> There have been a few too many studies lately showing that taking vitamin
> supplements may increase one's risk of heart disease and cancer.

I'm only aware of one - the CARET study.

> It
> may be that taking too many antioxidants is harmful.  The body may need
some
> free radicals to combat cancer.


This study looked at the effect of supplementing beta-carotene (30 mg/day)
or vitamin A (25,000 IU/day) or both or a placebo on a group persons at risk
of lung cancer due to long-term smoking, asbestos exposure, or both.

Previously, it was found that those at risk of lung cancer who ate the
highest amount of colorful fruits and vegetables were much less likely to
develop lung cancer.  It was believed that the antioxidants content of the
fruits and vegetables prevented/delayed the lung cancers.

The study found that those taking the vitamin A and the beta-carotene were
at 28% *greater* risk of developing lung cancer and dying than those taking
the placebo.  The study was halted for ethical reasons.

It is not known why the vitamin A and beta-carotene increased the risk of
cancer and death.  The Eades touch on one of the *beneficial* aspects of
free radicals,

"For example, the immune system is able to harness the destructive power of
free radicals and turn it on the body's enemies.  In simple terms, certain
cells of the immune system capture foreign or potentially harmful pathogens,
such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells, hold them still, and execute
them with blasts of free radicals.

These immune soldiers then clean up the battlefield by consuming their
victims.  Perhaps the immune system of the smokers in these studies were
barely holding their own against the toxins in the cigarette smoke, the
infectious bacteria the chronically infect smokers' lungs, and the cells in
the lungs that mutate at high rates after tobacco smoke exposure, when along
came a single antioxidant form that quenched the very free radicals needed
to combat these dangerous forces.  No one knows for sure the actual cause or
causes of the greatly increased rates of lung cancer in the group of
subjects taking the vitamin A and beta-carotene supplements..."

> There are
> also a number of studies showing that eating the foods containing the
> vitamins is beneficial.  The Eades' talk about this in Protein Power
> Lifeplan.

>The theory must be that eating the supplement is not the same as
> eating the vitamins in foods where they are present with other vitamins,
> anti-oxidants etc. It may also be the case that taking supplements leads
to
> an excessive dose of vitamins that are beneficial in smaller quantities.

The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) measures the ability of whole
foods, blood, and just about any substance to neutralize oxygen free
radicals in the test tube. "When scientists evaluated foods for their total
antioxidant capacity by adding up the capacities of the known antioxidants
in the foods, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and the various carotenoids, the
total fell far short of the measured ORAC, indicating that either unknown
substances are contributing to the free radical quenching effect or the
combination of antioxidants is greater than the sum of the individual
components.  This whole-is-greater-than-the-parts- phenomenon advances our
argument for choosing the whole food over one, or a few, of the individual
antioxidant components."

Later in the chapter, the Eades recommend supplemental vitamin E, vitamin C,
coenzyme Q10, and alpha-lipoic acid.  In their Micronutrient Roundup near
the end of the book, they recommend a daily multivitamin and a raft of
additional supplements to help specific conditions (ex., diabetes, heart
disease, cholesterol, obesity, autoimmune disorders...)

> I will
> keep taking a mini aspirin each day

This will inhibit the good eicosanoids.  Wouldn't taking ginkgo biloba do
the same trick without the drawback of aspirin?

Rob