The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a statement against the use of two nutrientsSupplementsAdvice to prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer –β-caroteneand vitamin E. Among them, beta-carotene even has a carcinogenic risk.This guide made a splash, did it buyhealth productsIs it a waste of money and a bodily injury?
Cardiovascular disease and cancer are major causes of death in many countries, and inflammation and oxidative stress in the body have been shown to contribute to these diseases.Due to the supposed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of taking nutritional supplements, it has become a popular choice for people to buy thesehealth productsone of the reasons.
However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force mentioned in updated guidelines published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.arrive:[1]
● Vitamin E supplementation has no benefit in preventing cardiovascular disease or cancer. Supplementation in excess can increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
● The harms of supplementing beta-carotene outweigh the benefits.in particularsmokingpeople, asbestos-exposed workers, who take beta-carotene supplements are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality andlung cancerrisks of.
● Beta-carotene combined with vitamin A supplements, also increasedlung cancerrisk.[2]
Beta-carotene foods fight cancer, heart-protecting supplements are the opposite
Numerous studies have found that beta-carotene has strong antioxidant power, and when consumed in fruits and vegetables, it can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality. Among them, foods containing carotenoids may have protective effects against cancers of the lung, mouth, pharynx, and larynx.[3][4]
but,smokingof people taking beta-carotene supplements to prevent lung cancer may have the opposite effect.
Studies have found that taking high-dose beta-carotene supplements increases the risk of lung cancer, and smokers have the highest risk of cancer.As early as 1994, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that the overall mortality rate of male smokers who took beta-carotene was 8% higher than that of participants who did not take it. Lung cancer and ischemic heart disease are the most common causes of death。[5][6]
So, how much is a “high dose”? A 2010 meta-analysis noted thatPeople who supplemented 20 to 30 mg of beta-carotene per day had a significant 16% increase in the incidence of lung cancer and gastric cancer, and the highest risk was among smokers and asbestos workers.[7]
And, regardless of the tar and nicotine content of cigarettes, smokers had an increased risk of lung cancer as long as they supplemented with beta-carotene. The combination of beta-carotene and ethanol can cause hepatotoxicity in smokers who also drink alcohol.[8][9]
Why do beta-carotene and beta-carotene supplements from food produce almost opposite results in humans? The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center points out that dietary beta-carotene may interact with other phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables to affect the body better than supplements.[10]
Another study suggests that high-dose beta-carotene supplements may change from “antioxidants” to “pro-oxidants”, and even cause oxidative damage to DNA in people who smoke, making cells more likely to become cancerous.[11][12]
A 2020 review in Antioxidants noted that carotenoids, including beta-carotene, have complex interactions in the body and may become antioxidants or pro-oxidants. In the latter case, carotenoids may damage cells.[13]
As for vitamin A supplements, although different from beta-carotene with clear risks, supplementation from food is also recommended.[14]
Two studies in 2019 found that dietary intake of vitamin A, rather than supplements, reduces all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality; diet rich in carotenoids can be converted into vitamin A in the body, which is beneficial for cardiometabolism healthy.[15][16]
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient and may accumulate in excess with a single supplement. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states that too much vitamin A can reduce bone mineral density, or produce hepatotoxic or teratogenic effects.
Buying health care products is a waste of money and hurts your health?
The US Preventive Services Task Force also mentioned in the newly published guidelines: There is insufficient evidence to prove that supplementation of single or multiple nutrients can prevent cardiovascular disease or cancer.
This guideline evaluates the effects of single or multivitamin supplements such as beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, selenium, and others on the prevention of cardiovascular disease. , cancer and mortality reduction benefits, came to the above conclusions.
In an editorial accompanying the guideline, Dr. Jeffrey A. Linder, chief of general internal medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School, said with his colleagues: Instead of focusing on money, time and attention When it comes to supplements, it is better to emphasize low-risk, high-benefit activities. For example, eating healthy, exercising, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding smoking.
This makes people wonder, is buying health care products really a waste of money and hurting your health? After all, not everyone can enjoy a well-balanced meal all the time.
In this regard, Lin Shihang, the executive director of the Good Food Course and a nutritionist, said that supplementing single nutrient supplements often requires higher doses; but supplementing multivitamins is safer.
On the other hand, a nutritionally balanced diet can indeed reduce cancer and cardiovascular risk, and eating the prototype food can supplement a variety of nutrients at the same time. However, some nutrients are difficult to obtain effective doses from food, such as fish oil, so they can still be supplemented from health supplements.
There are also factors that make people need to supplement essential nutrients from health supplements.
The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that pregnant women take 0.4 to 0.8 mg (400 to 800 micrograms) of folic acid supplements per day to prevent congenital neural tube defects in babies.
Lack of vitamin B12 will affect memory, but vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal foods. People who are vegetarians for a long time are prone to lack and need to supplement from health products.
In addition, non-human essential nutrients such as astaxanthin, sesamin, and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) still have certain benefits to supplement them. When it is difficult to obtain from food, you can also choose health care products. For example: people who are stressed and sleep well, supplementing with sesamin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) will be effective; people with overworked eyes and sore eyes, supplementing astaxanthin can improve.
Lin Shihang pointed out that the advantage of supplements is that they can quickly make up for the effective dose they need, or when it is really difficult for people to improve their diets, they can get the nutrients they need from supplements. But he stressed, “You can’t feel that you don’t have to eat a balanced diet because you’re taking health supplements.”
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Responsible editor: Li Qingfeng