The shocking outcomes of two studies into beta-carotene show that supplements can’t easily mimic nature.
Question: Your column on supplements for age-related macular degeneration (“Supplements in focus”, February 16), referred to beta-carotene as a cause for concern as it increases the risk of lung cancer among smokers. Could you please explain this further?
Answer: ‘Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes,” said philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey, who advocated a hands-on approach to learning. Sadly, in the case of the beta-carotene clinical trials, that learning came at the expense of many human lives – reverberations of which were felt for many years.
This story is from the March 23 -29 2019 edition of New Zealand Listener.
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This story is from the March 23 -29 2019 edition of New Zealand Listener.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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