New Findings Reveal Vitamin Supplements Could Shorten Lifespan
Vitamins
Vitamins are substances that are naturally present in the foods we eat. Although we only need a small amount of them, they are crucial for normal growth, development and good health. Vitamins do not contain any calories but they are necessary for the body to convert food into energy. Vitamins are also essential in building and repairing cells, tissues and organs.
In recent years, taking vitamin supplements has become the norm rather than the exception due to modern people’s fast-paced lives and hectic schedules. Many people assume that by popping a multi-vitamin pill, they make up for what they lack in their diets. After all, even if supplements do not help, they will not harm.
Advocates of vitamin supplementation believe that vitamins can greatly eradicate free-radical damage, thereby preventing cancer and other diseases. This theory was once supported by initial tests. However, recent tests reveal disturbing results. According to the latest study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), taking supplements such as vitamins A, E and beta-carotene could shorten lifespan.
Vitamins A, E and beta-carotene have recently been discovered by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, to raise the risk of early death by 16, four and seven percent respectively. Current research by Harvard University shows that adding vitamin A to lowfat milk is not beneficial for the body as it may lead to osteoporosis. In addition, people who take vitamin A supplements face a 50 per cent increased risk of bone fracture.
In the past, it was said that taking vitamin E supplements can lead to a lower risk of lung cancer for men below 60 who have been smoking for less than 40 years. The latest research,however, states that this protective effect works only if one eats a well balanced diet that includes foods rich in vitamin E.
Vitamin C did not fare any better. It has been found that long-term
consumption of vitamin C pills may increase oxalic acid in the body,
thereby increasing the risk of oxalate-type kidney stone formation. Allicin,
the principal biological active compound of garlic, was once thought to
reduce cholesterol, hypertension and help fight infection. However, recent
research found out that the effects are temporary and inconsistent.
