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Vitamin
E Study Misleads Consumers
Vitamin
E Meta-analysis Misleads Consumers
The following release is made by the ANH in the wake of
a raft of negative publicity on Vitamin E following the
meta-analysis released by Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.
Cautious
interpretation is essential
The
meta-analysis to be published next January in the Annals
of Internal Medicine (Volume 142, Issue 1), suggests
that mortality in people taking over 400 IU of Vitamin E
a day is increased. The study, published electronically
on the journal's Website, re-analyses data from 19 clinical
trials involving Vitamin E published between 1993 and 2004
and was undertaken by researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical
Institutions.
In
the view of the Alliance for Natural Health, which represents
doctors, practitioners, consumers and leading-edge companies
with interests in sustainable healthcare and natural therapies,
it is of paramount importance that the study results are
interpreted with caution.
Scaremongering
headlines, based largely on misinterpretations of the study,
which have begun to appear today, do nothing to help the
development of responsible self-care patterns in consumers
which are urgently required in the face of escalating heart
disease and cancer rates.
Limitations
of the study
In a widely circulated press release publicizing the study,
Dr. Edgar Miller, lead author of the meta-analysis at Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine, claims that If people
are taking a multivitamin, they should make sure it contains
no more than a low dose of Vitamin E. "Our study shows
that use of high-dose vitamin E supplements certainly did
not prolong life, but was associated with a higher risk
of death."
However,
the study has a number of very important limitations which
mean that sweeping generalizations such as those made by
Dr. Miller should not be made. Such statements could be
regarded as irresponsible, particularly as they are likely
to cloud consumer views over the importance of food supplementation
as a means of compensating for the now well demonstrated
inadequacies of the typical, western diet.
Some
of the most important limitations of the study are: Click
here for full article, posted on Alliance for Natural
Health.
A
word about RDA:
The RDA (Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances) is an
estimate established by the National Research Council
of the National Academy of Sciences for nutritional needs
necessary for prevention of nutrient depletion in healthy
people. RDAs do not take into account altered requirements
due to sickness, injury, physical or mental stress, use
of medications or drugs, nor compensate for the nutrient
losses that occur during processing and preparation of food.
The RDA indicates the amount of vitamins and minerals needed
to prevent common deficiency diseases (such as rickets or
scurvy) for the average healthy person. The "average
person" assumes that you are an adult under 60 years
old who is in good health, has normal digestion, isn't overweight,
leads a relatively stress-free life, has no medical problems,
does not need any medication, and eats a healthy, nutritious
balanced diet everyday consisting of 2,000 calories per
day -- none of which comes from refined or processed foods.
So, if by definition, you are an "average healthy person,"
then RDA requirements apply to you.
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