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THE LAST WORD
Zero deaths from vitamins and minerals—but regulators are clamping down
Death by vitamin
Bryan Hubbard
he Irish are lucky—and not just in valerian,yohimbe,mahuang(ephedra),kola followed by antidepressants, with 131,000
general. They’re especially lucky when nutandyerbamatewas...yes,zero. adverse reactions.
it comes to vitamins and supplements. Ofcourse,therewerenodeathsfrom All these cases are recorded as
T With those fusty old bureaucrats homeopathicremedies,becauseasthe poisons, because the drugs were taken
in the European Union dithering for years in skepticsliketoremindus,they’rejustwater- “inappropriately”—such as inadvertent
setting the maximum doses that people basedplacebos.Andnobodydiedfrom overdosing, taking someone else’s medication
can safely take, Ireland’s own watchdog has Ayurvedicmedicine,either. by mistake, or taking doses too close together.
acted decisively. Someonediedfroman“unknownsingle What about deaths from prescription
With Ireland’s supplement market tripling ingredientbotanical,”andan“unknown medications taken correctly? The National
in just 10 years, the Irish Food Safety Authority energydrink”wassomehowimplicatedin Institute on Drug Abuse reports that US
has set the upper safe levels for 21 vitamins and anotherdeath,but“theobviousuncertainty government agencies don’t track drug deaths,
minerals. “We are concerned about the safety ofsuchlistingsdiminishesanyclaimof so, trying to create a clearer picture, Thomas
of vulnerable groups of the population in validity,”saidAndrewW.Saul,editorof J Moore, senior scientist for drug safety and
Ireland, including children, pregnant women OrthomolecularMedicineNewsService,who policy at the Institute for Safe Medication
and older people,” said the authority’s chief reportedonthelethallist. Practices, has been setting up systems that
executive, Dr Pamela Byrne. Therewasalsoonepossiblefatalityfrom monitor deaths in hospitals.
Her concerns were shared by the chairman takingvitaminD,butthevitamin’srolewas Assuming people go to a hospital after
of the authority’s scientific committee, “contributory,”whichcouldmeantheperson suffering a drug reaction, Moore estimates
Professor Albert Flynn, who said: “There can died—aspeopledo—andhappenedtobe that 128,000 Americans die each year from
be adverse health effects when people take too takingvitaminDatthetime. a drug taken according to the prescription,
much of some vitamins or minerals.” 1 Notquitesomanygrayareaswhenitcomes including correct dose and frequency. 2
And there must be statistics to back up his toprescriptionpharmaceuticals.Analgesics, That figure is consistent with estimates
worries, right? Step forward the American orpainkillers,werethesinglemosttoxicagent prepared by Professor Thomas Light at the
Association of Poison Control Centers, which reportedtopoisoncenters,accountingfor Rowan University School of Osteopathic
collates deaths and adverse reactions reported around288,000adversereactionsordeaths. Medicine, who wrote a paper with the no-
to poison centers around the US, including Sedativesandantipsychoticsweren’ttoo holds-barred title, “Institutional Corruption
reactions to pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, farbehind,witharound150,000victims, of Pharmaceuticals and the Myth of Safe and
3
chemicals, household products, cosmetics, Effective Drugs.”
vitamins and minerals, which are also In the paper, he estimates that around
considered poisons. 2,460 Americans die each week from a drug
According to its 2017 report, the number of properly taken.
deaths from overdosing on vitamins A, C, E, Even these figures are conservative. Studies
niacin, pyridoxine (B6) or other B vitamins into the safety and effectiveness of drugs often
was . . . zero. OK, how about minerals? don’t record adverse reactions at all.
Overdose deaths from calcium, magnesium, In fact, researchers from the UK’s University
chromium, zinc, colloidal silver, selenium, of York discovered that just 38 percent of the
iron or multi-mineral supplements were . . . 1,376 reviews of healthcare interventions they
also zero. There were no deaths from amino Painkillers were the single analyzed even mentioned adverse reactions. 4
acids, creatine, blue-green algae, glucosamine We’re sure the Irish regulators are on the case.
or chondroitin, either. most toxic agent reported to
There must have been some deaths poison centers, accounting REFERENCES
from herbs, surely? The body count from for around 288,000 adverse 1 IrishTimes,June5,2018
concoctions such as blue cohosh, echinacea, 2 U.S.News&WorldReport,September27,2016
3 JLawMedEthics,2013;41:590–600
ginkgo, ginseng, kava kava, St John’s wort, reactions or deaths 4 JClinEpidemiol,2019;108:95–101
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