so … do vitamins help or not? studies show …

An old friend, who also happens to be a doctor down in the States, sent me a really interesting article from the New York Times yesterday on the results of studies done on vitamin consumption and their impact on health (News Keeps Getting Worse for Vitamins by Tara Parker-Pope, November 20, 2008).

Factoid #1: Long-term ingestion of vitamins C and/or E don’t seem to help prevent cancer.

Factoid #2: Vitamins C and E do not seem to prevent heart disease.

Factoid #3: Vitamin C seems to not only protect healthy cells but cancerous cells as well.

Factoid #4: Vitamin E, especially when taken in combination with other vitamins and/or minerals, seems to actually account for a HIGHER mortality rate (4% if only taking vitamin E — 6% if taking vitamin E in combination with other vitamins/minerals — according to one study) than taking nothing at all.

Factoid #5: In one study, people being treated with radiation for neck and head cancer were given doses of vitamin E.  It seemed to reduce the side-effects of the radiation, but the cancer recurrence rates seemed to be higher in the group taking vitamin E.

On a positive note … well, it’s not all bad.  B12/folic acid is still a good thing if you’re a woman of child-bearing age.  And taking calcium does seem to help with osteoperosis if you’re a woman over the age of 65.

It’s a fascinating article – suggest you check it out.

Safety Check: Purell Hand Sanitizer (Original) with Moisturizers and Vitamin E

I hate getting sick.

In fact, after two winters of various cyclical maladies, I’ve gotten to be a bit of a germaphobe.

Enter the classic germ prevention method: Purell Hand Sanitizer. It’s everywhere in Toronto hospitals and medical centres these days; I also have one on my desk at work.

But how safe is it — really?

The Skin Deep site is not too clear on that. It has several Purell products listed, with safety ratings ranging from 5/10 to 7/10, but not the specific one sitting on my desk. So let’s take a look at the ingredient list and see where we’re at here.

MEDICINAL INGREDIENT:

1. Ethyl Alcohol 62% (a.k.a. “ethanol”)
Skin Deep Rating: 4-5/10 depending on useage

NON-MEDICINAL INGREDIENTS:

2. aminomethyl propanol
Skin Deep Rating: 3/10 (moderate hazard)

3. carbomer
Skin Deep Rating: 0/10 (low risk)

4. fragrance
Skin Deep Rating: 7/10
That’s not good at all!

5. glycerin
Skin Deep Rating: 2/10
NOTE: Includes cancer and developmental/reproductive toxicity

6. isopropyl myristate
Skin Deep Rating: 1/10 (low risk)

7. propylene glycol
Skin Deep Rating: 4/10 (moderate hazard)

8. tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E acetate)
Skin Deep Rating: 4/10
NOTE: Includes risks for allergies/immunotoxicity as well as contamination concerns for hydroquinone (This is bad – hydroquinone, according to Skin Deep, runs the gamut of bad things from cancer to developmental/reproductive toxicity and beyond)

9. water
Skin Deep Rating: 0/10 (“innocuous”)

Ouch. So I’m feeling a little more nervous about this bottle of liquified gunk sitting on my desk now. Maybe I should just make a point of washing my hands more often instead …