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04.15.09, 08:00 PM EDT
But British team says findings don’t prove cause and effect

THURSDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) — People who don’t get enough of the antioxidant vitamins A and C in their diet may be at increased risk for asthma, British researchers say.

The pooled results of 40 studies conducted between 1980 and 2007 showed that people with asthma had a significantly lower dietary intake of vitamin A than those without the disease. The average intake among those with asthma was 182 micrograms a day, which is between a quarter and a third of recommended daily intake.

The review authors also found that people with severe asthma had a significantly lower intake of vitamin C (about half the recommended daily intake) than those with mild asthma. In addition, low circulating levels of vitamin C in the blood and lower dietary intake of foods containing vitamin C were associated with a 12 percent increased risk of asthma.

There was no association between vitamin E intake and asthma risk, but blood levels of vitamin E were much lower among people with severe asthma than in those with mild asthma. Those with severe asthma had an average vitamin E intake of 2 milligrams/day, which is 20 percent lower than the daily recommended amount, the review authors said.

These findings don’t prove cause and effect, but they do challenge a study published last year that found no association between antioxidants and asthma risk, said Dr. Jo Leonardi-Bee, of the division of epidemiology and public health at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, and colleagues.

“Overall, our findings from [the current] systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that low levels of vitamin C intake, and to a lesser extent vitamin A, are consistently associated with asthma risk to a degree that, if causal, would be sufficient to be clinically relevant,” they concluded.

Their findings for an association between dietary antioxidants and wheezing were less consistent. The report was published in the current issue of Thorax.

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Vitamin E and Vitamin C have extraordinary anti-aging powers, but Beta Carotene is the one antioxidant that you can’t live without if you want to stay young. Beta Carotene, most commonly extracted from carrots, has extra antioxidant powers that fill in where other supplements like Vitamin E and Vitamin C leave off. In fact, Beta Carotene fixes a whole host of other problems including cancer, heart disease, cataracts and failing immunity. In other words, Beta Carotene supplements taken regularly can aid with curing many health problems.

Beta carotene can also be found in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apricots and spinach, if you eat enough of these foods. If you don’t eat a lot of these fruits and vegetables, it’s best to take beta carotene supplements.

There are a lot of vitamins and supplements for youthful skin, but Beta Carotene supplements stand out above all the rest. Beta Carotene supplements keep skin younger by diffusing the youth-stealing free radicals that corrupt and destroy skin’s cell structures. Beta Carotene can also convert over to a type of Vitamin A once it is inside the body, which has anti-aging attributes of its own.

Beta Carotene supplements are also an essential antioxidant for fighting cancer. Study after study shows that people with high levels of Beta Carotene in their blood are about half as likely to get cancer as those who don’t. Beta Carotene specifically protects against cancers of the lungs, stomach, mouth, breast, and bladder. Beta Carotene is particularly helpful for smokers, who are four times less likely to develop certain lung cancers by maintaining high levels of Beta Carotene in their systems.

With long-term dosage, Beta Carotene supplements can ward off cardiovascular disease. Beta Carotene supplements taken regularly slows the progression of plaque buildup in the arteries and prevents them from getting clogged. Beta Carotene supplements taken regularly can also prevent strokes. However, it must be noted that no results are likely until Beta Carotene supplements are taken for at least two years. In order to remain effective, Beta Carotene supplements must always be taken. The Alliance for Aging Research recommends taking ten to thirty milligrams a day for life.

Healthy functioning of the immune system is one more benefit derived from taking Beta Carotene supplements. Those who take Beta Carotene supplements on a daily basis will have boosted levels of natural killer cells, T-helper cells, and activated lymphocytes. These immune cells are important in fighting cancer as well as viral and bacterial infections.

To make the power of Beta Carotene even stronger, it should be used with the other two incredible antioxidants, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Used together, these three antioxidants are almost unstoppable when it comes to disease prevention. The combination of all three of these antioxidants is far better at slowing down the clogging and hardening of the arteries and thus, essentially better at preventing heart attacks and strokes. The power of three works the same way with cancer, with these three antioxidants becoming much more powerful when combined.

As you can see, Beta Carotene supplements do much more than give you younger looking skin. Over time, they can literally save your life. Again, it must be emphasized that the powers of Beta Carotene supplements can only be enjoyed with long term usage. Remember, the key word here is prevention. Beta Carotene is not a quick fix for any serious ailments and should not be substituted for real medicine. It must be used faithfully over time to achieve the incredible health benefits mentioned here.

Article Written By J. Foley

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If you are training for sports, whether it’s competitive or recreational, you may be thinking about taking vitamins or supplements to enhance your performance. These aren’t supplements for health, exactly. They are vitamins or supplements to make you stronger, faster, leaner, or maybe to heal a sports injury. No matter the reason, if you are active in sports and want to see improvement, you are looking for something above and beyond the vitamins and supplements that will just make you healthy.

If you go to the health food store, you will find shelves and shelves of vitamins and supplements that promise almost everything you can possibly imagine. But just how many of these products are worth buying and how many are really just rip-offs? While some of these products are genuine, the majority of them are (read more…)

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