It always surprises me when I see a negative headline in the newspapers about vitamin supplements. It’s usually a “I told you so” type claim by some anti-supplement researcher contending that vitamin supplements are worthless or, even better, dangerous. Or, it’s a study that shows taking vitamin supplements will not, in themselves, cure cancer, heart disease, or impart immortality.
There are many reasons why these types of headlines continue to surprise me. I will just mention one. As part of my job, I monitor news about research on vitamin supplements every day. And I see a steady stream of positive and encouraging studies. All of this is ignored by the press, however, when the occasional negative study emerges. That’s what surprises me.
Vitamin E is a good example. There have been thousands of studies on vitamin E published over the years. There have been scientific books written about vitamin E. Of these many studies, some have been positive and some have been negative. Some are merely thought provoking. Some meet the highest and most rigid scientific standards and others do not. It’s various proposed health benefits may stand up better to scrutiny for one condition, and less so for another. To claim vitamin E is worthless, a waste of money, or dangerous, however, is ridiculous.
Just a few days ago, a new study on vitamin E and Alzheimer’s disease was published. It showed, in a convincing manner, that high dose vitamin E supplementation slowed functional decline in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. It was a scientifically sound study, and the results were significant.
Does that mean that vitamin E cures Alzheimer’s disease? Does that mean that everyone should take 2,000 IU of vitamin E every day to ward off Alzheimer’s disease? No, of course not. It would be irresponsible to make such claims.
What it does mean, however, is that substances like vitamin E do have potentially beneficial biochemical benefits. Would I suggest that someone showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease take 2,000 IU of vitamin E daily? I sure as heck would! Why not? I would probably also suggest a good, high dose of Ginkgo biloba as well. Why not? There are times when common sense trumps conclusive scientific proof.
Do studies like this one on vitamin E and Alzheimer’s support my contention that regular, daily supplementation with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants provides general protection against those conditions (such as oxidative damage) contributing to various diseases and degenerative afflictions? I think any reasonable person would agree.
As I said, other studies support the benefits of vitamin supplementation as well. Another recent example is a conclusion coming out of the Physicians Health Study II, that taking a multivitamin supplement daily may stave off development of cataracts in middle-aged and older men. The researchers found a 9% lower risk for cataract among participants in the multivitamin group compared with the placebo group (Ophthalmology)
According to Matthew J. Welch, MD, a vitreoretinal surgeon at the Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois, this new data "at least suggests to the general clinician or the general ophthalmologist, maybe even the primary care physician, that the notion of taking a multivitamin is probably something that we should encourage in more patients than not," He continued, "You're probably doing yourself some good — you're definitely not doing yourself any harm — by taking a multivitamin, and maybe that does stave off your cataract progression."
Claims that we should get all the vitamins and minerals we need from eating healthy foods, properly prepared, obviating our need for multivitamin supplements, is specious at best. We know this is rarely achieved. Even if we wanted to, forces in modern society, from environmental challenges to marketing pressures, make doing so increasingly difficult. We face environmental hazzards unheard of in the days of our ancestors.
A recent study, for example, determined that over 95% of food and beverage advertisements on children’s television programs are for unhealthy products! ( L.M. Powell, R.M. Schermbeck, F.J. Chaloupka. Childhood Obesity, December 2013, Volume 9, Number 6, Pages 524-531, doi: 10.1089/chi.2013.0072. “Nutritional Content of Food and Beverage Products in Television Advertisements Seen on Children’s Programming”)
The question is always one of balancing benefit to risk. Ask yourself why some of these anti-supplement crusaders are so concerned. Why would a hospital administrator withdraw all nutritional supplements from the hospital pharmacy? What’s the real reason?
Are supplements dangerous? Do you mean to tell me that the pharmacists and doctors in a hospital can cope with the inherent dangers of prescription drugs but cannot handle nutritional supplements?
Some have expressed concern about the “dangers” of vitamin E supplementation. As we said earlier, we need to look at benefit to risk. According to Dr. Maret G. Traber, professor of health sciences at Oregon State University, a director at the Linus Pauling Institute and an internationally recognized expert on vitamin E, "I believe that past studies which have alleged adverse consequences from vitamin E have misinterpreted the data," Traber stated, continuing, "Taking too much vitamin E is not the real concern. A much more important issue is that more than 90 percent of people in the U.S. have inadequate levels in their diet." (Reference: Journal of Lipid Research; March, 2013, Electronic Prepublication)
One reason for the confusion over vitamin E relates to the way it is metabolized in the body. Even though vitamin E is classified as a fat-soluble vitamin, it is not metabolized the same way as the other fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin D. The latter can cause problems because they can accumulate in the body. This is not the case for vitamin E.
According to Dr. Traber, two systems in the liver help control vitamin E levels and excrete excess amounts. "Unlike some other fat-soluble vitamins such as A and D, it is not possible for vitamin E to accumulate in the liver or other tissues," Traber said.
In summary, it is clear that vitamin and nutritional supplements have their value. There is a large upside, and very little downside. “Optimal” nutrition is one thing, and “adequate” nutrition is another.
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