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Gregg M. Koval, MD
Atlanta, Ga

Arch Intern Med. 1996;156(22):2626-2627.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Meyers et al¹ recently reviewed the safety of antioxidant vitamins and asserted that the antioxidants are safe. Recent clinical studies, however, suggest that a more circumspect approach regarding their administration is warranted, especially since supplementation usage may be as high as 40% in the US population.¹

The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, a randomized, 2x2 factorial trial of antioxidants in 29 133 Finnish middle-aged male smokers that was designed to test the efficacy of -tocopherol (50 mg/d) and β-carotene (20 mg/d) in the prevention of lung cancer, demonstrated an apparent excess of deaths from lung cancer and ischemic heart disease in those treated with β-carotene.² In addition, there was a possible increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the -tocopherol— treated group when compared with the placebo-treated group.

The Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial, a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled primary prevention trial involving 18314 smokers, former smokers, and . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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