Health News
By Dr. Madelyn Fersntrom
You might have heard about a recent study reporting that women taking vitamin/mineral supplements died at slightly higher rates compared to women who did not rely on supplements. Can this be true? This study, and the surrounding media blitz, has caused a LOT of consumer confusion. I?d like to set the record straight!
Here?s the main finding: scientists following nearly 39,000 women (average age of 62) for 19 years compared supplement (multivitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc, folic acid) users with non-supplement users and their rates of death.
They found a slight increase in the absolute rate of death ? 2.4% - with vitamin supplementation.
And this was not true for all supplements. Calcium supplementation appeared to reduce the risk of death.
First, this was only an association study ? NOT cause and effect. It was an observation of what happened in a large group of people. This means that there was a connection ? an association ? between women who took vitamins and a higher rate of death. It does NOT mean that vitamin supplementation was the cause of death. This is a very big point to understand! Also, this was a study only of older, white women ? and other factors might have contributed to this finding.
Most other studies do not find this result; many others find that moderate vitamin/mineral ingestion (ie, not exceeding 100% of recommended requirements) are health promoting.
So what should you do? Talk to a health professional (not the health food store!) before taking a daily regimen of supplements other than a single multi-vitamin/mineral product. And always talk to your doctor before taking a dietary supplement of any type if you take prescription medications.
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Health News
Should Women Be Taking Vitamins?
By Dr. Madelyn Fersntrom
Here?s the main finding: scientists following nearly 39,000 women (average age of 62) for 19 years compared supplement (multivitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc, folic acid) users with non-supplement users and their rates of death.
They found a slight increase in the absolute rate of death ? 2.4% - with vitamin supplementation.
And this was not true for all supplements. Calcium supplementation appeared to reduce the risk of death.
First, this was only an association study ? NOT cause and effect. It was an observation of what happened in a large group of people. This means that there was a connection ? an association ? between women who took vitamins and a higher rate of death. It does NOT mean that vitamin supplementation was the cause of death. This is a very big point to understand! Also, this was a study only of older, white women ? and other factors might have contributed to this finding.
Most other studies do not find this result; many others find that moderate vitamin/mineral ingestion (ie, not exceeding 100% of recommended requirements) are health promoting.
So what should you do? Talk to a health professional (not the health food store!) before taking a daily regimen of supplements other than a single multi-vitamin/mineral product. And always talk to your doctor before taking a dietary supplement of any type if you take prescription medications.
- The Debate On Fish Oil
By Dr. Madelyn FernstromFish oil continues to be a hot health topic, and it?s front page news yet again. A new study suggests that fish oil supplements provide no ?value-add? to your health. This study, called a meta-analysis, accumulated the information...
- Revisiting Vitamin D
...
- The Vitamin D Advantage
Wherever one looks these days, vitamin D is labeled as practically the Holy Grail of good health. But the natural source of vitamin D is from the sun, which causes a dilemma for us all. Too much sun can mean courting skin cancer, but not enough may cause...
- Vitamin D: Are You Getting Enough?
By Holly Hosler Ever since I went to Sinai Hospital Grand Rounds last week, which featured a talk on vitamin D by John Hopkins Bayview Hospital endocrinologist Suzanne M. Jan de Beur, M.D., I?ve been tempted to spend a little time outdoors during my lunch...
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By Deb Kirkland, RN, BSN, MPH Nurse Navigator, Herman & Walter Samuelson Breast Center at Northwest Hospital A study conducted at Brigham and Women?s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, ?Aspirin Intake and Survival After Breast Cancer,? suggests...