Mythology of Antioxidant Vitamins?

Abstract

Decades of overly exuberant antioxidant vitamin claims, regarding disease prevention and antiaging, have not been supported by rigorous scientific testing and negative studies have been largely denied or ignored by the dietary supplement industry. Myths, half truths, and outright lies are commonly used to promote their sales since there is minimal governmental oversight of their effectiveness or of their harmful potential. The free radical theory, which served as the basis of antioxidant vitamin studies to prevent disease, lacks predictability, fails to meet the requirements of the scientific method, and has consequently been invalidated. Antioxidant vitamins have such widespread use that their potential to do harm has become a global public health issue. We must follow the fundamental medical precept of Hippocrates: ‘‘First, do no harm.’’ We must separate fact from factitious and ‘‘myths of marketing’’ from scientific truths.

Book Review: Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked Into an Intellectual Black Hole

“…One of the prolific skeptics concerning antioxidant treatment is Randolph M. Howes, who summarized some of his thoughts in a recent article in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. 2 Howes has now produced a catalog of his evidence suggesting that antioxidants are not only of no benefit in maintaining health and preventing disease but actually can be harmful to many important normal cellular functions. This treatise is actually divided into 2 books, with book 1 describing ''antioxidant vitamin studies for the layman'' and book 2 describing ''antioxidant vitamin studies for the medical scientist.''…”

Journal Combat

“…For the initial 3-issue volume in 2011, JEBCAM has contained mostly topical review articles on a variety of dietary nutrients. [68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85] Sprinkled throughout the issues have been a few original articles that passed peer review, [86][87][88][89][90] a special article providing a controversial viewpoint, 91 a historical piece, 92 an editorial, 93 and several book reviews. [94][95][96][97][98][99][100] Continuing this approach in the volume to be published in 2012 will produce the 2 years of success necessary to apply for inclusion in the PubMed database, which would alleviate the concern that prevents some investigators from submitting materials to JEBCAM.…”

Book Review: Death in Small Doses? Books 1 & 2

“…One of the prolific skeptics concerning antioxidant treatment is Randolph M. Howes, who summarized some of his thoughts in a recent article in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine . 2 Howes has now produced a catalog of his evidence suggesting that antioxidants are not only of no benefit in maintaining health and preventing disease but actually can be harmful to many important normal cellular functions. This treatise is actually divided into 2 books, with book 1 describing “antioxidant vitamin studies for the layman” and book 2 describing “antioxidant vitamin studies for the medical scientist.” The text raises a number of good points, but its unconventional style (multiple sentences in boldface type and numerous font size changes) will be off-putting to many readers.…”