From Michael Mooney
I was saddened to read Lisa Melton’s article on antioxidants (5 August, p 40). I would have expected New Scientist to deliver an accurate, incisive analysis of the controversy over dietary supplements. Instead, I read the usual biased approach that is promoted by the conventional medical establishment.
The author makes many statements that are incorrect. For instance, she says: “Only one experiment – the Cambridge heart antioxidant study (CHAOS) – found a positive effect, a 77 per cent reduced risk of heart attack.” She must not be aware of the Iowa Women’s Health Study, which showed a 47 per cent reduction in cardiac mortality with higher-dose vitamin E supplementation (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol 65, p 190).
There is a common theme running through the articles that have been appearing recently, attempting to cast a negative light on the same dietary supplements that hundreds of previous studies have shown to be beneficial. Big pharma doesn’t want people to take vitamins because they might not take so many drugs over the long term.
From Bob Stout
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While my views on this are just as anecdotal as most other people’s, I can’t agree with your article on antioxidants. It may be true of most antioxidants (I would certainly agree about vitamin E), but my own experience has taught me that vitamin C and alpha lipoic acid (ALA) are exceptions. I credit vitamin C with reversing a lifelong pattern of respiratory infections, and ALA with reversing nearly a decade of declining memory.
This does raise a related question which touches on any generalised discussion of the efficacy of drugs. A lot has been written in recent years about tailoring drug regimens to each individual’s body chemistry. This prompts the question of whether such differences could explain why some studies report conflicting results on the value of various drugs and supplements.
I have taken a lot of supplements over the years and most have made little or no difference, but there are a few I swear by. By painting all antioxidants with the same broad brush you are doing a disservice to your readers.
Houston, Texas, US
West Hollywood, California, US
