6 replies to this topic

[BrandonFlorida]

This survey of 26 studies found lack of effect or negative effect for a group of popular vitamins and minerals.  Obviously, there are many supplements not included.  Nonetheless, the result is very disappointing.

 

http://www.usprevent.../vitasuppes.pdf

[ceridwen]

Must have been rigged. There is no profit for big pharma in supplements. We all know they work for many people

[gt35r]

The title is a little  misleading. The study was for vitamins A C , some B, D and E as well as Calcium and selenium; not supplements in general. 

[BrandonFlorida]

As I stated originally, it was for a popular, but limited, set of supplements.  Most supplements in common use were not included.  It's hard to see how it was "rigged," though.  It looks like they at least tried to do a good statistical analysis.  They rated some of the underlying studies as more reliable than others.  Still, it is disappointing to someone who has been taking supplements for almost 48 years. 

[pamojja]

Still, it is disappointing to someone who has been taking supplements for almost 48 years. 

 

I wished I had taken supplements earlier, only started high dose Orthomolecular medicine when diagnosed a 80% stenosis at my abdominal aorta, and thereafter supplemented with success.

 

 

.  It looks like they at least tried to do a good statistical analysis.

 

Such meta-analysis's are bound to fail (or rather, succeed in their objective..), If for example studies with ridiculous amounts of vitamin C are used. Or by giving former smoker excessive amounts of beta-carotene.

Edited by pamojja, 03 September 2014 - 02:29 PM.

[Dorian Grey]

A while back someone commented on the Iowa Women's Health Study saying he wouldn't expect to see substantial benefit in a study of "a bunch of fat old midwestern women megadosing iron and calcium".  

 

In looking into the IWHS myself, I found iron was one of the more popular "vitamins" women in the study who supplemented decided would be good for them. Remarkably, the study showed that the older the women got the more iron they tended to take.  

 

I haven't dug into the study linked in the original post but it will be interesting to see how much iron, copper and calcium was gobbled down by those who supplemented.   As there are good food choices and bad food choices, there is also good supplementation and bad supplementation.    

 

I feel a lot of uninformed/amateur vitimin/mineral pill poppers tend to make a lot of poor choices and studies of these populations produce a lot of misleading results.  I'd like to see a large study on supplementation where the bulk of the subjects shunned minerals as they got older and supplemented things like mixed tocopherols, Curcumin, Lecithin, FOS prebiotics and IP6.  Probably best I don't hold my breath waiting for this.  

Edited by synesthesia, 03 September 2014 - 03:12 PM.

[timar]

If anything is disappointing about that report (not really a full-fledged meta-analysis), which I have discussed in-depth in this topic, it is the authors' bias showing up in their conclusions - and of course, the grossly distorted, generalizing editorial published in the same issue of the Annals, begging for media attention.