ANTIOXIDANTS FROM FOOD ARE BETTER THAN SUPPLEMENTS, STUDY SAYS

03.08.2004 [16:27]
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People hoping vitamins can protect their hearts need to eat healthy foods instead of popping pills, the American Heart Association says.

A review of various studies on whether supplements can reduce heart disease risk shows they have virtually no effect, the group said.

"At this time, there is little reason to advise that individuals take antioxidant supplements to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease," Penny Kris-Etherton, a professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University who led the study, said Monday.

Antioxidants are molecules that work to reduce the damage done to cells and to DNA by free radicals - charged chemical particles found in the environment and caused by everyday biological processes.

It is clear that foods rich in antioxidants can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, and scientists have been working to isolate the particular compounds responsible. Vitamins, such as A and C, are antioxidants.

But several research studies have shown that people who took antioxidant supplements did not have a lower risk of cancer or heart disease, and one important Finnish study showed that male smokers who took supplements actually had a higher risk of lung cancer.

Nutritionists and doctors now argue it is probably a combination of compounds in foods that give the healthy antioxidant benefits.

"The American Heart Association continues to promote a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, legumes, poultry and lean meats to derive antioxidant vitamin benefits," the group said in a statement published in its journal Circulation.

ANTIOXIDANTS FROM FOOD ARE BETTER THAN SUPPLEMENTS, STUDY SAYS

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