Life Extension Vitamins brings life extension vitamin articles, videos, and conversation about using vitamins and supplements for longer health.
Vitamin Supplements – Do They Work?
Vitamin Supplementation is huge worldwide. Most of us take vitamins now or have taken vitamins in the past. The US ranks top in dietary supplementation globally. 18.9% of Americans had taken at least one dietary supplement in 2004. Over 100 million Americans use vitamin and mineral supplements everyday. The global market has become a multi-billion dollar industry and the dietary supplement sector is growing the fastest.
The most common reason for supplement use is “to improve overall health and general well being.” It is a popular belief that vitamins are antioxidants and can therefore protect us from oxidative stress that causes many health conditions.
The most common supplements taken are:
multivitamin/multiminerals – 22%;
multivitamins plus vitamin C – 15%;
vitamin C as a single vitamin – 13%;
herbal and botanical supplements – 7%;
vitamin E as a single vitamin – 6%.
Over the years, more and more reports on the health benefits of vitamin supplements have emerged, ranging from cardiovascular benefits to cancer prevention. This is mainly due to the antioxidant properties of vitamins that can protect us from oxidative stress. As a result several studies have been conducted to confirm these reports. Some of the latest studies summarized below reveal surprising results to say the least.
One of the very first studies to comprehensively investigate the health effects of vitamin supplements was conducted by Danish researchers in 2007. They performed a meta-analysis on data pooled from several clinical trials which used supplementation of the antioxidant vitamin A, vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C and selenium used as stand-alone or as combination supplements to treat a wide range of health conditions, from cardiovascular disorders to cancer. Their results were a surprising, even troubling. For one, no benefits of these “antioxidant supplements” were found. Second, supplementation with vitamins A and E and beta-carotene (but not vitamin C and selenium) actually increased overall mortality. This study prompted other researchers to take a second look at the benefits of vitamin supplements.
In a more recent review paper, the same researchers performed another meta-analysis of more data from several clinical trials, this time involving over 200,000 people who are healthy as well as those with existing health conditions. The researchers only considered studies which compared the efficacy of antioxidant supplements against placebos in the primary and secondary prevention of different medical conditions. The authors reported that they “found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention. Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E may increase mortality.”
Another meta-analysis investigated the anti-cancer properties of antioxidant supplements, particularly against gastrointestinal cancers. They looked at data of trials which studied beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E and selenium. The authors concluded that “we could not find convincing evidence that antioxidant supplements prevent gastrointestinal cancers.”
One of the most recent developments in vitamin supplement research is the long-term SELECT (Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial) study of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The study evaluated the efficacy of selenium and Vitamin E in preventing prostate cancer and enrolled 35,000 male participants in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: group 1 were given vitamin E supplements only, group 2 were given only selenium, group 3 took both supplements in combination, and group 4 were given placebos only. Five years into the study, the NCI decided to stop the trial because of some “concerning” findings, namely:
1. The analysis found no lower risk of prostate cancer in men taking the supplements, either alone or together.
2. Men who were
Aging is a natural phenomenon such that its inevitability has inspired thousands of people to seek the fountain of youth, for after all, nobody wants to grow old or experience the effects of aging. However, the efforts of scientists are not for naught because they discovered that people must not look far and deep. Nature has also provided the essentials to help us delay, if not to prevent, the aging process. Vitamins play very vital roles in slowing the aging process and in maintaining good health.
Just what are the vitamins and why are they vital in our health? One dictionary defines vitamins as “any group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foodstuffs or sometimes produced synthetically.” Vitamins are called the essentials for their vital roles in our health and in aging process. The vitamins listed below are some of the vitamin essentials.
1. Vitamin A – originally known for its vital roles in keeping bright eyesight, this vitamin is also essential in keeping good quality of skin.
2. Vitamin B – this vitamin plays a vital role in converting calories into energy required for the metabolism of the skin. It stimulates the enzymes to function normally like maintaining the oil glands to prevent from drying of skin, a common characteristic of the aging process.
3. Vitamin E – this antioxidant vitamin is very vital in slowing the aging process as it stimulates the gland that secretes collagen and thus reduce the wrinkle formation, which is another sign of aging process.
4. Vitamin C – another vitamin oxidant whose vital role in keeping good health and putting pauses on the aging process is handled satisfactorily by stimulating the body to produce collagen and strengthening the defense system of the body, making it healthy.
5. Beta – carotene – these are common among colored fruits and vegetables. They are excellent in fighting free radicals, one of the culprits in aging and bad health. Beta Carotene is vital in delaying the signs of the aging process.
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Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicole_McDaniels
There have been countless articles written over the past decade about life extension, free radicals and antioxidants.
The theory is that antioxidants neutralize free radicals. Whether we like it or not, free radicals are a normal part of life and they do contribute to aging and illness.
The good news is that our bodies’ natural defense system normally neutralize free radicals, rendering them harmless.
However, this ability can be overpowered by environmental factors such as pollutants, UV radiation and even alcohol. And there is good evidence that free radicals do contribute to aging and can lead to a number of illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
Free radicals and antioxidants
Antioxidant proponents believe that free radicals can be neutralized by antioxidants which, in turn, contributes to life extension by helping prevent chronic diseases.
Examples of antioxidants include:
How to incorporate antioxidants into your diet
The best and easiest way to incorporate antioxidants into your diet is by eating a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables. Citrus fruits, green peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, raw cabbage and potatoes are all good sources of Vitamin A. Wheat germ, nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and fish-liver oil are rich in Vitamin B. For beta-carotene, there are carrots, squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, collards, cantaloupe, peaches and apricots.
If you can’t or choose not to eat these fruits and vegetables regularly, there are supplements available you can use to make up for any deficiencies.
Life extension or not life extension?
Despite what you might read elsewhere, there is no scientific proof that taking antioxidants in pill form will neutralize free radicals and, thus, lead to life extension.
If you believe that you should be increasing the amount of antioxidants in your diet, be sure to talk to your doctor before you start taking any supplements.
And remember. There’s nothing bad about adding a few servings of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to your diet.
While this may not lead to real life extension, it should lead to healthier life.
You can also lead a healthier life through the use of natural herbs. For example, did you know there’s a nut – yes, a nut – that can really help with depression anxiety. And that there’s a really smelly herb that was used by the Greeks for increased vitality that can help people with asthma, bronchitis and a restricted airway? Learn more.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Hanna
Critical examinatiion of a study published this week claiming antioxidants like vitamin E, C, A, selenium and beta-carotene, can decrease your lifespan.
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