Nutrition in the News

Nutrition in the News
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LOW BLOOD LEVELS OF VITAMIN E ARE 100 TIMES MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN HIGH BLOOD CHOLESTEROL AS PREDICTOR FOR HEART DISEASE

A World Health Organization study concluded that low blood levels of vitamin E were 100 times more statistically significant as predictors of death from heart disease, when compared with high blood levels of cholesterol. Death rate from heart disease was correlated statistically with each of those measurements over several years.

They also stated that some cholesterol lowering drugs have antioxidant action similar to vitamin E, which may account for some of its action.

The study had 1,600 subjects in 6 countries followed for years after measuring blood.
Statistical significance as predictor of heart disease below:

Low blood vitamin E (probability for random chance) P=0.0003
High blood levels of cholesterol P=0.0300

High cholesterol was 100 times less significant for heart disease.

Gey KF, Puska P, Jordan P, Moser UK: Inverse correlation between plasma vitamin E and mortality from ischemic heart disease in cross-cultural epidemiology. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:326S-334S.* * * * *

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BLOOD CHOLESTEROL DOES NOT CORRELATE WITH HEART DISEASE AT AUTOPSY

A review was made of all published studies attempting to correlate the extent of atherosclerosis at autopsy or in surgical specimens with blood cholesterol levels. More than 12 such studies were reviewed from the medical literature. (Rare patients with a hereditary lethal genetic mutation causing cholesterol levels to be between 400 and 900 mg/dL were excluded.) No evidence for cholesterol as a cause of atherosclerosis was found.

The author concluded:

",. . . no significant relationship of serum cholesterol to atherogenesis has yet been demonstrated."

Seubens WE, Smith S: Serum cholesterol correlations with atherosclerosis at autopsy. American Clinical Laboratory 1997 Apr; 14-15.

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B VITAMINS REDUCE RISK OF HEART DISEASE

Results of a new study indicate that consuming vitamin supplements of folate and vitamin B6 can reduce women's risk of heart disease. In the February 4th issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Eric Rimm of Harvard School of Public Health reports that "higher intakes of folate from food or supplements, alone or in combination with vitamin B6, are associated with substantially lower risk of coronary heart disease in women." Dr. Rimm and his colleagues followed 80,082 female nurses over 14 years, monitoring their vitamin intake and onset of heart disease. In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Kilmer McCully of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center concludes, "These results support the view that current recommended dietary allowances for folate and vitamin B6 are too low to provide optimal protection against cardiovascular disease and need to be revised for the population as a whole."

The Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998 February 4;279:359-364, 392-393.

"Vitamin supplement formulas, such as those in Dr. Cranton's PrimeNutrients , are a cost effective way to obtain insurance levels of a wide range of nutrients, including the B vitamins discussed above."

Dr. Elmer M. Cranton, MD

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ANTIOXIDANTS AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Two European studies examined the relation between antioxidant levels and coronary artery disease (CAD) in three European populations. The first study compared 50 year old Swedish and Lithuanian men to investigate why Lithuanian men have four times the risk of CAD. Although there were only slight differences in accepted CAD risk factors between the two populations, the Lithuanians were significantly more prone to LDL oxidation. The second study assessed 1,605 randomly selected middle-aged Finnish men for many accepted CAD risk factors and for vitamin C levels. A follow-up eight years later showed that men with vitamin C deficiency had a 2.5-fold adjusted increase in the risk for MI (heart attack). Low levels of vitamin C increased heart disease 250%. Both studies suggest that CAD is not simply related to absolute lipid levels, but also to LDL oxidation, a process that can be slowed with antioxidants.

Kristenson M et al. Antioxidant state and mortality from coronary artery disease in Lithuanian and Swedish men. British Medical Journal. March 1, 1997; 314:629-633.

Nyyssonen K et al. Vitamin C deficiency and risk of myocardial infarction. British Medical Journal. March 1, 1997; 314:634-8.

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VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS PROLONG LIFE

A study from the UCLA Medical Center concluded that mortality rates for people who take multiple vitamin supplements containing at least 400 mg of vitamin C per day, plus many other ingredients, had a reduction in their overall death rate of up to 65%, when compared to people who did not take high-potency vitamin supplements. A total of 11,248 individuals were followed for 10 years. The use of nutritional supplements containing doses of vitamin C much greater than the RDA more strongly correlated as a preventive for atherosclerosis, than were high levels of blood cholesterol or high dietary fat intake as causal factors. An author of the study stated that this data indicate an extension of life expectancy for the average American male of approximately 6 years, resulting from vitamin supplementation alone. An editorial accompanying that article stated that "...it is probable that a variety of antioxidants and other nutrients act in concert...increased attention should be given not only to dietary sources of these nutrients, but also to the possible benefits of dietary supplements.

Enstrom EE, Kanim LE, Klein MA: Vitamin C intake and mortality among a sample of the United States population. Epidemiology 1992;3(3):194-202.

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B-COMPLEX VITAMIN DEFICIENCY ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF HEART DISEASE

Recent studies show that lower blood levels of vitamins B₆, B₁₂ and folic acid (folate) are associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other forms of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Those vitamins help to clear homocysteine from the blood. Homocysteine is a byproduct of normal metabolism and elevated levels greatly accelerate atherosclerosis. Blood levels of vitamins B₆, B₁₂, and folate were lower in people with high homocysteine and were associated with increased risk of heart disease.

Morrison HI, Schaubel D, Desmeules M et al: Serum folate and risk of fatal coronary heart disease. JAMA 1996 June 26;275(24):1893-1896.

Graham IM, Daly LE, Refsum HM, et al: Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for vascular disease. The European Concerted Action Project. JAMA 1997 June 11; 227(22):1775-1781.

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VITAMIN E WORKS AS WELL OR BETTER THAN CHOLESTEROL LOWERING DRUGS WITHOUT THE RISK AND AT MUCH LOWER COST

A three-year research study of more than 1,000 individuals with a prior history of coronary heart disease showed that 400 to 800 units of vitamin E per day, taken as a supplement, reduced the risk of heart attack by 35%, when compared to a similar group who took a placebo.

Stephens NG, Parsons A, Schofield PM, et al: Randomized controlled trial of vitamin E in patients with coronary disease: Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study. Lancet 1996 March 23;(9004):781-786.

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Harvard Medical School studies of 80,000 female and 40,000 male health-care professionals, found that 100 units of vitamin E per day reduced the risk of heart attack by approximately 35% in both groups.

Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ, Ascheno A, et al. Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease in men. N Engl J Med 1993 May 20;328(20):1450-1456.

Stampher MJ, Hennekens CH, Morrison JE, et al: Vitamin E consumption and the risk of coronary disease in women. N Engl J Med 1993 May 20;328(20):1444-1449.

Rimm EB, Stampfer MJ: The role of antioxidants in preventive cardiology. Curr Opin Cardiol 1997 Mar;12(2):188-194.

Dr. Ronald Klatz, president of the American Academy of Anti Aging Medicine, reports 50% risk reduction from these Harvard studies. Dr. Klatz, states that Dr. Rimm found the risk of not taking multiple vitamin supplements equal to the risk of smoking as a cause of heart disease. Dr. Klatz writes that the Harvard study shows supplementing with ". . . high doses of these vitamins [vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene] slashed the risk of heart disease by nearly 50%."

Klatz, R. Total Health: American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine Newsletter. 1997, Dec;19(4), p.28.

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MEMORY FUNCTION AND PLASMA ANTIOXIDANT LEVELS HAVE DIRECT CORRELATION

Perrig and colleagues evaluated memory function and plasma antioxidant levels in 442 persons ranging in age from 64 to 94 years. Serum levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), beta carotene, and alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) were taken from the same persons in 1971 and 1993. Memory function was evaluated by a computerized test on these same people in 1993. After variables such as age, education, and gender were taken into account, vitamin C and beta carotene levels remained significant predictors of memory function, with higher levels associated with better cognitive performance. Levels of vitamin E were not as strong a predictor as the other two antioxidants tested. Also, higher levels of vitamin C recorded in 1971 were a significant predictor of better vocabulary testing results in 1993. This study suggests a strong correlation between memory function and plasma levels of vitamin C and beta carotene.

Perrig WJ, et al. The relation between antioxidants and memory performance in the old and very old. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1997;45:718-24.

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VITAMIN C PREVENTS CATARACTS

The October 1997 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that as little as 400 mg of vitamin C daily can reduce the incidence of cataracts by 76%. In a study of 120,000 elderly women over many years, those who took an average of 400 milligrams of vitamin C daily had only 23% the risk of cataracts. This study by USDA scientist P.F. Jacques was done with nurses from the Harvard Nurses Health Study Project.

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VITAMIN E BOOSTS IMMUNITY

A recent study reported in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that vitamin E boosts the immune system. In these randomized controlled studies, some people received placebos and some vitamin E. The people receiving the vitamin E showed a clinically significant improvement in their cell-mediated immunity. In addition, persons who had the highest serum levels of vitamin E had had greater delayed-type hypersensitivity and antibody response to hepatitis B.

Meydani SN, Meydani M, Blumberg JB, et al, Tufts University, Boston and other centers. Vitamin E supplementation and in vivo immune response in healthy elderly subjects: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA. May 7, 1997;277:1380-1386

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