Micronutrients

in Health
and Disease

The growing sentiments against the use of micronutrient supplements for improving human health,

preventing disease, and improving treatment outcomes among most academic and practicing phy-
sicians, and many health professionals, have created confusion and uncertainties in the minds of

many consumers and health professionals. These sentiments are primarily based on a few clinical

trials in which supplementation with a single dietary antioxidant, primarily vitamin E and beta-
carotene, increased the levels of risk factors and/or incidence of the disease in high-risk popula-
tions, such as heavy tobacco smokers, patients with coronary artery disease, and cancer survivors.

Without critically examining the experimental designs of the trial with respect to the selection of
antioxidants, recommendations are being made not to take any micronutrient supplements for health
benefits. Such recommendations are alarming from the public health point of view. The adverse

health effects of a single antioxidant in high-risk populations were expected, because such popula-
tions have high internal oxidative environments in which the individual antioxidants are oxidized

and then act as pro-oxidants.