Are Vitamins Killing Us?

After years of being told about the advantages of vitamins, and we should be supplementing our diets with them more and more, (indeed, these vitamins are getting more numerous year by year,) we suddenly wake up one morning to be confronted with the news:-

Vitamins are shortening our lives!

The Cochrane Collaboration, a group of scientists at Copenhagen University have completed a research project that involved selecting 67 out of 817 studies previously carried out and discovered that certain vitamins did not prolong life.

They said, "we found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention," they went on to say, "Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality," of the 5 supplements under scrutiny, only three were found to be injurious:

vitamin A - 16% increased risk of dying

beta-carotene - 7% increased risk of dying

vitamin E - 4% increased risk of dying

The research carried out, involved more than 230,000 men and women, the five vitamins were stated as being, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium. These vitamins were chosen as being the most likely supplements to fairly reflect the impact on reducing mortality, according to the researchers.

The controversy over the report hinges on two things, as stated by an independent nutritionist, the report is flawed as, "it's a re-analysis of an old trial," and it's results are selective by including deaths that were caused by accidents or by reasons other than vitamin supplement intake.

It would seem that, once again, the food and health industry and health authorities and professionals continue to give conflicting reports and equally, continue to switch their minds when giving advice on our health and food in perticular.

The truth of the matter is, as far as supplements go, that most people should be able to get all the nutrients they need, by eating a varied and balanced natural diet and following a realistic fitness program with rock solid nutitional and exercise advice. The less processed the foods are, the less vitamins are going to be depleted.

We just cannot get away from it..., all the latest diets, pills, potions, including supplements,... the most beneficial routine is still good naturally nutritious food and healthy exercise!