News article (part 2)

[Guest guest]

(cont.)<br><br>Despite the lack of concrete

evidence, the report called for increases in the daily

consumption of vitamins C and E: <br><br>Vitamin C went up

from 60 milligrams a day for everyone to 75 milligrams

for women and 90 milligrams for men. Because of the

cell damage caused by smoking, the panel said smokers

should take an additional 35 milligrams. No one should

take more than 2,000 milligrams each day. Large doses

of vitamin C may cause diarrhea. <br><br>Vitamin E

levels were set at 15 milligrams each day with an upper

limit of 1,000 milligrams. Taking more than the upper

limit means a risk of internal bleeding since vitamin E

can have an anticlotting action. <br><br>Selenium

levels were set at 55 micrograms daily with an upper

limit of 400 micrograms. Large amounts of selenium can

cause a toxic reaction marked by loss of hair and

nails. <br>A typical multi-vitamin contains 200 mg of

vitamin C, 100 IU of vitamin E or three times the daily

requirement. The report did not set a level for beta-carotene.

" There are a huge number of studies that say a diet rich

in vegetables and fruits decreases the risk for

cancer and heart disease, " Traber says. <br><br> " The

trouble is we cannot say that carotenoids, the colors in

fruits and vegetables, give the benefit. It could be

something else in the fruit and vegetables. We are just not

smart enough to know if those 20,000 different

chemicals in fruit or vegetables might be interacting in

some way to be beneficial. " <br><br>Diet, not pills

<br><br>Traber says a healthy diet is the solution. " The

take-home message here is that dietary supplements are not

cures and in some cases can be dangerous. " <br><br>For

Amy Coleman, the host of PBS's Home Cooking, the

report is " all good news. You know as a chef, I am

nothing but a proponent of whole foods. So if you need

some vitamin A, think carrots, cantaloupe and

apricots. And while everyone thinks orange juice when it

comes to vitamin C, people are less familiar with the

fact that green peppers and tomatoes are excellent

sources. " <br><br>Coleman says that it's the " crisp and

crunch of food that people should be looking for. You

really won't find an answer in a bottle. " <br><br>The

report could impact a huge business in the United

States. According to The Hartman Group, a marketing

research and consulting company, antioxidants account for

a good chunk of the supplement market. Sales

figures for vitamin E topped $1.057 billion in the United

States. Vitamin C was the next largest with $724 million.

Beta carotene accounted for $80.9 million and selenium

$71.2 million.