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Vitamin overdose?
continued from page 1
Vitamin warning
Current intakes of most vitamins and minerals are not said to be harmful, but the FSA has given specific recommendations on the following vitamins and minerals:
1. Chromium picolinate supplements. Consumers are advised not to take chromium in this form, because this has potential to cause cancer. However, having 10mg a day or less in total of chromium in the form of supplements or food is unlikely to cause any harm.
2. Vitamin C supplements. Doses of over 1,000mg a day can cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
3. Calcium supplements. Doses of over 1,500mg a day can cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
4. Iron supplements. Doses of over 17mg a day can cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
5. Beta-carotene, nicotinic acid (a B vitamin), zinc, manganese and phosphorous supplements. High doses above the RDAs guidelines, taken over long periods, may have an irreversible harmful effect.
6. Vitamin B6 supplements. No more than 10mg a day should be taken. High intakes can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs.
'Vitamin pills are a waste of time'. This was the conclusion Rory Collins, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Oxford drew, after leading a five-year trial to establish the effects of supplementing the diets of over 20,500 individuals with a high risk of developing cancer, heart disease and strokes, with high doses of antioxidant vitamins - vitamin C, E and Beta carotene. The study conducted by the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation, published in the Lancet, found no evidence to suggest that these vitamins had beneficial effects in protecting against cancer or heart disease. Professor Collins concluded that eating fresh fruit and vegetables was a better way of protecting the body from disease.
Vitamin warning
Current intakes of most vitamins and minerals are not said to be harmful, but the FSA has given specific recommendations on the following vitamins and minerals:
1. Chromium picolinate supplements. Consumers are advised not to take chromium in this form, because this has potential to cause cancer. However, having 10mg a day or less in total of chromium in the form of supplements or food is unlikely to cause any harm.
2. Vitamin C supplements. Doses of over 1,000mg a day can cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
3. Calcium supplements. Doses of over 1,500mg a day can cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
4. Iron supplements. Doses of over 17mg a day can cause abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
5. Beta-carotene, nicotinic acid (a B vitamin), zinc, manganese and phosphorous supplements. High doses above the RDAs guidelines, taken over long periods, may have an irreversible harmful effect.
6. Vitamin B6 supplements. No more than 10mg a day should be taken. High intakes can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs.
'Vitamin pills are a waste of time'. This was the conclusion Rory Collins, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Oxford drew, after leading a five-year trial to establish the effects of supplementing the diets of over 20,500 individuals with a high risk of developing cancer, heart disease and strokes, with high doses of antioxidant vitamins - vitamin C, E and Beta carotene. The study conducted by the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation, published in the Lancet, found no evidence to suggest that these vitamins had beneficial effects in protecting against cancer or heart disease. Professor Collins concluded that eating fresh fruit and vegetables was a better way of protecting the body from disease.
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