Vitamins KillVitamins Kill

The antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase the risk of death rather than helping health, a new review suggests.

In Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers in Denmark concluded some of the most common antioxidants increase the risk of dying, based on their analysis of 68 studies on more than 25,000 people.

"Beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E given singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements significantly increase mortality," Dr. Goran Bjelakovic of the Center for Clinical Intervention Research in Copenhagen and his colleagues wrote.

"There is no evidence that vitamin C may increase longevity. We lack evidence to refute a potential negative effect of vitamin C on survival. Selenium tended to reduce mortality, but we need more research on this question," the authors write.

— ...wheat germ, organic honey and... tiger's milk...
— Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain
life-preserving properties.
— You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
— Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
— Incredible!