EDITORIAL – MAY 2000

Several readers have expressed concern regarding a recent news item proclaiming that vitamin-C supplementation may clog arteries. This sensational news stems from a recent meeting of the American Heart Association where Dr. James Dwyer reported that he had found that people taking 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily for at least a year had a greater rate of thickening of the artery wall than did people who did not supplement. It should be noted that Dr. Dwyer's study has so far not been published nor undergone a proper peer-review.

Dr. Balz Frei, MD, professor and director of The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University had this to say about the study. "The results from the study presented last week, in fact, are in direct conflict with a study published in 1995 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. That research found a significant reduction in carotid artery wall thickness in people over 55 who consumed about 1,000 milligrams or more of vitamin C a day, compared to those consuming less than 88 milligrams per day."

Dr. Frei goes on to say "This report will cause unnecessary and unjustified confusion and fear among the public." You can find the complete transcript of his comments at www.o rst.edu/dept/lpi/new/atherosclerosis.html.