Uncontrolled intake of vitamin supplements can not only add life, but also reduce it.

Millions of people around the world are taking antioxidants such as vitamins A, E and beta-carotene.

After analyzing a lot of previous works, the University of Copenhagen concluded that the use of vitamins can not only not reduce the risk of death, but also increase it slightly.

The results of this study again raise the question that the use of vitamin preparations is not an analog of a healthy diet and all people need not just vitamin supplements, but simply a balanced diet.

While the use of vitamins is popular for decades, the exact advantages from it have not yet been revealed, despite the fact that a large number of studies have been carried out.

The latest theory of vitamin intake suggests that many vitamins can reduce the effects of free radicals that damage the cell's lipid membranes.

Given that such a state as "oxidative stress" really underlies many serious diseases like cancer or diseases of the cardiovascular system, the fact that vitamins can stop it has not yet been proven.

Researchers from Copenhagen analyzed about 815 studies that examined the benefits and benefits of vitamins A, E and C, beta-carotene and selenium - the usual components of vitamin supplements.

Of these, 68 were the most indicative by methods of performance evaluation. Then, all the results were analyzed using statistical methods. The result showed that vitamin supplements do not affect life expectancy.

Then another 21 papers were analyzed. The results were somewhat shocking to scientists: they did not shorten the life expectancy of only selenium and vitamin C.

Beta-carotene increased the risk of death by 7%, vitamin E by 4%, vitamin A by 16%.

The results of the study are contradictory: some scientists agree with the Danes, and some, like Dr. Ann Walker, say that part of the research that was taken for analysis included monitoring the initially sick people.

According to her, the assumption that a single vitamin supplement can solve the outcome of a cardiovascular disease is simply ridiculous.

Medicinform. Net.

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