Too much Vitamin A?Too much Vitamin A?
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition studied 1078 HIV-positive expectant African mothers, some whom were supplemented with varying extra doses of vitamin A and/or beta carotene (vitamin A is a very standard supplementation among nursing moms in underdeveloped countries) .
According to these researchers’ findings, expectant women who got the extra beta carotene had an increased level of HIV in their breast milk (the researchers were unable to fully determine the effect of the vitamin A on breast milk HIV levels, although they are presuming that vitamin A supplements also may have raised HIV levels).
Now, clearly, since vitamin A is such an important supplement, it would be vital to re-do this research to determine that there were no other factors to account for these disturbing findings, but if it pans out in further studies, it would be just another indication that yes, there can be downsides and negative consequences, at least for some sub-groups, of using even so-called “natural” therapies, such as vitamins, and that we really need to study these therapies much, much more, especially among sub-groups before issuing recommendations for their use in wider populations (vitamin D supplements for cancer prevention, anyone?)
Written by Dr. Art Hister
Tuesday, 12 October 2010 14:37
0 Comments