Vitamins & Supplements

Zinc really might work to prevent the common cold and lessen the severity of symptoms, according to a new review, but the prevalence of side effects might make you think twice about taking it. Scientists searched for randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials conducted since 1984

Do physicians take dietary supplements-and if so, which ones and why? A new survey conducted for the supplements-industry trade association the Council for Responsible Nutrition sought answers from 900 physicians, evenly divided among three specialties-cardiology, dermatology and orthopedics

The good news from a new pooled analysis of 57 studies is that, despite some red flags from previous research, vitamin E supplements are safe and dont increase the risk of death. But neither do the once-highly touted supplements help you live longer, the review reports, despite hopes their antioxidant effects might fight chronic disease. Calling their meta-analysis the largest and most inclusive to date, scientists concluded in Current Aging Science that vitamin E supplementation cannot be endorsed as a means of reducing mortality

Plus new clues to the disease from ibuprofen and vitamin D. Three new studies are shedding light on the mysteries of Parkinsons disease, one of the most common nervous system disorders with aging. A neurodegenerative brain disorder that leads to tremors and difficulty with movement and coordination, Parkinsons most often develops after age 50; 50,000-60,000 new US cases are diagnosed annually

One-third of Americans are at risk for vitamin D inadequacy or deficient in vitamin D, according to a new report from the CDC. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001-2008 on more than 24,000 people, the report said 24% of adults and children over age 1 were at risk of inadequacy

A new National Institutes of Health-funded study holds out the first glimmer of hope that high doses of omega-3 fatty acid supplements might counter the degenerative muscle loss that leads to frailty in the elderly

If youre 50 or older, Uncle Sam says yes. Heres why and how best to get it. When the latest federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released earlier this year with the recommendation that people age 50 and older should get extra vitamin B12 through fortified foods or supplements, one expert commented, Its not very difficult to anticipate the sudden spate of fortified with vitamin B12 as recommended in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines messaging that will populate the fronts of boxes and bags. Before the hype hits the grocery stores

You already know that the omega-3 fats found in fish (DHA and EPA) are good for your heart-but how much do you need to see a benefit? A new review of eight previous studies says a daily intake of 250 mg of omega-3s seems to be the threshold

A new American Cancer Society study concludes that theres no evidence folic acid from fortified foods or supplements increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Earlier research, including a 2007 Tufts study

In more evidence that you can indeed get too much of a good thing-especially in pill form, rather than from food