Enough Is Enough
Authors: Thomas R. Friberg
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Letters3 June 2014Enough Is EnoughThomas R. Friberg, MD, MSThomas R. Friberg, MD, MSFrom University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L14-5011-4 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITORGuallar and colleagues (1) declare that vitamin and mineral supplementation in well-nourished adults is pointless in the prevention of “chronic disease.” They neglect to mention that the large RCT PHS II showed that daily multivitamins and minerals significantly reduced the risk for cataract formation (2). More important, they do not mention the effectiveness of vitamin and mineral supplementation in the prevention of severe vision loss and blindness from age-related macular degeneration (3, 4), a common chronic disease of considerable importance.Blindness is a most feared disability and is linked strongly to increased mortality, rates of hospitalization, and ...References1. Guallar E, Stranges S, Mulrow C, Appel LJ, Miller ER. Enough is enough: Stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159:850-1. [PMID: 24490268] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Christen WG, Glynn RJ, Manson JE, MacFadyen J, Bubes V, Schvartz M, et al. Effects of multivitamin supplement on cataract and age-related macular degeneration in a randomized trial of male physicians. Ophthalmology. 2014;121:525-34. [PMID: 24268861] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group. A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial of high-dose supplementation with vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and zinc for age-related macular degeneration and vision loss: AREDS report no. 8. Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:1417-36. [PMID: 11594942] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 Research Group. Lutein + zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids for age-related macular degeneration: the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2013;309:2005-15. [PMID: 23644932] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Crewe JM, Morlet N, Morgan WH, Spilsbury K, Mukhtar AS, Clark A, et al. Mortality and hospital morbidity of working-age blind. Br J Ophthalmol. 2013;97:1579-85. [PMID: 24123905] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Thomas R. Friberg, MD, MSAffiliations: From University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L14-0078. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEnough Is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Eliseo Guallar , Saverio Stranges , Cynthia Mulrow , Lawrence J. Appel , and Edgar R. Miller III Enough Is Enough Balz Frei , Bruce N. Ames , Jeffrey B. Blumberg , and Walter C. Willett Enough Is Enough Irvine Mason Enough Is Enough Deborah Stepp Enough Is Enough Jessica Fargnoli , Joyce Greenleaf , and Melissa Hafner Enough Is Enough Eliseo Guallar , Saverio Stranges , Cynthia Mulrow , Lawrence J. Appel , and Edgar R. Miller III Enough Is Enough Irvine Mason Enough Is Enough Jessica Fargnoli , Joyce Greenleaf , and Melissa Hafner Enough Is Enough Deborah Stepp Enough Is Enough Eliseo Guallar , Saverio Stranges , Cynthia Mulrow , Lawrence J. Appel , and Edgar R. Miller III Enough Is Enough Balz Frei , Bruce N. Ames , Jeffrey B. Blumberg , and Walter C. Willett Metrics Cited byClinical and Vitamin Response to a Short-Term Multi-Micronutrient Intervention in Brazilian Children and Teens: From Population Data to Interindividual Responses 3 June 2014Volume 160, Issue 11Page: 808-809KeywordsBlindnessDeath ratesDisabilitiesDisclosureElderlyEye diseasesHospitalizationsMacular degenerationVision ePublished: 3 June 2014 Issue Published: 3 June 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...