News
Vitamin C may slash gout risk in men
9 March 2009
Higher intakes of vitamin C may reduce a man’s risk of gout, the most prevalent inflammatory arthritis in adult males, by up to 45%.
06 April 2011
Low serum concentrations of antioxidants seem to be associated with metabolic syndrome, a new US study indicates.
The study analyzed data from recent national surveys (e.g., NHANES 2001–2006) on U.S. adults aged 20 to 85 years to examine the association between serum antioxidant status and metabolic syndrome (1). The study results showed that adults with metabolic syndrome had consistently lower serum carotenoid (beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin) concentrations compared with those without metabolic syndrome, even after correcting for potential confounders. While vitamin C exhibited a similar association, high vitamin A concentrations were related to low incidences of metabolic syndrome, but only among men. Vitamin E showed no significant relationship with metabolic syndrome.
The researchers commented that these findings add to the accumulating evidence that a higher level of oxidative stress can contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome, a combination of medical disorders (e.g., insulin resistance, obesity and hypertension), that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Future intervention studies of dietary and lifestyle change would be necessary to assess the utility of modifying serum antioxidant concentrations, especially carotenoids, given their suboptimal levels among U.S. adults with metabolic syndrome, for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and various cardiovascular diseases.
Previous observational studies (2, 3) and randomized controlled trials (4) consistently found an association between increased risks of type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome and low carotenoid levels. However, intervention trials did not find any long-term benefits of dietary supplements, particularly with single antioxidants, in the prevention of metabolic syndrome. The failure of single antioxidants to reduce disease risk may be explained, at least in part, by findings indicating that some dietary antioxidants seem to synergistically network against oxidative stress and influence each other’s blood levels (5).
9 March 2009
Higher intakes of vitamin C may reduce a man’s risk of gout, the most prevalent inflammatory arthritis in adult males, by up to 45%.
5 February 2012
Based on a new study, calcium supplements may increase the risk of having a heart attack. Experts criticize that the study’s design is not sound enough to draw such conclusions.
31 March 2014
According to a new US review higher blood vitamin D concentrations seems to be associated with a lower mortality risk of breast cancer patients.