Antioxidant supplements may be bad for cholesterol?

[Guest guest]

For those of us fibbers with cholesterol " issues " , there is an

interesting report on WebMD today. They report a study by NYU Medical

Center that taking antioxidant supplements may in fact raise LDL and

lower HDL (exactly what we don't want).

The link is:

http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?

e=pri & dt=040503 & cat=news & st=news99069 & src=webmd

A short extract:

New research on rodents shows that high doses of the much ballyhooed

antioxidant nutrients -- vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene --

stimulate their liver's production of very low density lipoproteins

(VLDL), which convert in the bloodstream to low-density lipoprotein

(LDL), the so-called " bad " cholesterol that accumulates along artery

walls and leads to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

....and...

Two years ago, a study of 20,000 people -- already with heart disease

risks such as diabetes or blood vessel damage -- showed that taking

daily supplements of vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene produced small

but noticeable increases in heart disease risk factors such as higher

levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, a blood fat linked to

heart disease. This study also linked these supplements to lower

levels of " good " HDL cholesterol.

....and...

Last June, after reviewing 15 previous studies involving more than

15,000 people, Cleveland Clinic researchers reported in The Lancet

that taking vitamin E did not help prevent heart disease and that

taking high levels of beta-carotene supplement actually caused a

slight increase in risk of heart attack or stroke. Two weeks later,

the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published its own paper in

ls of Internal Medicine showing there was no evidence that

antioxidants, or folic acid, protected against heart disease -- and

the agency even warned against taking beta-carotene supplements,

which have previously been linked to increased lung cancer risk in

smokers.

---end of extract ---

H, in Charlotte

[Guest guest]

Two weeks later,

> the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published its own paper in

> ls of Internal Medicine showing there was no evidence that

> antioxidants, or folic acid, protected against heart disease --

and

> the agency even warned against taking beta-carotene supplements,

> which have previously been linked to increased lung cancer risk in

> smokers.

> ---end of extract ---

> H, in Charlotte

FYI, here's a link to a summary of that study:

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/139/1/51?maxtoshow=

It's worth taking a look at. Personally, I think the quote is a bit

of a distortion (by omission?) of what the study said. Elevated

homocysteine, fibrinogen and LP(a) levels have long been thought to

be important primary cardiovascular risk factors.

[Guest guest]

Two weeks later,

> the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published its own paper in

> ls of Internal Medicine showing there was no evidence that

> antioxidants, or folic acid, protected against heart disease --

and

> the agency even warned against taking beta-carotene supplements,

> which have previously been linked to increased lung cancer risk in

> smokers.

> ---end of extract ---

> H, in Charlotte

FYI, here's a link to a summary of that study:

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/139/1/51?maxtoshow=

It's worth taking a look at. Personally, I think the quote is a bit

of a distortion (by omission?) of what the study said. Elevated

homocysteine, fibrinogen and LP(a) levels have long been thought to

be important primary cardiovascular risk factors.

[Guest guest]

Two weeks later,

> the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published its own paper in

> ls of Internal Medicine showing there was no evidence that

> antioxidants, or folic acid, protected against heart disease --

and

> the agency even warned against taking beta-carotene supplements,

> which have previously been linked to increased lung cancer risk in

> smokers.

> ---end of extract ---

> H, in Charlotte

FYI, here's a link to a summary of that study:

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/139/1/51?maxtoshow=

It's worth taking a look at. Personally, I think the quote is a bit

of a distortion (by omission?) of what the study said. Elevated

homocysteine, fibrinogen and LP(a) levels have long been thought to

be important primary cardiovascular risk factors.