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Consumer Health Digest #06-21
Your Weekly Update of News and Reviews
May 23, 2006
Current # of subscribers: 11,487
Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by
Stephen Barrett, M.D., and cosponsored by NCAHF and Quackwatch. It
summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement
actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and
nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer
protection and consumer decision-making.
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Comprehensive dietary supplement reports issued.The National Institutes of Health has drafted a
"state-of-the-science" report about whether multivitamin/mineral
supplements (MVMs) and certain single nutrient supplements can
prevent chronic disease. The conclusions expressed by the report's
authors include:
**More than half of American adults take MVMs with the belief that
they will feel better, have greater energy, improve health, and/or
prevent and treat disease.
**Compared with nonusers, supplements takers tend to have a better
diet, less need for supplements, and more risk of exceeding the safe
upper limit (UL) of some nutrients.
**There is insufficient evidence to recommend either for or against
the use of MVMs by the American public to prevent chronic disease.
**Few high-quality studies have addressed whether one or a few
nutrients can prevent chronic disease in American adults, and only a
few such studies have yielded positive results.
**With few exceptions, neither beta-carotene nor vitamin E had
benefits for preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataract, and
age-related macular degeneration. Beta-carotene supplementation
increased lung cancer risk in smokers and persons exposed to asbestos.
**Folic acid alone or combined with vitamin B12 and/or vitamin B6 had
no significant effect on cognitive function.
**Selenium may confer benefit for cancer prevention but not
cardiovascular disease prevention.
**Calcium may prevent bone mineral density loss in postmenopausal
women and may reduce vertebral fractures, but not non-vertebral
fractures. The evidence suggests dose-dependent benefits of vitamin D
with or without calcium for retaining bone mineral density and
preventing hip and other nonvertebral fractures.
**The FDA lacks the resources to collect adequate data and lacks the
legal authority to safely regulate the dosage of individual
ingredients.
**Additional research and a mandatory adverse-event reporting system
are needed for dietary supplements.
The draft statement
http://consensus.nih.gov/2006/MVMDRAFT051706.pdf was accompanied by a 321-page evidence report.
http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/multivit/multivit.pdf A final statement is expected in July.
[...]
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Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Board Chairman, Quackwatch, Inc.
NCAHF Vice President and Director of Internet Operations
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Editor, Consumer Health Digest
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