Posted on 11/14/2004 3:26:35 PM PST by neverdem
Millions of Americans take big doses of vitamin E with the unproved assumption that the dietary supplement will improve their health. Now it turns out that large doses may actually be harmful.
That perplexing news was delivered by researchers from Johns Hopkins medical institutions last week, in a scientific talk and medical journal article that combined and reanalyzed the results of 19 studies involving some 136,000 people in North America, Europe and China. The researchers concluded that daily doses of 400 international units and above, the amount typically contained in vitamin E capsules, slightly increased the risk of dying from all causes. Those who took the high doses experienced 39 additional deaths per 10,000 people compared with those who took no supplements.
There are reasons to be cautious in generalizing these findings. Some statisticians find the pooling of results from disparate studies unpersuasive. Most of the patients were elderly people suffering from chronic illnesses, so the relevance to younger and healthier people is uncertain. The dose of vitamin E in a typical multivitamin pill, about 30 units, is far below the apparent danger zone.
Yet the findings should sound a cautionary note for millions of people who swallow big-dose vitamin E capsules as an antidote to ward off heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's and even the common cold. There is scant evidence to support the presumed benefits, and now there is a signal of potential harm.
So . . . by taking mega-E I'm increasing my risk of dying in an auto accident?
AMEN! ANOTHER GARBAGE STUDY!
You don't really expect anyone around here to take these claims seriously without pictures, do you?
Gee, that is what happened to me too!
One 39 per 10,000 is probably statistically insignificant. And two, people taking vitamin E may be taking it due to having health problems. That is people taking aspirin may die more than people who don't, but not because of the aspirin, but because they are having pain and are probably more prone to die anyway.
Personally, I never took anything until I turned 40. Then I found vitamin e and other stuff helped me out. Guess what, I'm probably more likely to die now that I'm taking vitamin e than before, but not because of the vitamin, because i'm older.
This is such bad science. Reviewing death rates with out doing any clinical studies is worthless. This is bad as saying we are having global warming because the earth has warmed 1 degree in 100 years. Therefore man burning fossil fuel caused global warming. Thats bad science, we are still in the zone after the end of the last ice age, of course we have global warming. Just because liberals hate cars and they produce CO2 does not explain the ice ages cycles or prove it caused the temperature increase.
Let me give you another one, reviewing SAT scores of poor black kids from segregated schools all tested less than white kids, therefor some claimed all blacks were dumber than whites, no thats bad science also.
Some day the Great Statin Scam will explode, when all these people (including me) who have been tampering with liver metabolic pathways will all die of cancer, but will do so with clean arteries.
Amazing. First redefine a "safe" cholesterol level at 200, then 100, and supply a $60/90 pill product based on a fairly simple compound that "Cure" the newly redefined "disease", all the while disclosing that there is no actuarial evidence of prolonging a lifetime as a result!
Someday, the trial lawyers will be swarming the corpses of the pharmaceuical companies.
The problem seems to be with taking 400 international units of the stuff...switch to American units and it should be safe. Blasted furriners are always trying to kill us.
I eat 40 pounds of raw green cabbage a day. Do you think it will make me die early if I continue doing this, or should I fry it with bacon and onions?
Please Help Me!
Gritty
This may be anecdotal to you, but I've been taking 1200 IU for 28 years. Checked the obits today...& I still wasn't there ;-)
These 39 choked on the 1000 IU capsules.;~)
Let's forget for a moment that "In 2003, sales of the vitamin totaled $710 million and it accounted for 11 percent of all vitamin sales, behind multivitamins , B vitamins and vitamin C", and that the FDA, the Pharmaceutical industry, the AMA and other associated groups would like to have that $710 million in their pockets and the only way to do that is to control all vitamins and supplements.
Let's also forget that this is the same group that tries to criminalize and outlaw beneficial and innocuous remedies and things like colloidal silver or ozonated water, because the big Pharma can't make any money off of those and similar natural remedies.
Let's also set aside the fact that Dr. Miller III didn't actually do any research, he just compiled and analyzed (although not necessarily correctly) the pooled "results from 19 clinical trials involving 135,967 participants".
Let's also totally disregard the view of several statisticians who claim that "that it is notoriously difficult to pool data from disparate studies with different populations and weak results". And remember, Dr. Miller admits that "the evidence of harm was weak, so he and his colleagues decided to pool data from 19 studies to get more definitive answers". Apparently, if your own study doesn't give you the results to back up your pre-determined theory, then you selectively gather up a bunch of other studies and see if you can find some ragged, scant evidence for your theory.
I can remember 40 years ago when Prevention magazine and author Gary Null put forth their ideas that good nutrition could prevent cancer and they were vilified and torn apart by the AMA and associated medical/pharmaceutical groups. How could they foist this travesty on the unwary public?? But what exactly does the medical profession advise today? Good nutrition can help prevent cancer, heart disease, etc., etc. But only under a Dr's supervision, of course.
You can surely bet that the good Dr. Miller probably didn't include any research from countries like Russia, Cuba (?!!), Norway, Sweden, China, etc. in his "pooling". Because those countries don't have the AMA/FDA/Big Pharma strangling their research, and they have done some extraordinary stuff on natural substances, supplements and remedies that the good ol' FDA won't even allow to be considered here, but that are being used outside the US - by poorer populations that can't afford "FDA approved" cut and burn solutions- to help people obtain and keep good health - instead of the "dis-ease" that the AMA is sworn to perpetuate.
Ya gotta remember, disease is big business. The "medical/pharmaceutical industry" would be put outa business if the US population got healthy. It isn't in the financial interests of the AMA/FDA/Big Pharma to eliminate disease, only to perpetuate it, and increase it. Why do you think you see those billion dollar ad campaigns on teevee about "ask your doctor if [drug name] can help you"? Finding some obscure symptom and labelling as a disease gives the AMA/FDA total control over it and anything used to "cure" it.
Think about it.
My condolences to your wife.
Patients Taking Mix Scored Better On Mental Exams, According To Report
Oct. 28, 2003 - A vitamin cocktail containing Vitamin E and the prescription drug Aricept is showing promise as a therapy to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
A three-year study shows that combining the prescription drug Aricept with vitamin E can help slow the progression of the disease, according to Alzheimer's researcher Dr. David Beversdorf.
"What we found was that the decline at years 1, 2 and 3 compared to the baseline was significantly less for our group," said Beversdorf.
Patients treated with the prescription combination scored better on mental exams, showing less mental decline than the group that did not get the cocktail, according to the study. Patients were given a minimum of 670 mg of vitamin E combined with a normal dosage of Aricept. Although the study was promising, researchers still have many questions to answer before they know if the combination will benefit every patient.
The research appears in the journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders. The research was funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer/Eisai, manufacturers of Aricept, and the National Institutes of Health.
In the United States, about 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. As the baby boom generation ages, the estimated Alzheimer prevalence is 11.3 million to 16 million by the year 2050.
Shush, the future of Daimler Benz depends on your silence.
I use "alternative" or "natural" as much as I can. Fortunately, my PCP is open-minded about it. Of course, the food and drug companies are incahoots. Junk food is cheap and readily available, filled with all the stuff that can make us sick. Healthy food, on the other hand, is terribly expensive and not in style anymore. One supplies us with foods that make us sick and the other medicines that make us sick and both get very rich in the process.
Anything the NY Times publishes, I believe the opposite. They ripped the movie "Polar Express" to shreds and I decided to go see it because of their review. It was one of the best movies I have seen.
Nasty side-effect. I'd give the stuff up if I were you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.