Scientists at Oregon State University sprung to the defense of antioxidant supplements after a study they believe to be flawed was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The research in question concluded that supplements such as vitamins A and E may “significantly increase mortality,” and that vitamin C does nothing to reduce mortality rates.

The medical community is eager to discredit antioxidants, because it is geared toward finding quick fixes for diseases, rather than providing preventative care, said Balz Frei, professor and director of the Linus Pauling Institute, which is located at OSU.

“Medical doctors are trained to treat disease with pharmaceutical drugs, and not prevent disease through diet, exercise and dietary supplements,” he said.

Frei said the health-care system could be more aptly called a sick-care system, because it is reactive.

Prescribing drugs is an easy way for doctors to address patients’ health problems, Frei said, and the pharmaceutical industry is very lucrative. There’s less money and more work involved in preventing illness by encouraging a healthy lifestyle, he said.

In addition, Frei said, the study focused on a selected group of clinical trials and disregards the results of other, more positive trials.

While antioxidants can’t undo the damage caused by a lifetime of smoking or other risky behaviors, they can help prevent disease when combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, he said.

Ideally, people would get all the vitamins and minerals they need from their diet. Because most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables to meet their daily requirements, dietary supplements such as multivitamin and multimineral tablets are the next best thing, Frei said.

— Mary Ann Albright