another great, informative article.
tonisan60 | Feb 10, 2009 | Reply
Extremes are always bad, too litle is bad, too much is even worst, of anything and everything.
Thank you for create consciousness, great article.
Anne McNew | Feb 11, 2009 | Reply
thank you for this very informative piece.
great article.
trishia | Feb 13, 2009 | Reply
This well written article confirms my thoughts against sythetic vitamins,and causes me to question the so called”natural vitamin supplements”. At this point,I really don’t trust the FDA.They will pass up to 15% or more of garbage in our foods and get away with it. The safest way is growing your own-and that’s not feasible. I’ll just be cautious and take your advice on “stayimg up to date” Thank you CHAN!
Dee Gold | Feb 19, 2009 | Reply
i will stumble this
jo oliver | Mar 3, 2009 | Reply
Just trying to catch up on some of your articles that I missed while I was gone.
Deep Blue | May 19, 2009 | Reply
Nice article.Very helpful tips.
uncle joe | Dec 14, 2009 | Reply
Wow! What an article!
one correction I offer: a typographical error on selenium dosing is not 400 mg but 100 mcg! Not to be exceeded. Best form is liquid drops of selenomethionine.
Vitamin A supplements (beta carotene) is synthetic form which is bad to start with as all synthetic vitamins are harmful and studies using them no wonder conclude that but extrapolate to natural sources-derived ones. For smokers it precipitated lung cancer. I don’t know which form. Synthetic vitamin C is problematic as is dl Alphatocopherol. But non synthetic
d Alphatocopherol turned out to be harmful as well since the vitamin is like B complex has other components normally and the total E is what we need. By separating d Alphatocopherol as a supplement it creates shortages of the other tocopherols depleting the meagre amount we may have from diet! I am amazed in health food shops how much rubbish is also sold and information like the above is missing in the advice given to customers. The same industry manufactures vitamins few exceptions,- and they don’t care for our health only cashing in on the interest. 40 years ago I could buy natural “Total E” as an option. Not after that! This is harming us!!
Be well!