Results of a recent study about the ability of two common vitamins to prevent heart disease should tell us something fundamental about the way we approach health care -- and how the accepted wisdom often turns out to be wrong.
In the longest and largest study of vitamins C and E to date, researchers have determined that neither does anything to prevent heart disease. While the study focused on the vitamins' effect on men, researchers said the results were so clear that they would likely apply to women as well.
Not only were the vitamin supplements ineffective in preventing heart disease, they might even be harmful. Male smokers taking vitamin E had a higher rate of bleeding strokes. And some research suggests vitamin C could promote cancer rather than fighting it.
The results of this study no doubt are bad news for the millions of Americans who take these two vitamins in hopes of making themselves healthier. Researchers estimate that about 12 percent of Americans take supplements of C and E.
And why not? It has been assumed for at least a decade that the antioxidant properties of C and E would help reduce the risk of heart disease. Both vitamins -- C in particular -- also have been touted as effective in battling a number of other ailments, including the common cold.
Many cold remedies and other over-the-counter medicines boldly proclaim that they contain these vitamins. And, oddly enough, the results of this study are not likely to change that any time soon.
Most of us would love to find good health in the form of a pill. We're always open to the promise of a magic potion that will keep us healthy -- perhaps even making it unnecessary to exercise, eat right and follow other healthy living habits. Unfortunately, we apparently aren't going to find everlasting good health in pills of vitamin C or E.
But this study also demonstrates that once we've decided that something is good for us, it's hard to shatter that belief, even with a the backing of sound research. While this study is the largest and longest, it is hardly the first. Other studies have suggested that vitamins C and E in pill form offer little, if any, protection against disease.
But many will continue to take these vitamins daily, even if they might be harmful, because, well, it's common knowledge that they're good for us.
Health officials constantly advise people not to jump on the latest nutritional trend but to wait until the solid evidence rolls in. It also makes sense to keep an open mind about what's healthy and what isn't because the advice can change drastically, even in just a short period of time.
Remember, for example, when eating eggs was bad for you? Well, now it's not.
However, the latest thorough research on vitamins C and E suggests that taking large daily doses of either or both could not only be a waste of money but also harmful to your health. Are you listening?
