ALL ONE Vitamins

Despite the preponderance of scientific evidence about the positive effects of vitamin A, results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggest an association between vitamin A intake and hip fractures in post-menopausal women, have been making headlines.

“The vast majority of published studies on vitamin A show an overwhelmingly positive effect on health,” said Phillip Harvey, Ph.D., NNFA’s chief science officer and director of science and quality assurance. “In fact, several studies more representative of the general population that don’t rely solely on observation indicate the opposite - no correlation between vitamin A and hip fractures.”

The findings were from an analysis of data collected from 1980 to 1998 as part of The Nurses’ Health Study. The study was an attempt to relate diet and other lifestyle habits of 72,337 post-menopausal women to eventual health outcomes. The study was purely epidemiological, or observational. Vitamin A intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), the results of which showed a link between retinol and an increased risk of hip facture. Retinol is a form of vitamin A from animal sources such as liver, butter, cheese and other natural or fortified dairy products.

“Because the Nurses’ study was observational, it can, at best, show an association and cannot show scientific proof,” said Harvey. “To get a more meaningful conclusion, the subjects should have included a cross-section more representative of the general population including men, younger women and subjects from varying ethnic backgrounds. The study should have also included blood level assessments of retinol and nutrients, such as vitamin D and calcium, that have a direct relationship with vitamin A status.”

Vitamin A has been shown to be an essential nutrient for normal vision, cellular differentiation, embryonic development, gene expression, growth and immunity. More conclusive evidence from physiological studies is necessary to merit concern regarding a relationship between vitamin A and hip fractures.

Nutritech’s Position on this study is one of interest only. Because this study was not a clinical trial, but a frequency questionnaire, there currently is not enough evidence to change the ALL ONE formula. The benefits of vitamin A in the ALL ONE formula far outweigh the concerns of this study.