vitamin..waste of money???

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By LINDSEY TANNER – 6 hours agoCHICAGO (AP) — The largest study ever of multivitamin use in older women found theydid nothing to prevent common cancers or heart disease.The eight-year study in 161,808 postmenopausal women echoes recent disappointingvitamin studies in men.Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars on vitamins to boost their health. Researchhas focused on cancer and heart disease in particular because of evidence that diets fullof vitamin-rich foods may protect against those illnesses. But that evidence doesn'tnecessarily mean pills are a good substitute.The study's lead author, researcher n Neuhouser of the Fred Hutchinson CancerResearch Center in Seattle, offered this advice: "Get nutrients from food. Whole foods arebetter than dietary supplements," Neuhouser said.The study appears

in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.Co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson said despite the disappointing results, the research doesn'tmean multivitamins are useless.For one thing, the data are observational, not the most rigorous kind of scientific research.And also, it's not clear if taking vitamins might help prevent cancers that take many yearsto develop, said Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham & Women'sHospital.She said multivitamins may still be useful "as a form of insurance" for people with pooreating habits.The study involved an analysis of data on women in their 50s and up who participated inlong-running government studies on postmenopausal women. Almost 42 percent of thewomen said they used multivitamins regularly.After about eight years, roughly equal numbers of vitamin users and nonusers developedcommon cancers, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Overall,

there were9,619 cases of cancer, including cancers of the breast, lung, ovary, colon and stomach;and 8,751 cardiovascular ailments including heart attacks and strokes. In addition, 9,865women died, also at similar rates in multivitamin users and nonusers.Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition professor who was not involved in theresearch, said the study is important because it involved so many women."All the evidence keeps pointing in the same direction," Lichtenstein said. s, an American Cancer Society epidemiologist, said while his group doesn'tadvise vitamins to prevent cancer, it does recommend maintaining a healthy weight andeating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily while limiting red meat. Similarhabits are also thought to help reduce heart disease risks.On the Net:Archives: http://www.archinternmed.comAmerican Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.orgCopyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Spiritual freedom is my birthright. I am a free thinker. I am able to rise above mentalprejudices and stereotypes of others. I am a free thinker. Nobody and nothing can manipulateme or deceive me. I am a free thinker. I freely choose truth and love. Today, I embrace a greater degree of spiritualfreedom.