Vitamins 'increase cholesterol'

(http://www.bolenreport.com/)

This study and report is predicated on the assumption that natural
lipoproteins are "harmful." Forgetting the problems of statistical
association (toaster ovens are also a risk factor statistically correlated
with heart disease) this report defies logic.
Antioxidants raise a particular lipoprotein, thus the authors conclude, on
that basis alone, that antioxidants may cause heart disease? This is news? A
gross generalization based on a single finding?

If there are harmful lipoproteins, why did they evolve? Why do vitamins such
as vitamins E and Coenzyme Q10 require the "bad" LDL cholesterol in order to
be transported throughout the body? How is it that vitamin D is made out of
cholesterol from sunlight? The notion that antioxidants should be avoided
may be good for the sales of pharmaceuticals, but such "news" leaves
physicians, already poorly trained in nutrition, in the dark. - Editor

Anth

"Diarmid Logan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3673365.stm

Vitamins 'increase cholesterol'

Vitamins could actually increase levels of "bad cholesterol",
researchers have suggested.

It had been thought that vitamins could protect the heart.

But New York University researchers found vitamins including E, C and
beta carotene stop the liver breaking down an early form of bad
cholesterol.

Writing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the researchers say
their findings mean they cannot recommend that people use the
vitamins.

The vitamins are antioxidants, thought to be beneficial because they
attack free radicals, produced when the body fights infection, which
inflict damage on the body's tissues.

But studies carried out by the researchers at the university's school
of medicine found that antioxidants actually hampered the body's fight
against damaging cholesterol.

Normally, liver cells break down a key protein in harmful lipoproteins
such as VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) which means they cannot be
converted into a form of LDL that can enter the bloodstream.

However, in laboratory tests, the New York researchers found vitamin
E, C and beta carotene prevented this process taking place in liver
cells.

Further tests in mice and rat livers showed vitamin E prevented this
"breakdown" process taking place, meaning the liver destroyed fewer
lipoproteins.

Dr Edward Fisher, director of the Lipid Treatment & Research Center at
the NYU Medical Center, said: "Our study is the first to document this
association between antioxidant vitamins and VLDL cholesterol.

"It does appear that antioxidant vitamins may be potentially harmful
for the heart based on their ability to increase the secretion of VLDL
in the liver cells and in the mice that we studied."

But he added: "More studies are needed to back up our findings. Until
more data becomes available, we can't make any recommendations about
whether people should not use these vitamins."

However he said there was evidence from other animal studies that
antioxidants could have beneficial effects on other parts of the body,
such as protecting the arteries from atherosclerosis and the pancreas
and other organs from damage caused by diabetes.

Writing in the journal, Dr Ronald Krauss of Children's Hospital
Oakland Research Institute in California, added that, although there
was "considerable" evidence for the benefits of antioxidants, "the
potential for unintended outcomes of oxidant therapy should serve as a
warning against proceeding with such treatment in the absence of
clinical-trial evidence of benefit and safety".

Belinda Linden, head of Medical Information at the British Heart
Foundation (BHF), told BBC News Online: "Most research tends to
suggest that supplementation with antioxidant vitamins, although not
beneficial, does not lead to undue harm.

"Before any clear conclusions can be drawn from this study we would
await the results of larger randomized controlled clinical trials."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3673365.stm

Vitamins 'increase cholesterol'

Vitamins could actually increase levels of "bad cholesterol",
researchers have suggested.

It had been thought that vitamins could protect the heart.

But New York University researchers found vitamins including E, C and
beta carotene stop the liver breaking down an early form of bad
cholesterol.

Writing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the researchers say
their findings mean they cannot recommend that people use the
vitamins.

The vitamins are antioxidants, thought to be beneficial because they
attack free radicals, produced when the body fights infection, which
inflict damage on the body's tissues.

But studies carried out by the researchers at the university's school
of medicine found that antioxidants actually hampered the body's fight
against damaging cholesterol.

Normally, liver cells break down a key protein in harmful lipoproteins
such as VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) which means they cannot be
converted into a form of LDL that can enter the bloodstream.

However, in laboratory tests, the New York researchers found vitamin
E, C and beta carotene prevented this process taking place in liver
cells.

Further tests in mice and rat livers showed vitamin E prevented this
"breakdown" process taking place, meaning the liver destroyed fewer
lipoproteins.

Dr Edward Fisher, director of the Lipid Treatment & Research Center at
the NYU Medical Center, said: "Our study is the first to document this
association between antioxidant vitamins and VLDL cholesterol.

"It does appear that antioxidant vitamins may be potentially harmful
for the heart based on their ability to increase the secretion of VLDL
in the liver cells and in the mice that we studied."

But he added: "More studies are needed to back up our findings. Until
more data becomes available, we can't make any recommendations about
whether people should not use these vitamins."

However he said there was evidence from other animal studies that
antioxidants could have beneficial effects on other parts of the body,
such as protecting the arteries from atherosclerosis and the pancreas
and other organs from damage caused by diabetes.

Writing in the journal, Dr Ronald Krauss of Children's Hospital
Oakland Research Institute in California, added that, although there
was "considerable" evidence for the benefits of antioxidants, "the
potential for unintended outcomes of oxidant therapy should serve as a
warning against proceeding with such treatment in the absence of
clinical-trial evidence of benefit and safety".

Belinda Linden, head of Medical Information at the British Heart
Foundation (BHF), told BBC News Online: "Most research tends to
suggest that supplementation with antioxidant vitamins, although not
beneficial, does not lead to undue harm.

"Before any clear conclusions can be drawn from this study we would
await the results of larger randomized controlled clinical trials."

Diarmid Logan said:

Vitamins 'increase cholesterol'

Vitamins could actually increase levels of "bad cholesterol",
researchers have suggested.

It had been thought that vitamins could protect the heart.

But New York University researchers found vitamins including E, C and
beta carotene stop the liver breaking down an early form of bad
cholesterol.

Heh. So JC is probably going to outlive all of us.

Marsha/Ohio

Quoted message said:

"Diarmid Logan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3673365.stm
Vitamins 'increase cholesterol'

That's is indeed strange since vitamin c/ascorbate inhibits HMG-CoA
reductase, which is targeted by the recent anti cholesterol drugs to lower
cholesterol?

(from vitamin c foundation)
Inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase activity by ascorbic acid
(http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/abstract/261/16/7127)

http://www.vitaminfoundation.EOM/now.ours

NATURE'S PERFECT STATIN®

Note the trademark. I thought it was EOM that used patents to restrict the
healing substances nature so cheerfully provided.

On 4 May 2004 11:34:59 -0700, [email hidden] (Diarmid Logan)

Quoted message said:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3673365.stm

Vitamins 'increase cholesterol'

snip...

Quoted message said:

"Before any clear conclusions can be drawn from this study we would
await the results of larger randomized controlled clinical trials."

Well, yeah. When will these happen?

I need to read the original article but it seems they gave these as
individual vitamins (at what dosages) in a rat model. Relevance to
humans is questionable. Relevance of using individual antioxidants
when a balanced approach is more physicologically relevant is
questionable. E.g., beta carotene along in HIV infection is worthless;
a combination in the form of a multivitamin is MUCH more efficacious.

Also, I would want to know the dosages given.

Frankly, I'd say any putative risk is outweighed by benefits. And
indeed, I cannot see ANY data in the literature that suggests that
antioxidant use increases LDL, which would be expected if their data
have any meaning to humans. To the contrary, some data suggest
improvement in HDL.

This is no better than a supplement company touting the benefits of a
nutrient or botanical based on a test tube study. It does NOT help
those of us trying to make appropriate health and treatment choices. I
have no intention whatsover of giving up my daily use of a potent
multi based on this kind of research.

George M. Carter

[email hidden] (Diarmid Logan) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

<snip>

Quoted message said:

"Before any clear conclusions can be drawn from this study we would
await the results of larger randomized controlled clinical trials."

I love the way they always come down to the last conclusion. Wouldn't
it be amazing to see a really good, well done study that comes out and
says "We now know enough about this particular area of science that we
can successfully treat the conditions involved and we can now spend
our scarce and important research dollars in some other more pressing
area of science."

Now that would be earth shattering.

It is amazing how failure to prove anything just leads to more
research ($$) that continues to fail to prove anything that then
requires even more research ($$$$) that will fail to prove anything.
At what point do we expect to have these researchers actually come up
with something that is useful and can be used at face value?

Just had to rant a bit.

TC