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Surprising Conclusion
From a November 14th Article in the New York Times entitled "The Dangers of Vitamin E":
The researchers concluded that daily doses of 400 international units and above, the amount typically contained in vitamin E capsules, slightly increased the risk of dying from all causes.
Shark Attack?
Thanks to Andrew Sinkov for the link and the joke.
November 15, 2004 | Permalink
Comments
Why not? Sharks need their vitamins too, right?
Posted by: Jaws | Nov 16, 2004 2:01:42 AM
Hmmm. Maybe. What the article doesn't say is that there are different types of vitamin E and that having too much of one type (the type that is most common in supplements - synthetic D-Alpha Tocopherol) has been known to not be good for you because it reduces the effectiveness of other types of vitamin E (which you would presumably be getting naturally in your diet). So at least if the sharks are eating people with lots of the worse kind of vitamin E, they will be at slightly higher risk of dying of all causes as well...
Posted by: Levi | Nov 16, 2004 1:22:16 PM
Had I the time, I'd love to look at the methodology of the study. From the info in the NYT article, I could draw no stronger conclusion than what my old statistics prof tried to drum into his students: Never confuse correlation with causation.
I'll continue with to take the unproven higher doses of Vitamin E and take the increased risk of dying from shark attack. I think I can live with it!
Posted by: Elderbear | Nov 17, 2004 3:45:41 AM