tailieunhanh - ANH FEATURE: Iowa Women’s Health Study: Do supplements kill older women more quickly?

This session is an occasion to discuss good practices in MDG achievement with regard to gender equality that can help improve the way in which development cooperation promotes gender equality in a more systematic way while also improving its own effectiveness and coherence in line with national and international agreements. Achievement of such commitments is a key driver of effective development cooperation on all fronts. In this regard, it is essential to promote existing frameworks (such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action) and take concrete steps to. | alliancefor natural health ANH International The Atrium Curtis Road Dorking Surrey RH4 1XA United Kingdom e info@ t 44 0 1306 646 600 f 44 0 1306 646 552 ANH-lntl Regional Offices 12th October 2011 ANH FEATURE Iowa Women s Health Study Do supplements kill older women more quickly ANH exposes the deception that lies behind the latest anti-supplement study By Robert Verkerk PhD Executive and Scientific Director ANH-Intl KEY POINTS 1. The research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine s Less is More series was based on self-reported questionnaires completed by older women over an approximately two decade period and data from registers of death 2. The findings are one element linked to vitamin and mineral supplements taken from the Iowa Women s Health Study that looked at numerous lifestyle factors which may affect risk of death from heart disease cancer and other causes 3. The study generated negative headlines about supplements around the world yet the negative findings are mainly contentious were only evident following data adjustment massage and may be anomalous 4. The study shows the strongest associations for calcium which appeared to reduce the risk of death and iron which appeared to increase the risk of death 5. The study actually finds that vitamin and mineral supplement usage is associated with healthier lifestyles and the authors fail to indicate the outcome of the combined effect of healthy lifestyles and supplement usage 6. The study is a good example of some of the problems that can result from scientific reductionism which can then be used with inadequate scientific basis to dissuade the general public from using supplements that could be vital to their health and longevity 7. At the ANH we don t believe the study offers any evidence that supplement usage may be dangerous - and we are aware of copious research and decades of clinical experience suggesting quite the opposite