This year, the Linus Pauling Institute organized the Colloquium and dedicated it to the 98th anniversary of Linus Pauling s birth. Please note which tapes you want and the quantity. The first speaker was Dr. John Erdman from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who discussed the role of carotenoids in human health.
Carotenoids are the orange, yellow and red pigments in fruits and vegetables.
The evidence that these compounds are healthful is derived mainly from epidemiological studies of fruit and vegetable intake, the majority of which have shown protection against cancer. Interestingly, when one carotenoid, beta-carotene, was tested as a supplement in three large studies involving tens of thousands of volunteers, no benefits were seen in preventing cancer or heart disease. In fact, heavy smokers taking beta-carotene supplements had a slightly increased risk of lung cancer, a finding that has stirred a lot of debate and instigated additional mechanistic studies. Dr. Mark Levine from the National Institutes of Health then addressed the topic of vitamin C and optimal health. Dr. Levine has studied the relationship between vitamin C intake and resultant levels in serum and white blood cells.