Supplements & Vitamins, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 30, 2006

Some Americans May Get Too Many Nutrients

Amid concern that some people take too many dietary supplements, the National Institutes of Health today released preliminary recommendations that generally urge caution. The statement from the agency, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, concerns multivitamin and mineral supplements, collectively called MVMs. Conclusions were reached by...

Jan 31, 2009

Study Suggests Multivitamins Don't Work

Long-term multivitamin use has no impact on the risk of common cancers, cardiovascular disease or overall mortality in postmenopausal women, a new study finds. The message is simple and echoes the advice of most researchers who have looked into the effects of diet: Eat real food. Several other studies have...

Sep 30, 2012

Resveratrol Supplements May Offer Little Benefit for Healthy People

Resveratrol — the red wine compound often touted for its possible healthful and anti-aging effects — may not bring the benefits to healthy people that preliminary research has suggested, a small new study finds. In the 12-week study, 29 healthy women, most of them in their late 50s, were given...

Oct 31, 2014

Vitamin B Supplements Don't Benefit Memory, Study Finds

Taking vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements may not reduce the risk of developing memory and thinking problems in older people, a new study finds. Some previous studies had suggested a link between low levels of certainB vitamins and poor thinking skills, but other studies found mixed results about whether...

Oct 31, 2015

A 'Natural' Herb Can be Poisonous, Woman Learns

Herbal remedies that are touted as natural may not always be safe, as a new report shows: A woman in the United Kingdom who was trained in using herbs experienced severe symptoms of poisoning after she accidentally overdosed on a medicine called deadly nightshade. When the 50-year-old woman was admitted...

Jul 31, 2015

Are Vitamin E Supplements Healthy or Harmful?

Dr. John Swartzberg is an internist and specialist in infectious disease and chairman of the editorial board of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter and berkeleywellness.com. He is also a clinical professor emeritus of medicine at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health and the University of California, San...

May 31, 2015

Too Much Vitamin B12 Linked to Acne

Too much vitamin B12 may promote acne, according to a new study. The study found that, in the presence of vitamin B12, the skin bacteria that are commonly linked to acne start pumping out inflammatory molecules known to promote pimples. In the study, scientists investigated the differences between skin bacteria...

Sep 30, 2016

Deadly Mixture: Scientists Uncover Harmful Drug Interactions

Millions of Americans take more than one prescription drug, and often times doctors don't know which drugs, when combined, can cause serious illness or death. Sadly, such warnings come only after the damage is done, when enough clear reports of adverse reactions begin to emerge. Now, scientists at Columbia University...

Jun 1, 2017

Himalayan Salt Lamps: What Are They (and Do They Really Work)?

A new fad has been sweeping the nation. Himalayan salt lamps — crystals of reddish-hued salt from the world's most mountainous region, that have been chiseled out in the center to place a light bulb or heat lamp. Sellers of these spa-like room accessories claim the lamps can clear the...

Jun 20, 2017

Sky-High Doses: Taking Large Amounts of Vitamin D Is on the Rise

The number of people taking sky-high doses of vitamin D has increased dramatically in recent years, a new study finds. Between 1999 and 2014, the percentage of U.S. adults taking 1,000 International Units (IU) or more of vitamin D increased by more than 60 times, from 0.3 percent of adults...

Jul 19, 2017

What Are Selenium Supplements?

Selenium is one of the essential nutrients for humans, meaning that our bodies cannot make it, and so we have to get it from our diet. Without it the heart, joints, eyes, immune system and reproductive system can suffer. Yet humans only need to eat a trace of selenium every...

Nov 15, 2017

What Is Turmeric?

Turmeric, an ingredient in most curries and mustards, has a nearly 4000-year history of use as more than just a spice. Turmeric's deep-orange pigment has been used as a dye, and both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine traditions use turmeric in treatments. Turmeric has also held a place in religious ceremonies...

Dec 7, 2017

Taking Vitamin B7 Can Mess Up Your Medical Tests

High doses of the vitamin biotin in a person's blood can cause errors in some medical lab tests, and these faulty test results have already been linked to one death, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Biotin, also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, is commonly...

Jan 25, 2018

Do Supplements Really Work? Check Out These Fact Sheets for Answers

Plenty of dietary supplements claim to help you get in shape or lose weight, but do they really work? Several new resources from the National Institutes of Health aim to help people cut through the confusion over supplements by summarizing what is known about the safety and effectiveness of popular...

Feb 7, 2018

Niacin (Vitamin B3): Benefits & Side Effects

Vitamin B3, also called niacin, is one of the eight B-complex water-soluble vitamins. Niacin has a wide range of uses in the body, helping functions in the digestive system, skin and nervous system. Niacin, a name coined from nicotinic acid vitamin, comes in several forms, including niacinamide (nicotinamide) and inositol...