Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Multivitamins don't seem to help prevent disease:

The largest study ever of multivitamin use in older women found the pills did nothing to prevent common cancers or heart disease. The eight-year study in 161,808 postmenopausal women echoes recent disappointing vitamin studies in men.

Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars on vitamins to boost their health. Research has focused on cancer and heart disease in particular because of evidence that diets full of vitamin-rich foods may protect against those illnesses. But that evidence doesn't necessarily mean pills are a good substitute.


I always felt sick after taking multivitamins and never much did. At least now, I don't have to feel bad about it.

23 Comments:

Blogger smitty1e said...

Clearly you need a bottle of "Hope and Change" pills to improve this opinion. ;)

3:02 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger uncle ken said...

Vitamins are defined as substances essential to bodily metabolism that cannot be produced metabolically and must be obtained in the diet. Prolonged vitamin deficiencies cause disorders, such as the rickets of 17th century sailors on long boyages (Vit C) or the polyneuropathy of severe alcoholics who buy wine instead of bread (Vit B). Antioxidant vitamins will retard the oxidative breakdown of aging to some extent. But the notion that vitamins ameliorate disease is like anticipating that lawn fertiizer will kill weeds.

6:31 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger uncle ken said...

"Voyages" -they were on voyages of exploration, not a gay cruise.

6:44 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger Cham said...

I wouldn't expect vitamins would help stop cancer and heart disease. But certain vitamins and supplements can be helpful to those who's bodies are low in specific minerals and vitamins, such as calcium and iron.

8:07 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger Cham said...

Who's should be whose. I can't spell this early.

8:07 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger Larry J said...

When it comes to vitamin pills and other dietary supplements, I remember what a European gentleman told me years ago. "Americans have the most expensive urine on Earth."

Supplements probably don't do much harm but it's looking like they don't help nearly as much as is claimed. Some of these supplement suppliers would put an old time snake oil salesman to shame.

8:15 AM, February 10, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have heard that the delivery (pills) and basically artificial manufacture of the minerals and vitamins in commercially available off the shelf supplements may have something to do with the fact they don't do much except create very expensive urine.

Something's up, though. Our bodies most certainly extract needed vitamins and minerals from the food and water we ingest, not just proteins and carbs, or none of us would be around.

I know that if I eat lots of broccoli all the time, I feel pretty darned good, considering.

8:27 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger Todd said...

My wife and I are on supplements, to include fish oil and magnesium. We are older and don't necessarily regularly eat as balanced a diet as we should. She also takes calcium supplements and I get 2 baby aspirin a day as a preventative. We try to stick to the natural supplements verses the “artificial” forms as we have also heard that they are not properly absorbed by the body. I also took red yeast for cholesterol until it was no longer effective and needed to upgrade to Crestor.

8:52 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger TMink said...

I take some fish oil and some stuff for my joints. Both have good research backing them up. The oil also helps my heart a bit, but my good cholesterol has always been fine.
Luckily, my wife and I enjoy our veggies. 8)
Trey

10:14 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger BR said...

Well, now wait, I'm not sure that study says what the article's author thinks it does.

Basically, they said that people taking multi-vitamins have the same cancer rates as people who don't. Why don't those people take multi vitamins? Is it because they eat lots of fruits and vegetables? Do the people who do take multi-vitamins eat fruits and vegetables?

There is no indication in the article that the study was done in a fashion that produces any kind of useful data. What did the people not taking vitamins eat? What did the people taking vitamins eat?

If the people taking vitamins were doing so instead of eating fruits and vegetables, and the people not taking vitamins were doing so because they do eat lots of fruits and vegetables, then the conclusion of the study is that vitamins /do/ prevent cancer. Either that or eating fruits and vegetables doesn't.

I take multivitamins because I'm too damned lazy to calc out exactly what I need to eat for perfect health. "Eating Right" is more complicated then just eating a vegetable every day, you have to eat a certain combination of vegetables/fruits on a regular basis. Let's face it, if you always ate broccoli, you'd be deficient in the nutrients that broccoli is low in.

As with most news articles today, it's pretty much useless. The author either didn't actually read the study, or couldn't be bothered to include the relevant information in the article.

11:28 AM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger Scout said...

I wonder if the vitamins used in the study were in tablet or liquid form. Liquid is better absorbed and therefore better used by your body.

While vitamins may not prevent cancer it's not a bad idea to take them. The fruits and vegies we eat mainly comes from land that has been farmed for many years. This gives us food that does not have the vitamin content that they should have.

1:53 PM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger Thor's Dad said...

I'm wondering how this can be related to the growing evidence for the use of vitamin D whether in supplement form or obtained through sun exposure as affecting various cancer risks and heart disease? Does taking a single dose of particular vitamins rather than in a multi-vitamin conglomeration lack benefit as well? What about the evidence that Omega-3s taking as supplements have promise for affecting a variety of ailments. Just read a summary of a study that showed the Omega 3's were effective for depression in pregnant women. I'm sort of rambling here but I think you see my point.

3:05 PM, February 10, 2009  
Blogger dev said...

heii i like your blog so cool

7:09 AM, February 11, 2009  
Blogger Scout said...

We all need someone to talk to from time to time. I call them friends and it does not cost me a thing.

10:27 AM, February 11, 2009  
Blogger Scout said...

Oops-I posted on the wrong day...pretend this isn't here!

10:29 AM, February 11, 2009  
Blogger J. Cole said...

Any damn hippies who think vitamins can cure anything other than a vitamin deficiency should be taken out and shot. These are the same assholes who oppose flouridation, mandatory vaccinations, and other necessary public health measures. Squishy headed idiots.

3:12 AM, February 13, 2009  
Blogger J. Cole said...

Any damn hippies who think vitamins can cure anything other than a vitamin deficiency should be taken out and shot. These are the same assholes who oppose flouridation, mandatory vaccinations, and other necessary public health measures. Squishy headed idiots.

3:12 AM, February 13, 2009  
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10:58 AM, February 15, 2009  
Blogger Ron Tomlinson said...

Multivits are cheaper than $1000s per year. But I agree they probably aren't worth it for many people.

However, Vitamin D3 taken as an oil-based supplement *is* thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and several cancers.

Google 'vitamin d council', 'heartscan blog', for details.

1:55 PM, February 17, 2009  
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