Expert opinion
What Vitamins Can and Cannot Do
1 May 2009
“Every micronutrient unfolds a specific effect in the human organism. These effects are complex, sometimes dose-dependent and can vary from one type of tissue or organ to another;
04 August 2010
Stroke patients who take vitamin B supplements to lower their homocysteine levels may not be protected from second strokes or heart attacks, a new Australian study suggests.
In the randomized controlled trial, 8,164 patients with recent stroke or heart attack were randomly assigned to receive B vitamins (25 mg vitamin B6, 2 mg vitamin B9, and 0.5 mg vitamin B12) or placebo in addition to standard care (1). The patients were followed up for a mean duration of 3.4 years to assess the incidence of major vascular events. The researchers found that the B vitamins were no more effective than placebo in reducing the risk of a second stroke or heart attack. The B vitamins did, however, lower homocysteine levels and were well-tolerated.
The researchers said that the question of whether or not B vitamins lower the risk of a second stroke or heart attack was not answered fully by this trial. The study may not have included enough patients and may not have run for long enough to be statistically sound. Earlier studies suggest that raised plasma concentrations of total homocysteine might be a risk factor for major vascular events and that lowering homocysteine levels with B vitamins might reduce this risk.
Experts commented an important limitation is the fact that this trial tested B vitamins like drugs for secondary prevention of strokes in patients. The results of this study do not address the question of whether taking B vitamins can have a beneficial effect on primary prevention. Therefore, the study does not refute the findings from observational studies, which demonstrate a primary preventive effect of lower homocysteine levels on cardiovascular outcomes, they concluded (2).
1 May 2009
“Every micronutrient unfolds a specific effect in the human organism. These effects are complex, sometimes dose-dependent and can vary from one type of tissue or organ to another;
31 May 2016
Early pre-term birth (ePTB) is defined as occurring at 34 weeks of pregnancy or earlier and imposes a considerable burden on mother, child and financial resources alike. Taking a 600mg per day supplement of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) during the final two trimesters of pregnancy reduced early pre-term birth (ePTB) with a net average saving of $1,484 per pregnancy, according to a new study from the KUDOS (Kansas University DHA Outcome Study) cohort (1) in the U.S. This could produce total savings of $6 billion per year in the U.S.
12 October 2011
A new US study speculates that the frequent use of vitamin C and vitamin E in the period after breast cancer diagnosis may be associated with a decreased likelihood of recurrence, whereas frequent use of a combination of carotenoids may be associated with increased mortality. Experts warn against jumping to conclusions.