Some critics call vitamin supplements a waste of money, contending there's little evidence they promote health. But recent research suggests the opposite, says Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., at Tufts University. In only two months, it reduced deficiencies and raised blood micronutrients and antioxidants to levels believed to help ward off chronic disease. So finds a new study of 3,089 people, ages 43-86, by ophthalmologists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Researchers aren't sure which specific vitamins to credit, but any supplement with vitamins C and E worked.
Vitamin C builds bones.
The women with the best bones took at least 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day, plus calcium and estrogen replacement. Brains need B12. Vitamins keep arteries open. Investigators gave men both vitamins, either vitamin or a placebo, then used ultrasound to measure plaque buildup in neck arteries over three years. Each vitamin alone helped.