PRESS RELEASE - VITAMINS & MINERALS JUNE 1ST 2007

The Health Products Association has noted a review article in the 28th February 2007 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The conclusions of the review article suggest that treatment with betacarotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may increase mortality. The researchers added that the potential roles of vitamin C and selenium on mortality need further study.

The HPA is dismayed at the parameters used in the research design. Beta Carotene was examined between the levels of 1,2 mg and 50 mg per day. Vitamin A was examined between the levels of 1333 i.u. to 200,000 i.u. per day. Vitamin E was examined between 10 i.u. and 5000 i.u. per day. Vitamin C was examined between 20mg and 200mg per day. In general, these levels represent much too wide a scope and infringe in areas of known risk. The United States, United Kingdom and Europe have developed scientific risk assessment levels for total daily intake of nutrients. The total intake includes intake from both supplements and all dietary sources.

These total daily intake recommendations cover the following ranges :

Where the researchers for the JAMA article examined trials within the recommended levels such as for vitamin C and selenium, the results did not increase mortality and suggested reduced mortality. Where the researchers included trials conducted with higher than recommended levels, the results were negative.

It is imperative to use supplements in terms of the scientific recommendation and not to exceed the recommended amounts.

The researchers also noted that only synthetic anti-oxidants were used in the trials and that the findings should not be translated to be potential effects of fruit and vegetables. There may be a case for a more positive effect of whole food based supplements.

The safety of vitamins has been well documented and recent statistics from the US National Poisoning and Exposure database published in a 129 page report of the American Association of Poison Control Centres and also published in the journal of Clinical Toxicology. The report shows no deaths by vitamins in 2005. There were zero deaths from multi-vitamins or single vitamins.

Over half the US population takes vitamin supplements every day. Even if each of these people took only one single tablet per day, that makes 145,000,000 individual doses per day and a total of 53 billion doses annually. Since many persons take additional vitamins, the numbers are considerably higher, and the safety of vitamins all the more remarkable.

Other responses from around the world are illuminating. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) in the USA responded as follows :
"Combining secondary prevention and primary prevention trials and then making conclusions for the entire population is an unsound scientific approach", said Dr Shao. "Additionally, many of the treatment trials had limitations, including the expectation that a simple anti-oxidant vitamin could be expected to overturn serious illness, such as cancer or heart disease. These trials likely statistically skewed the results."
Dr Derek Shrimpton, Scientific Advisor to the European Federation of Associations of Health Product Manufacturers said, "The paper proposes to overturn the conclusions of well conducted trials in favour of conclusions drawn from a statistical analysis of all publications in the scientific literature on the subject irrespective of their merit." Prof. David Richardson, Scientific advisor to the UK Council for Responsible Nutrition said, "Although the analysis of the data source is extensive, the conclusions reached go much further than the scope of the evidence and limitations of the individual studies concerned." "The studies also embraced different anti-oxidants having different bioavailabilities and mechanisms of action, and the anti-oxidants were given at different doses, for different lengths of time, in different combinations, using different methodologies."

In the modern diet, we do not get all the nutrients we need from the food we eat. There are many reasons for that and they include poor food choices; mono-cultures producing deficient soils; denatured, devitalized and demineralised foods; unbalanced diets. Supplementation is necessary but only in terms of established scientific levels. Vitamins and minerals are, by definition, essential for life and it is the balanced intake that provides for optimal biochemic function.

The HPA does not believe that vitamin and mineral supplements should be used to replace a balanced diet but should be used to provide optimal nutrition.

Research supporting the safety and efficacy of nutritional substances such as vitamins and minerals is plentiful and any casual examination of web sites such as Google-Scholar or Pub-Med will indicate the evidence-based nature of supporting clinical studies. All research has to be carefully examined in terms of the research design to establish what is being examined and what conclusions have been drawn. The overall preponderance of evidence for the safety and efficacy of vitamins and minerals is well established. The personal experience of millions of people in the world testify to the beneficial results of taking responsible and appropriate supplements on a daily basis, both for prevention and for effective intervention.

Dr W ALAN TOMLINSON
CHAIRMAN
HEALTH PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA

This news article is associated with the press release for June 4th 2007 - click here to view this now.