Studies of men, women go against 'common knowledge'
'Nutritional Supplements' may have negative long-term effects
Two major studies of long-term use of nutritional supplements indicate some not-so-good long-term effects.
The first, started in 1986, looked at older women taking multivitamins. By 2008, 40% of the partiicpants had died, and the researches say the use of multivitamins was associated with 2.4% increased absolute risk for death, and some mineral supplements also increased risk for death 3 to 6%. Copper supplements were especially noted, and associated with an 18% risk for total mortalith. Read more about the Iowa Womens Health Study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The second study is on Vitamin E and the risk of Prostate Cancer, and looked at both Selenium and Vitamin E, following 35-thousand healthy men. After over five and a hlaf years of follow-up, the group that got Vitamin E had a 17% increased risk for prostate cancer, on a 400 IU/daily dose, leading researcers to say Vitamin E does not prevent prostate cancer. This study is also summarized for youDr. Richard O'Neill, Psychologist at SUNY Upstate, says the best advice is to eat fruits and vegetables and don't take supplements unless your doctor subscribes something specifically for you.
