The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'Vitamins' Category

Trade-offs: Comparing supplements vs. exercise

Saturday, January 4th, 2014

little-guy2Drs. Andrew Mendelsohn and James Larrick at the Panorama Research Institute and Regenerative Sciences Institute, in Sunnyvale, California, have complied an impressive list of reviews on the effects of exercise. Here’s the first in a series of summaries of their recent publications.

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Here’s what we know about vitamin C and the common cold

Thursday, February 14th, 2013

150px-Ascorbic_acid_structureVitamin C (ascorbic acid) for preventing and treating the common cold has been a subject of controversy for 70 years.

Now, The Cochrane Library has reviewed the data. (more…)

Diets for multiple sclerosis

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

Diets and dietary supplements are often used by people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

This updated Cochrane review reports on studies of dietary habits as an effective treatment for MS patients. (more…)

Use of dietary supplements to enhance sports performance

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Researchers at Texas Chiropractic College, in Pasadena, studied children in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in order to estimate their use of supplements. (more…)

Resveratrol flawed science, and more

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

The University of Connecticut reports that Dr. Dipak Das falsified the results of some studies of resveratrol.

But the CAM connection goes deeper. (more…)

CAM for the common cold?

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

While rhinoviruses cause upto half of colds, up to 200 other viruses have been implicated.

Researchers at the University of Ottawa, in Ontario, reviewed the evidence for CAM to treat and prevent the common cold. (more…)

Effect of vitamin D supplements on cancer and fracture risks

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Researchers in Boston and Japan, reviewed the effects of vitamin D with or without calcium supplementation. (more…)

B vitamins and the risk of dementia

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

Researchers at Harvard Medical School, in Boston, examined the effect of taking folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 on cognitive change in women with cardiovascular disease or risk factors cardiovascular disease. (more…)

Vitamin A and the risk of asthma

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Animal research suggests that a vitamin A deficiency adversely affects lung development and promotes airway hyper-responsiveness, which may predispose to asthma.

Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, in Maryland, examined the long-term effects of vitamin A supplementation early in life on asthma risk. (more…)

Taking “medical food” during pregnancy

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Researchers in the US and Mexico studied the value of taking supplements with a medical food — bars containing L-arginine + antioxidant vitamins — on the risk of pre-eclampsia. (more…)

Increasing popularity of dietary supplements

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Dietary supplement use has steadily increased since the 1970s.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health estimated dietary supplement use based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006, a nationally representative survey. (more…)

CAM options for treating depression

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Emily Matthews, a reader of this blog, provides this overview of depression and complementary treatment options.

About 20 million Americans suffer from clinical depression. Low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, are thought to contribute to depression. Depression is also associated with diseases like diabetes, heart disease, chronic pain, hormonal imbalance, hypoglycemia, stress, impaired thyroid function, environmental toxins, and unhealthy lifestyles. (more…)

Dietary supplements and the risk of death in older women

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Dietary supplements are commonly taken to prevent chronic disease.

Researchers in Finland, Norway, and the Republic of Korea studied the long-term health consequences. (more…)

Use of dietary supplements by medical specialists

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Here’s a look at the use of dietary supplements by physicians in 3 specialties in the US: cardiology, dermatology, and orthopedics. (more…)

Risk of drug interactions with dietary supplements

Monday, September 12th, 2011

Researchers in the US reviewed the incidence and severity of potential interactions between prescription medicine and dietary supplements. (more…)

Reviewing non-pharmacological options to prevent migraine

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

At the University of Turin, in Italy, researchers reviewed the evidence.

And contributors to the US Headache Consortium tell us why it’s important. (more…)

Options to prevent colorectal cancer

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Colorectal cancer is strongly associated with a Western lifestyle.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School, in Boston, present an overview of the evidence. (more…)

High use of CAM among people with diabetes

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Would you believe that about 80% of people with diabetes use CAM?

Researchers at the University of California, in San Diego, surveyed patients attending the 6 Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) educational conferences during 2004-2006. (more…)

CAM options to treat menopausal symptoms

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Prof. Ernst has reviewed the evidence.

Here’s what we know. (more…)

Vitamin A and zinc to treat tuberculosis

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Low blood levels of vitamin A and zinc are common in tuberculosis patients. But do patients benefit from supplementation during treatment?

Researchers at the University of the Western Cape, in Cape Town, South Africa, looked for changes in adults with sputum smear–positive pulmonary tuberculosis. (more…)