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Article: Beta carotene prove 'no magic bullet.' (National Cancer Institute research indicates that beta carotene provides no protection against heart disease or cancer)(Science News of the Week)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- January 27, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The U.S. government has sobering news for devotees of beta carotene. The dietary supplement doesn't prevent heart disease or cancer, and it may even increase a smoker's risk of lung cancer.
Richard D. Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., announced last Thursday that researchers conducting an NCI-funded study of 18,314 men and women at high risk of lung cancer stopped the study 21 months early. Interim results showed that participants who had been taking beta carotene and vitamin A for at least 4 years had a 28 percent increase in lung cancer and a 17 percent increase in deaths, compared to ...