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Vitamins and other food supplements taken by millions of women may actually put them at more risk, according to a major study.
Scientists say there is little evidence the pills do any good – and in fact some could be causing serious harm.
A study involving nearly 39,000 women has found multivitamins, vitamin B, folic acid, iron, magnesium and copper all increased the statistical risk of premature death.
Nearly a third of adults in Britain take some form of dietary supplement most days and the industry is worth £675million a year.
Some of the most popular pills include multivitamins, vitamin A, C and E, iron, folic acid and calcium – which are all thought to improve long-term health and ward off illnesses.
Scientists from Finland, Norway, the U.S. and South Korea looked at the long-term health effects of common vitamin pills and minerals on 38,772 women aged 55 to 69.
Over an 18-year period the women recorded any supplements they regularly took.
The results, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found copper increased the risk of dying prematurely by 18 per cent. Folic acid – which pregnant women are told to take to protect their child against spina bifida – increased risk of death by almost 6 per cent, while iron raised the risk by nearly 4 per cent.
Multivitamins raised the risk by 2.4 per cent, vitamin B6 by 4 per cent, magnesium by 3.6 per cent and zinc by 3 per cent.
The scientists do not fully understand how supplements may trigger early death, but they may interfere with the body’s natural defences. They say the supplements should only be taken by patients who are malnourished and only under the supervision of a doctor. Everyone else should ensure they eat a balanced diet to get adequate vitamins and minerals.
Jaakko Mursu, from the University of Eastern Finland, said: ‘Based on existing evidence, we see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements.
‘We recommend that they be used with strong medically-based cause, such as symptomatic nutrient deficiency disease.
參考譯文：
最新研究表明，數百萬女性經常服用的維生素及膳食補充制劑很可能有害健康。
科學家表示，沒有證據表明這些制劑對健康有益，而且實際上有些制劑還可能損害健康。
一項針對近3.9萬名女性的研究發現，從統計數據來看，多種維生素制劑、B族維生素、葉酸、以及鐵、鎂、銅等礦物元素都會增加過早死亡的風險。
英國近1/3的成年人經常服用某種膳食補充劑，該產業年產值達6.75億英鎊。
最受歡迎的包括多種維生素、維生素A、C、E，鐵、葉酸、和鈣等制劑，據稱有利于長期健康，還可以預防疾病。
來自芬蘭、挪威、美國和韓國的科學家研究了普通維生素和礦物元素制劑的長期健康效果，共有38772名年齡在55歲至69歲的女性接受了調查。
在調查的18年中，受訪女性記錄了她們服用的所有補充制劑。
研究發現，銅元素會使過早死亡的風險增加18%，葉酸和鐵元素分別會使這一風險增加近6%和近4%。為預防新生兒脊柱裂，孕婦需服用葉酸。研究結果發表在《內科醫學檔案》上。
多種維生素制劑會使過早死亡的風險增加2.4%，維生素B6會使風險增加4%，鎂和鋅分別會使這一風險增加3.6%和3%。
科學家尚不完全清楚維生素制劑導致過早死亡的原因，但這些制劑會妨礙人體的自然抵抗力。科學家表示，只有那些營養不良的病人才需要服用這種制劑，而且需要醫生指導。其他人應該確保均衡飲食，從食物中獲得足夠的維生素和礦物質。
東芬蘭大學的賈科•瑪蘇說：“從現有證據來看，不應大范圍應用膳食補充劑。”
“除非有明顯的病因，比如營養缺乏癥，否則我們不建議服用膳食補充劑。”
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