Media effort to disparage use of Antioxidants in Heart Patients - Letters to the Editor

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  April, 2002  

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

Editor:

We are not entirely surprised by the coordinated media effort to disparage the use of antioxidants by heart patients. However, we are again shocked by how easily a minor study can make National news. The most recent story is based on a paper by Brown et al. in the November 29, 2001 NEJM.

This small and relative minor study of people with normal cholesterol was run five years ago, and only now published. It was funded by Merck and one immediately wonders why people with ordinary cholesterol were given cholesterol lowering drugs? Some 294 people were screened out (leaving 160 in the NEJM report) for unexplained reasons. Of the remaining 160, there were only 2 deaths. One in the placebo group and one in the Zocor+antioxidant group. Furthermore, all groups except the antioxidant-only group, had less desirable ending laboratory (objective) values. Higher homocysteine. Higher glucose. Higher insulin. Etc. The antioxidant group showed marked improvement, but this was glossed over in the paper. The so-called "blocking" effect can be interpreted as the antioxidants protecting the liver. The drug studied, i.e. Zocor, damages the liver, and thus interferes with the normal production of cholesterol, as well as Co-Q1O.

We have been observing since 1995 that people who follow the late Noble prize winning scientist Linus Pauling's advice quickly recover from severe heart disease. There are many testimonials at www.PaulingTherapy.com.

Owen Fonorow

P.O. Box 73172

Houston, Texas 77273 USA

888-443-3634/281-443-3634

Fax 630-416-1309

Website: www.vitaminCfoundation.org

COPYRIGHT 2002 The Townsend Letter Group
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group