Posted on: Saturday, April 30, 2005
PRESCRIPTIONS
Fruits, veggies best suppliers of vitamins
By Landis Lum
Some of you were amazed by what my article of April 9 had to say about taking vitamins. Others were a bit confused, so here's a clarification — and a tidbit on vitamin E and Alzheimer's disease.
On Mar. 16, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a randomized trial (the most accurate type of scientific study) of thousands of people that revealed taking natural-source vitamin E at 400 international units a day for seven years didn't reduce cancers or heart disease, and actually increased heart failure.
Previous studies involving 68,000 patients also found no benefit for vitamin E. Another randomized study, reported April 13 by the New England Journal of Medicine, found that taking 2,000 IU per day of vitamin E did not delay Alzheimer's disease.
Vitamin E may have pro- rather than antioxidant effects at higher doses. A meta-analysis of multiple studies in the Jan. 4 Annals of Internal Medicine revealed vitamin E at doses of 400 IU a day or higher may actually increase your chance of dying.
Diets high in fruits and vegetables have lots of vitamin A, beta carotene and vitamin C and are associated with fewer cancers and heart disease, so what about taking more of these vitamins?
Well, in a randomized study of 29,000 male smokers, the April 14, 1994, New England Journal found that taking 20 milligrams of beta carotene (equal to 33,000 units of vitamin A) a day actually increased deaths from lung cancer, strokes and heart attacks.
Other studies had similar findings. And though not a randomized study, in the Iowa Women's Health Study, diabetics who took more than 300 mg a day of vitamin C pills had increased deaths from strokes and heart attacks.
So what's happening? In fruits and vegetables, there are hundreds of antioxidants and molecules that haven't even been discovered yet. It could be argued that one of these — or a combination of these, taken in the correct proportion — is the true "super antioxidant" protecting against cancers and heart disease.
Taking extra beta carotene or vitamin C may throw off the balance of the substances you eat in the natural, correct proportions in your diet, causing disease. Also, there's no evidence that taking two, three or more vitamins or supplements in combination is beneficial. It may, in fact, only add to their separate toxicities. Taking vitamins, supplements or anything else in extra amounts not present in the normal diet is no longer natural. It is like taking drugs without a doctor's supervision and may be harmful.
In other words, get your antioxidants naturally through fruits and vegetables, the way our bodies are designed to.
Dr. Landis Lum is a family-practice physician for Kaiser Permanente and an associate clinical professor at the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine. Send your questions to Prescriptions, Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax 535-8170; or write to islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com. This column is not intended to provide medical advice.
