Anti-oxidant supplements pointless

[Deetee]

So it would appear (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125631.500.html). (You have to be a subscriber to read it all)
Bet the vitamin industry will go apoplectic with righteous indignation if they think their profits will be affected (which I hope they will).

[El Greco]

Do you realize how many studies there are in Pubmed showing proved benefits of antioxidant supplementation ? I'd guess they are thousands.

[kittynh]

look, even my very conservative doctor (I looked long to find a skeptic) has everyone taking a multi vitamin everyday. Heck, even the surgeon general says go for it.

Tea drinking has been proven I think....

[patnray]

Ben Goldacre had an interesting comment on this a few weeks back. It went something like this:

You could argue that

Free radicals have been shown to damage cells.
Anti-oxidants suppress free radicals.
Therefore, anti-oxidants improve health by limiting free radial damage.

On the other hand, you could also argue that

The immune system uses free radicals to kill invading cells.
Anti-oxidants suppress free radicals.
Therefore, anti-oxidants harm health by weakening the immune system.

In fact, living cells have well developed systems for controling free radicals and for repairing free radical damage. The point being that in complex biological systems logic can get us only so far. To determine which, if either, of the above conclusions is correct requires careful testing (i.e. science), or, as we like to say, replicated double blind placebo controlled trials....

[Soapy Sam]

Tea drinking has been proven I think....

There is certainly abundant anecdotal evidence of tea drinking.

[Dark Jaguar]

Indeed. People DO in fact drink tea. :D

[fuelair]

Indeed. People DO in fact drink tea. :D

I drink tea, therefore I am people.