The Latest from LPI
"An Evidence-based Approach to Vitamins and Minerals: Health Benefits and Intake Recommendations"
Written by Dr. Jane Higdon, this book will be published by Thieme Medical Publishers in late 2002 or early 2003. The book is based on information presented on the LPI Micronutrient Information Center, an online resource available on the LPI website. The 280-page book will sell for $49 in the U.S. Please check the Thieme website, LPI website, or your local bookseller for information on availability.
The Value of Supplements
A review of the scientific evidence of the role of vitamins in chronic disease prevention was published in the June 19, 2002, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association by Drs. Robert Fletcher and Kathleen Fairfield. In their "Clinical Applications" summary, the authors suggest that "Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from randomized trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements." While this is hardly news to those of us who have been aware of Linus Pauling's long-term recommendations, it does offer advice about the value of vitamin supplements for the first time from the official publishing organ of the American Medical Association.
An article published by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group in the Archives of Ophthalmology in 2001 found that daily supplements containing 500 mg of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 15 mg of beta-carotene, 80 mg of zinc as zinc oxide, and 2 mg of copper as cupric oxide significantly slowed the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and loss of visual acuity in people with AMD or with extensive eye abnormalities called drusen. However, a related study found that the supplements did not have an effect on the development or progression of cataracts. The studies followed over 3,600 (AMD) or 4,600 (cataract) subjects 55 to 80 years old for over 6 years.
1 Million and Growing Strong
Linus
Pauling and the Twentieth Century, a traveling exhibition of photographs,
documents, and other material illustrating Linus Pauling's life and accomplishments,
has now been seen by over one million people since it debuted in San Francisco
in the Fall of 1998. Attendance was highest in Boston in the summer of
2001, when over 250,000 people visited the exhibition at the Boston Museum
of Science. The Exhibit opens in Tokyo in October after visiting Hiroshima,
Kobe, and Yokohama, Japan, and plans for hosting the Exhibit in Europe
next year are under way.
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Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions about The Linus Pauling Institute to lpi@oregonstate.edu |