Another Large Study Shows No Benefit From Antioxidant Supplementation
The idea that you can do something positive for long term health by consuming presently available antioxidant supplements is a myth, not backed up by scientific evidence at all: "A study of vitamin E and selenium use among 35,000 men found that the vitamin users had a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer ... A separate study of 38,000 women in Iowa found a higher risk of dying during a 19-year period among older women who used multivitamins and other supplements compared with women who did not ... The findings are the latest in a series of disappointing research results showing that high doses of vitamins are not helpful in warding off disease. ... You go back 15 or 20 years, and there were thoughts that antioxidants of all sorts might be useful. There really is not any compelling evidence that taking these dietary supplements above and beyond a normal dietary intake is helpful in any way, and this is evidence that it could be harmful. ... Everyone needs vitamins, which are essential nutrients that the body can't produce on its own. But in the past few years, several high-quality studies have failed to show that high doses of vitamins, at least in pill form, help prevent chronic disease or prolong life." Antioxidants specifically targeted to the mitochondria have been shown to produce benefits to health and life span in mice, but running out to eat antioxidants from a bottle because of that is nothing more than magical thinking. In the case of currently available antioxidant supplements, there is every reason to think that they interfere with the beneficial mechanisms of exercise, causing a net loss in long term health.
Link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/more-evidence-against-vitamin-use/