The bottom line is to forget the antioxidant supplement and eat lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, said William Hart, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University. Limit meat, high fat milk products and all other sources of fat.
The report in The Lancet examined 20 years of research on people believed to be at high risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers who took antioxidant supplements “ which included selenium and vitamins A, C and E. The Danish physician who led the study called the vitamins useless in preventing common digestive cancers, and said more study is needed on whether selenium can fight liver cancer.
This research confirms what I have been saying, Hart said. Eating a good diet with lots of whole grains, highly colored vegetables and fresh fruits and limiting meats and fat is the best way to ensure that you maximize your own genetic potential to avoid or delay chronic diseases.
Dr. Hart has a doctorate degree in human nutrition and master ™s degrees in biochemistry and public health.
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No weight-loss drug appears to be superior to others, and, like all medications, each has side effects. The drugs have not been studied sufficiently to evaluate the risk of rare side effects, nor has there been enough research to determine the optimal time to treat obesity with drugs or how this may vary by patients ™ age, gender, or race.
The evidence review found that very little research has been done on either surgery or medical treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.
The report will be considered along with other information when the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee meets on November 4, 2004, to discuss the risks and benefits of bariatric surgery in the Medicare population.
In December 2003, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that clinicians screen all adult patients for obesity and offer or refer obese patients for intensive counseling and behavioral interventions to promote sustained weight loss. The Task Force, which is supported by AHRQ, is the leading independent panel of private-sector experts in prevention and primary care and conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of the scientific evidence for a broad range of preventive services.
The evidence report was prepared by researchers led by Paul G. Shekelle, M.D., Ph.D., of the Southern California-RAND Evidence-based Practice Center in Santa Monica, under a contract with AHRQ through AHRQ ™s Evidence-based Practice Centers Program. The evidence review was requested by the American College of Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Academy of Family Physicians. These and other organizations, including NIH ™s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, contributed to the report.
A summary of the report, Pharmacological and Surgical Treatment of Obesity, can be found at ahrq/clinic/epcsums/obesphsum.htm. For the full report, go to ahrq/clinic/evrptfiles.htm#obespharm.
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