Vitamins Take Another Health Hit

CBS Evening News: New Evidence Shows Vitamins E, Selenium Don't Prevent Prostate Cancer

(CBS)  Doctors had hoped that the antioxidants Vitamin E and Selenium, could prevent prostate cancer. But CBS News learned six weeks ago that more than 35,000 patients in the largest prevention trial of its kind were told to stop taking them, CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports. Tuesday, it became official.

"Taking Selenium or Vitamin E at the doses that we used in the select trial for an average of five years did not prevent prostate cancer," said Dr. Eric A. Klein of the Cleveland Clinic.

This is just the latest in a string of disappointing news about vitamin pills, a nearly $8 billion industry. Last month, a study showed neither vitamins E nor C prevent heart disease.

CBS News asked the government's top authority on supplements, Paul M. Coates, director of the Office of Dietary Supplements for the National Institutes of Health, for the bottom line on:

Vitamin E: "We have exhausted the possibilities for its role in chronic disease prevention."

Vitamin C: "No effect for cancer prevention."

Vitamin B: "For the prevention of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, the evidence does not point to a benefit of B vitamins."

And what about taking a daily multivitamin?

"There is a lack of ... solid evidence taking multivitamins regularly have an impact on disease prevention," Coates said.

There are some useful supplements. For example: folic acid during pregnancy, Vitamin B12 for patients who can't absorb it and calcium when dietary sources aren't enough.

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Add a Comment See all 16 Comments

by iv-star June 25, 2009 4:31 AM EDT

<a href="http://allvitamin.co.cc/">vitamin - health</a>

Reply to this comment

by December 10, 2008 8:04 PM EST

According to these clowns our bodies don''t need natural supplements but our bodies must suffer from a deficient of pharmaceutical synthetic supplements laced with side effects. The entire health care system needs to be change.

Reply to this comment

by thcarson-2009 December 10, 2008 7:26 PM EST

I have come to the conclusion that the FDA is one of the most corrupt organizations in our country. Artificial sweeteners have been linked to many health problems but are readily available in many products while natural sweeteners like stevia are blackballed for use as a food additive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia#Political_controversy

Reply to this comment

by citizenusa-2009 December 10, 2008 6:38 PM EST

My father is 82 years old. He has been taking handfuls of vitamins for DECADES. He''s lived longer than ANYONE in his family and is as intelligent as anyone I''ve ever met...btw He smokes and DOES NOT have a healthy diet and gets very little excercise.

The above independent study shows me that vitamins DO have a positive effect on health and well being. Sorry pharmas!!

Reply to this comment

by citizenusa-2009 December 10, 2008 6:33 PM EST

This article brought to you by Pfizer, Abbott, Merk and all the pharma companies losing 8 BILLION dollars a year to Holistic and Preventative Medicine.

Reply to this comment

by ragingmounta December 10, 2008 4:35 PM EST

Report as aired, VERY BIASED. NO inclusion as to HERBS, and the fact that ANY ingestment in EXCESS has a negative impact.

Also, NO info as to at what stage vitamins are concentrated to attack the disease? Best time to beat a disease is at the BEGINNING.

When original claims made, who and how were such results obtained? NO citations for THAT critical info.

NONE of this covered in the report.

HERBS, A/O vitamins ARE effective. It all depends on how they are used, at what stage, and at WHAT DOSAGE/FREQUENCY?

Let''s get more truth and less BOMBAST in such future reporting, eh?

Reply to this comment

by ragingmounta December 10, 2008 4:33 PM EST

Report as aired, VERY BIASED. NO inclusion as to HERBS, and the fact that ANY ingestment in EXCESS has a negative impact.

Also, NO info as to at what stage vitamins are concentrated to attack the disease? Best time to beat a disease is at the BEGINNING.

When original claims made, who and how were such results obtained? NO citations for THAT critical info.

NONE of this covered in the report.

HERBS, A/O vitamins ARE effective. It all depends on how they are used, at what stage, and at WHAT DOSAGE/FREQUENCY?

Let''s get more truth and less BOMBAST in such future reporting, eh?

Reply to this comment

by bobshehan December 10, 2008 4:10 PM EST

Hogwash... For every 500 studies or so that indicates that we DO need vitamins, minerals and antioxidant supplementation (that get no press), something like this comes out and makes headline news. Stop the biased reporting guys and do your research. It''s embarrassing...

Reply to this comment

by andykinla December 10, 2008 2:30 PM EST

Thank you, all you people whose duty it is to wake up the masses. With more and more nutrient deficient foods reaching our tables, God help us if we allow our supplements to be legislated out of our control, therefore leaving us prey to chronic morbidity and synthetic fixes by Big Pharma.

A healthy body is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. Don''t want prostate cancer, stop eating junky food and consume more organic (less toxins), fiber rich foods. Supplements just pick up where good farming practices leave off.

Reply to this comment

by Marie Zarankevich December 10, 2008 1:47 PM EST

Dear Medical Profession: -- No matter how often you tell me that my Vitamin E will not cure cancer, I still want custody of my vitamins. -- I do not give you authority over my diet nor my body. -- You, as a professional, do not know enough to determine what anyone should or should not do, nutritionally. -- Your knowledge is grossly inept, and I prefer my own intuition over your recommendations. -- I will say that, for the most part, the medical profession does not know enough to practice medicine. -- Far too many patients fall through far too many cracks. -- You need to refine your healing arts before I trust you further than I already do. -- Please stop making sweeping declarations, for all our good. -- Good healing/nutrition requires good sense, wisdom, time, and caring, not clinical studies or more dead lab rats.

Reply to this comment

by pasadenadave-2009 December 10, 2008 12:41 PM EST

Once again, another study designed by the medical experts to again "prove" that supplements are of no value. What were the dosages? Often these studies use very small amounts of supplements to prove their point. Give us the full data, and let us decide.

Reply to this comment

by December 10, 2008 5:04 AM EST

BTW: up here in Anchorage where we now have but a few daily hours of very overcast sunlight,
I can anecdotally attest that at age 60, without 200% mdr or more of a vitamin D supplement, EVERY DAY, sore joints and back problems rear their ugliness in short order!

Reply to this comment

by December 10, 2008 4:58 AM EST

What about the VA''s NATIONAL study a few years earlier that showed a SIGNIFICANT reduction in incidents of prostate cancer in the group that took selenium?

Reply to this comment

by andor3 December 10, 2008 2:27 AM EST

Who is this Mr. Coates and what is the basis for his statements? Any pharma connections?

Reply to this comment

by SpiritMatter December 10, 2008 1:09 AM EST

It is ashame that the major media outlets, who are supposed to act as the independant fourth estate or branch of government, are getting pimped out by them and *** the citizens by passing along bad interpretations of flawed scientific studies. If you want the rest of the story go to this web site.

http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/Rebuttal-to-Recent-Attacks-Against-Dietary-Supplements.htm

Don''t accept the brainwashing! Get all the facts you can.

Reply to this comment

by December 10, 2008 12:30 AM EST

The major networks go out of their way to keep their major advertisers, namely Big Pharma happy down playing supplements. I found it interesting that their lead story was prostrate cancer and they chose Vitamin C and Selenium. No need to mention Vitamin D and zinc for a healthy prostrate. It is sad that most people that listen to this news actually believe it as gospel. Exactly what Big Pharma wants.
Keep those advertising dollars flowing with synthetic drugs laced with side effects.

Reply to this comment

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[iv-star]

<a href="http://allvitamin.co.cc/">vitamin - health</a>

According to these clowns our bodies don''t need natural supplements but our bodies must suffer from a deficient of pharmaceutical synthetic supplements laced with side effects. The entire health care system needs to be change.

[thcarson-2009]

I have come to the conclusion that the FDA is one of the most corrupt organizations in our country. Artificial sweeteners have been linked to many health problems but are readily available in many products while natural sweeteners like stevia are blackballed for use as a food additive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia#Political_controversy

[citizenusa-2009]

My father is 82 years old. He has been taking handfuls of vitamins for DECADES. He''s lived longer than ANYONE in his family and is as intelligent as anyone I''ve ever met...btw He smokes and DOES NOT have a healthy diet and gets very little excercise.

The above independent study shows me that vitamins DO have a positive effect on health and well being. Sorry pharmas!!

[citizenusa-2009]

This article brought to you by Pfizer, Abbott, Merk and all the pharma companies losing 8 BILLION dollars a year to Holistic and Preventative Medicine.

[ragingmounta]

Report as aired, VERY BIASED. NO inclusion as to HERBS, and the fact that ANY ingestment in EXCESS has a negative impact.

Also, NO info as to at what stage vitamins are concentrated to attack the disease? Best time to beat a disease is at the BEGINNING.

When original claims made, who and how were such results obtained? NO citations for THAT critical info.

NONE of this covered in the report.

HERBS, A/O vitamins ARE effective. It all depends on how they are used, at what stage, and at WHAT DOSAGE/FREQUENCY?

Let''s get more truth and less BOMBAST in such future reporting, eh?

[ragingmounta]

Report as aired, VERY BIASED. NO inclusion as to HERBS, and the fact that ANY ingestment in EXCESS has a negative impact.

Also, NO info as to at what stage vitamins are concentrated to attack the disease? Best time to beat a disease is at the BEGINNING.

When original claims made, who and how were such results obtained? NO citations for THAT critical info.

NONE of this covered in the report.

HERBS, A/O vitamins ARE effective. It all depends on how they are used, at what stage, and at WHAT DOSAGE/FREQUENCY?

Let''s get more truth and less BOMBAST in such future reporting, eh?

[bobshehan]

Hogwash... For every 500 studies or so that indicates that we DO need vitamins, minerals and antioxidant supplementation (that get no press), something like this comes out and makes headline news. Stop the biased reporting guys and do your research. It''s embarrassing...

[andykinla]

Thank you, all you people whose duty it is to wake up the masses. With more and more nutrient deficient foods reaching our tables, God help us if we allow our supplements to be legislated out of our control, therefore leaving us prey to chronic morbidity and synthetic fixes by Big Pharma.

A healthy body is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. Don''t want prostate cancer, stop eating junky food and consume more organic (less toxins), fiber rich foods. Supplements just pick up where good farming practices leave off.

[Marie Zarankevich]

Dear Medical Profession: -- No matter how often you tell me that my Vitamin E will not cure cancer, I still want custody of my vitamins. -- I do not give you authority over my diet nor my body. -- You, as a professional, do not know enough to determine what anyone should or should not do, nutritionally. -- Your knowledge is grossly inept, and I prefer my own intuition over your recommendations. -- I will say that, for the most part, the medical profession does not know enough to practice medicine. -- Far too many patients fall through far too many cracks. -- You need to refine your healing arts before I trust you further than I already do. -- Please stop making sweeping declarations, for all our good. -- Good healing/nutrition requires good sense, wisdom, time, and caring, not clinical studies or more dead lab rats.

[pasadenadave-2009]

Once again, another study designed by the medical experts to again "prove" that supplements are of no value. What were the dosages? Often these studies use very small amounts of supplements to prove their point. Give us the full data, and let us decide.

BTW: up here in Anchorage where we now have but a few daily hours of very overcast sunlight,
I can anecdotally attest that at age 60, without 200% mdr or more of a vitamin D supplement, EVERY DAY, sore joints and back problems rear their ugliness in short order!

What about the VA''s NATIONAL study a few years earlier that showed a SIGNIFICANT reduction in incidents of prostate cancer in the group that took selenium?

[andor3]

Who is this Mr. Coates and what is the basis for his statements? Any pharma connections?

[SpiritMatter]

It is ashame that the major media outlets, who are supposed to act as the independant fourth estate or branch of government, are getting pimped out by them and *** the citizens by passing along bad interpretations of flawed scientific studies. If you want the rest of the story go to this web site.

http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/Rebuttal-to-Recent-Attacks-Against-Dietary-Supplements.htm

Don''t accept the brainwashing! Get all the facts you can.

The major networks go out of their way to keep their major advertisers, namely Big Pharma happy down playing supplements. I found it interesting that their lead story was prostrate cancer and they chose Vitamin C and Selenium. No need to mention Vitamin D and zinc for a healthy prostrate. It is sad that most people that listen to this news actually believe it as gospel. Exactly what Big Pharma wants.
Keep those advertising dollars flowing with synthetic drugs laced with side effects.