v:维生素的真相

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====== 纪录片：维生素的真相

我们每年要将3亿英镑花在药丸上面

We're spending three hundred

million pounds a year on pills,

有些人相信这些药丸是了不起的自然方式

以防止甚至治愈

that some believe to be an amazing

natural way to prevent, or even cure,

一些对人类最为致命的疾病

some of our most deadly diseases.

而每一天

And every day,

成百上千万的人们在补充着维生素

millions of people take

vitamin supplements,

坚信其效力能使他们保持健康

convinced of their power

to keep them healthy.

如果你想要生活长寿而健康

If you want to lead a

long and healthy life,

再补充些

eat right and take supplements.

但科学家们有着不断增长的忧虑

But there is a growing

anxiety from scientists

即我们服用大剂量一些维生素的习惯

that our habit of taking

large doses of some vitamins

可能会有非常不同的后果

could have very different consequences.

对于大多数人来说服用大剂量的

For most people there's

absolutely no benefit

维生素补剂绝不会有益处

in taking high dose vitamin supplements.

最好的情况下也就是浪费金钱

At best, they're a waste of money

在最糟的情况下

那些可能会严重地影响你的健康

and at worst, they could

seriously affect your health.

今晚'地平线'将检视维生素革命

Tonight Horizon examines

the vitamin revolution,

并要调查国内最受欢迎的

and investigates the facts

维生素的事实情况

about the nation's favourite vitamins.

它们确实有效吗?

Do they work?

服用它们安全吗?

And are they safe?

Maddie Walford 33岁

Maddie Walford is thirty-three

过着积极的生活

and leads an active life.

吃得讲究

She eats well,

并经常做运动

and exercises regularly.

为确保她身体健康

And to make sure she stays healthy

她确信她需要每日

she's convinced that she needs to take

服用三片特别药丸

three special pills every day.

我绝对是个服药成瘾者

I'm definitely a pill-popper.

总是周围有很多别人开的玩笑

There have been so many

jokes going on about,

比如我在办公室的事

sort of, me in the office,

因为每天早上我都会将维生素罐排好

because I line up my

vitamin jars every morning

再服下所有药丸

and take all the pills.

有过笑话是说我会发出卡嗒卡嗒声

There have been jokes about me rattling

在走路时

when I walk.

我的一些家庭成员认为我是彻头彻尾的疯子

Some of my family members just

think I'm a complete maniac.

Dina West在伦敦教授说外语的学生

Dina West teaches foreign

language students in London.

这个单词里有多少个音节?

How many syllables in this word?

她的日程表很忙碌

She has a hectic schedule.

因此这是平房

So it's bungalow.

平房

Bungalow.

好极了做得好

Perfect, ok well done.

她也确信要感觉良好

She too is convinced that to feel good

并保持健康

她就另外需要维生素药丸

and stay healthy she

needs extra vitamin pills.

我服用各种各样的维生素

I take a variety of vitamins,

像是维生素鸡尾酒

a cocktail of vitamins,

大概是每天11片

probably about eleven a day.

我服用它们已超过25年甚至更久

I have taken them over a period

of twenty-five or more years.

而这位是Carol

And then there's Carol,

她身材适中而健康

喜爱爬山及山间漫步

she's fit and healthy and

loves hill walking and climbing.

每天早上她都服用3片维生素丸

And every morning she

takes three vitamin tablets.

每日性的

On a daily basis,

我都服维生素C以及维生素E

I take vitamin C and vitamin E,

而且还服用不少各种各样的维生素

and I take a general

sort of multi-vitamin.

她甚至在她的手提包里还带着一些

She even carries some around

with her in her handbag

以应急

in case of emergencies.

她们所有人购入这些只因有同一个想法

And all of them have

bought in to the same idea

即维生素是一种简单的

that vitamins are a simple,

最重要的是纯天然的

是保持健康身材的方式

and above all natural, way

to stay fit and healthy.

就像在不列颠的数百万人一样

Like millions of people in Britain,

她们相信维生素补剂

they believe vitamin supplements

对于快乐而有活力的未来是至关重要的

are crucial to a happy

and vigorous future.

我希望这些维生素能保护我

不受任何癌症的侵扰

I hope my vitamins will protect

me from any form of cancer.

避免早衰

Premature ageing.

保持我的视力听力

Keep my eyesight, hearing,

以及所有器官运转如常

all my faculties intact as well.

但是维生素确有如此这般神奇力量吗?

But do vitamins really

have such remarkable powers?

维生素充其量也就是

Vitamins are nothing more

在食物中自然生成的化学物质

than chemicals that

occur naturally in food.

我们的身体不能自己生成

Our bodies cannot

produce them themselves,

而大约在一个世纪前

and nearly a century ago

科学家才发现这些有多么重要

scientists discovered

just how vital they were

对于我们的健康

for our health.

维生素是健康的身体的基本条件

Vitamins are essential

for a healthy body,

如没有它们我们就不能生存

we can't exist without them.

他们发现相当多的疾病

They found that a whole host of diseases

不是起因于病毒或细菌感染

weren't caused by infections

from viruses or bacteria,

而仅仅是因为缺乏这些维生素

but simply by the

lack of these vitamins.

颇感到物有所值的就是当一个人来此

It's very rewarding

when a person comes in

是因为有身体上的状况

with a medical condition,

或是临床上的状况

or clinical condition,

而我们能判断出那是由于维生素缺乏

and we can identify that

as a vitamin deficiency,

于是开出维生素进行治疗

并看着他们好起来

treat them with vitamins

and see them get better.

只要确保人们服用的是正确的维生素

Just by making sure people

ate the right vitamins,

那么一系列逐渐得名为“缺乏症”的病症

a whole string of what became

known as deficiency diseases

就可彻底根除

could be eradicated.

维生素A存在于奶质品

Vitamin A, found in dairy products,

肝脏及鱼类中

liver and fish,

可防止失明以及畸性发育

prevents blindness

and growth deformities.

维生素C 存在于桔子和其它柑橘类水果中

Vitamin C, from oranges

and other citrus fruit,

可有效治愈坏血病

has all but ended scurvy.

而维生素D

And vitamin D,

存在于鱼类中

found in fish,

意味着孩子们不再需要在成长中遭遇佝偻病

means children need no

longer grow up with rickets.

科学家们发现我们的食物

Scientists have found our food

包含有一种便宜而简单的方式

contained a cheap and simple way

来终结数百万人正经受的痛苦

to end the suffering

of millions of people

在全世界的范围内

around the world.

维生素的发现

The discovery of vitamins

是现代医药史上的一个里程碑

was a landmark in modern medicine,

这是第一例让我们知道

it was the first

example where we learned

疾病可能并不仅仅是由感染媒介引起的

that diseases may be caused

not just by infectious agents

而仅仅是因为在我们的

but by the simple absence

食物当中简单地缺乏一种物质

of a single substance from our diet,

即一种维生素

a vitamin.

缺乏维生素可能是

That a vitamin deficiency

could be the cause

疾病及死亡的起因

of disease and death.

如今我们大多数人想当然地认为生活中

Today, most of us take

for granted a life free

没有由维生素缺乏而引起的疾病

from the diseases caused

by vitamin deficiency.

医生们现在相信

Doctors now believe

平衡的饮食配合水果

that a balanced diet,

with a mix of fruits,

蔬菜谷物和脂肪

vegetables, grains and fats,

就能向你提供微量维生素量

can give you the tiny

amounts of vitamins needed

以使你保持健康身体所需

to keep you in good health,

他们称其为'每日建议服用量'

they have called it the

recommended daily allowance.

只有在特别的情况下比如怀孕期间

Only in special cases,

such as pregnancy,

医生通常建议服用高些的维生素剂量

do doctors normally recommend

taking higher doses of vitamins.

还有在若干情况下额外的维生素剂量可显出作用

There are times when extra

vitamin supplements are useful,

比如叶酸

for example, folic acid

对于防止婴儿的天生缺陷极为重要

is important in preventing

birth defects in babies,

因此它对于正考虑怀孕的女士们极为重要

so it's very important for

women considering pregnancy

得要服用叶酸补充剂量

to take a folic acid supplement,

在她们怀孕前

before they're pregnant,

就在怀孕期的前十二周

and for the first twelve

weeks of pregnancy.

但在40年前

But forty years ago,

有个将会转变世人对于维生素

之理解的人出现了

someone came along who would transform

the world's perception of vitamins.

这个人影响力巨大

Someone so powerful

他将会把维生素带出医院

以及医生的执业范围

that he would take them out of the

hospital and the doctor's practice

而进入千百万人的家庭里和大街上

and into millions of

homes and high streets.

Linus Pauling是科学界的超级巨星

Linus Pauling was a

scientific superstar.

比如如果我们想到氦原子

For example if we consider a helium atom

一个有含核的原子

with the nuclear atom.

就像爱因斯坦所说的

As Albert Einstein remarked,

Linus Pauling是个天才

Linus Pauling was a genius.

他极富才气

He was so brilliant

是唯一的一个赢得了两次诺贝尔奖的人

that he is the only man to win

two individual Nobel Prizes,

一次是化学奖一次是和平奖

once for chemistry and once for peace.

这两次诺贝尔奖使他拥有惊人的科学信度

Two Nobel Prizes gave him

astonishing scientific credibility.

还不只是位了不起的天才

In addition to being

an incredible genius,

他还是位非常迷人而富魅力的绅士

he was also a very charming

and charismatic man.

尽管他于十年前过世

Though he died ten years ago,

他对于分子结构的研究

his work on the structure of molecules

仍是现代科学的基石

is still the basis of modern science.

直到Pauling的出现来革新化学界之前

Until Pauling came along

to revolutionise chemistry,

将原子和分子联系起来的自然纽带

the nature of the bond that

held atoms and molecules together

还确实不为人知

really was not well known.

而Pauling提供了这个基础

And Pauling provided this foundation

为现代化学

for modern chemistry.

似乎他可以毫不费力地

It seemed he could go effortlessly

从科学的一个领域到另个领域

from one area of science to another.

他有着百科全书般的知识

He had an encyclopaedic

knowledge of chemistry,

对于化学物理生物和药学方面physics, biology, medicine.

作为化学家

As a chemist,

我有必要的背景知识

I have a background of knowledge

使我得以接受新思想

that permits me to

appreciate the new ideas,

但我也非常喜欢

but I also like very much

能有自己的新思想

having new ideas myself.

在20世纪60年代末期

And in the late 1960s,

这位伟人有了个重要思想

the great man had a huge idea.

Pauling逐渐确信

Pauling became convinced

维生素不仅能预防营养缺乏症

that vitamins could not only

prevent deficiency diseases,

还能起着其它大得多的作用

they could do something far, far bigger.

他相信维生素有能力来预防那些与

He believed they had the power to prevent diseases

营养缺乏症完全无关的疾病

that had nothing to do with deficiency at all,

那是些威胁着我们每个人的疾病

diseases which threatened

every one of us,

譬如癌症

like cancer.

心脏病

Heart disease.

它们甚至还能延缓衰老

They could even delay ageing.

据Pauling的说法关键是

The key, according to Pauling,

要大剂量地服用

was to take them in huge doses.

这是个极具革命性的想法

It was a very revolutionary idea

因为在那时

because at the time

大多数传统的科学家和营养学家

most conventional

scientists and nutritionists

对维生素感兴趣

were interested in vitamins

是基于它们与营养缺乏症之间的关联

with respect to their

associated deficiency diseases,

要达到最佳健康状态的目的不是

and not achieving optimal health

通过增加服用维生素剂量

by increasing the intake of vitamins.

当Pauling将他的看法传达给全世界时

When Pauling took his

message to the world,

大众欣然接受了

the public loved it.

这毕竟是在60年代It was after all the 60s,

看起来维生素针对我们最害怕的疾病提供了

and vitamins seemed to offer a safe, easy remedy

一种安全而简单的治疗方式

to the illnesses we most feel.

你不总是需要大医药公司以及药物

You didn't always need big

pharmaceutical companies and drugs,

你只需要药丸形式的天然疗方

you just needed nature's

remedy in pill form.

这个信息简单明了

The message was simple.

如果要预防佝楼病所需的维生素量为10毫克

If the amount of vitamin C required

to stave off scurvy was ten milligrams,

这在一片橙子中就能含有

and could be found in a slice of orange,

那么这个量的数千倍

then thousands of times more,

相当于100来个橙子

the equivalent of over one hundred oranges,

而比每日建议用量的要多上250多倍

and more than two hundred and fifty

times the recommended daily allowance

就更好了

was even better.

因为那就能让你预防感染上最气人的疾病

Because that could prevent you from

catching the most irritating of diseases,

即感冒

the common cold.

适当地服用维生素C有助于避免患上感冒

The proper intake of vitamin C

helps keep one from catching colds.

对于这种说法

Pauling所说的大剂量维生素C

To this claim, Pauling's claim

that huge doses of vitamin C

能让你避免患上感冒被大家认定为科学事实

can prevent you catching a cold

is popularly believed to be scientific truth.

有助于抵挡感冒

It helps ward off colds.

帮助你预防感冒

Helps you to prevent colds.

预防感冒和流感那是我所认为的

Prevents colds and flu,

that's what I take it for.

一位诺贝尔奖获得者声称它能治愈感冒

A Nobel Prize winner says that it

cures the common cold.

Pauling对于服用大剂量维生素的信奉

Pauling's belief in taking

large doses of vitamins

激励了新一代的健康顾问

has inspired a whole new

breed of health advisors.

Patrick Holford是其中

最为大家熟知的一位

Patrick Holford is one of the

most popular vitamin,

她每天服用500毫克

and she takes five

hundred milligrams a day,

是每日建议用量的近9倍

nearly nine times the

recommended daily allowance.

都是因为

And all because

她对于Linus Pauling的理论全然相信

she has complete faith in

the theory of Linus Pauling.

我服用维生素C

I take vitamin C

因为我相信它确实将我的免疫系统构筑至

because I believe it actually

builds my immune system

使我能够到那种程度抵抗

to the extent that I can fight off

感冒

the common cold.

但维生素C能预防感冒吗?

But does vitamin C really

prevent the common cold

当真如Pauling相信的那样吗?

as Linus Pauling believed?

确实的科学证据是什么?

What is the actual scientific evidence?

位于美国的西海岸的

On America's west coast

是俄勒冈州立大学

is Oregon State University.

它是Linus Pauling研究所所在地

It is home to the

Linus Pauling Institute,

这个研究所的建立是为了

继续他对维生素的研究

which was founded to continue

his research in to vitamins.

我认为Linus Pauling

I think Linus Pauling

是首个真正

was one of the first to really

理解维生素所扮演的角色

understand the role of

vitamins above and beyond

在预防营养缺乏症方面

preventing deficiency disease.

他称之为“分子矫正医学”

And he called that

orthomolecular medicine,

即合适的分子在适度的浓度

so the right molecule at

the right concentration,

就能提供最佳健康度

which can provide optimum health,

而不仅仅是预防营养缺乏症

and not just prevent deficiency disease.

Balz Frei教授

Professor Balz Frei

是一位世界顶尖的研究

is one of the world's leading experts

维生素C的专家

on vitamin C.

他已进行了研究

He has studied the evidence

包括数千自愿者在内的医疗试验方面的证据

from clinical trials involving

thousands of volunteers

他们来自世界各地

from across the world,

这些试验用来调查Pauling关于

designed to investigate Pauling's claim

大剂量的维生素C

that large doses of vitamin C

可抵御感冒的这一主张

fights the common cold.

起初看起来

And at first it seems

Pauling确实有道理

that Pauling really was on to something.

维生素C确有效果

Vitamin C does have an effect

对于感冒

on the common cold,

只要你已染上的话

once you've already caught it.

我认为维生素C

I think there is a role for vitamin C

对于缩短感冒症状出现的持续时间能起到一定作用

in shortening the duration of

the symptoms of the common cold,

可缩短约20%

by about twenty per cent.

症状缓和了

And ameliorating the symptoms,

你就不会像没有服用维C补充剂时那么难受了

so you're not as sick as without

taking vitamin C supplements,

我认为那方面他是正确的

and I think he was right with that.

但接着Frei教授检验了Pauling的主要断言

But then Professor Frei

examined Pauling's central claim,

即首先发起了维生素革命的观念

the idea that first sparked

the vitamin revolution.

恰到好处地服用维生素C有助于

The proper intake of vitamin C helps

使人避免染上感冒

keep one from catching colds.

而对于此断言

And for this claim,

即大剂量的维生素C可使你避免染上感冒

that huge doses of vitamin C

can prevent you catching colds

首先一开始

in the first place,

检验结果很不一致

the results are very different.

我已查看了关于

I've looked at the evidence

维生素C可预防感冒的证据

that vitamin C can

prevent the common cold,

但对于普通大众来说

but for the general population

还确实没有科学研究方面的证据显示

there is really no evidence

from scientific studies

维生素C可以降低感冒的发生率

that vitamin C can lower the

incidence of the common cold,

或是首先能预防

or prevent it in the first place.

因此服用维C补充剂将不会有助于

So taking vitamin C

supplements is not going to help

预防染上感冒

prevent the common cold.

换而言之

In other words,

这个专门设立以继续从事Linus Pauling工作的

研究所的主管

the director of the very institute

set up to pursue Linus Pauling's work,

如今相信那位伟人是错的

now believes that the

great man was wrong.

服用大剂量的维生素C

Taking large doses of vitamin C

不会使你避免染上感冒

does not prevent you from

catching the common cold.

当然了

那将不能阻止像Carol这样的数百万人

Of course, that won't stop

millions of people like Carol

继续服用

from taking it.

那些试验结果将不会影响

The results of those trials

are not going to influence

事实上我经常性地去购入维生素C

the fact that I go out and buy

vitamin C on a regular basis,

以及服用维生素C

and take vitamin C,

因为对我来说服用一片维生素C会对我的身体有帮助

because for me taking a vitamin

C tablet will help my body,

使我身体得以避免染上感冒

prevent my body catching a cold.

尽管Carol未必在对她自身造成危害

And while Carol is unlikely

to be doing herself any harm,

但事实仍然为:压倒性的科学证据主体

the fact remains that the overwhelming

body of scientific evidence

表明对不列颠的大多数人来说

says that for most people in Britain,

服用高剂量的维生素C以预防染上感冒

taking high doses of vitamin

C to prevent getting colds,

就是浪费钱

is a waste of money.

当然

人们决定要服用维C补充剂

Of course, there are other

reasons why people decide

还有其它的原因

to take vitamin C supplements.

有一个特别的维生素族称为抗氧化剂

It's one of a special group of

vitamins called antioxidants.

维生素的如此效力

Vitamins of such power,

信奉者们将确实卓越的功能

the believers ascribe to them properties

归于它们

that are truly remarkable.

我相信它们能保护你的大脑

I believe they can protect your brain,

你的身体你的动脉

your body, your arteries,

不仅可以延缓衰老过程

and not only slow

down the ageing process

还可以使你远离疾病

but keep you free of diseases,

不会得心脏病癌症阿尔茨海默症

from heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's,

所有那些21世纪生灵遭受的灾难

all the tragedies of

twenty first century living.

这些卓效声明都是因为

抗氧化剂如何对于我们

These huge claims are all

because of how antioxidants work

身体中称为自由基的物质产生作用的缘故

on something in our body

called free radicals.

自由基是存在于我们身体细胞内的

Free radicals are unstable molecules

不稳定的分子

that exist in our cells.

它们攻击邻近的分子

They attack other nearby molecules,

窃取一个电子以及一个原子

stealing an electron and with it an atom

以变得再度稳定

to become stable again.

而当遭受攻击的分子失去那个电子时

When the attacked

molecule loses that atom,

它自身就变成了一个自由基

it becomes a free radical itself,

开始连锁反应

beginning a chain reaction.

通常身体能处理这些自由基

Normally the body can

handle these free radicals,

但如果数量过多

but if there are too many,

细胞就会遭到全然损坏

cells can be damaged with

devastating consequences.

自由基损害和一些疾病相关

Free radical damage is associated

with a number of diseases,

如心脏病和癌症

like heart disease and cancer,

以及黄斑病变

and macular degeneration,

但我们也认为自由基对细胞和组织的损害

but we also think that free

radical damage to cells and tissues

是老化过程本身即我们为何变老的

is a fundamental part of

the ageing process itself,

一个基本部分

why we grow old.

这部分是归因于

It's in part due

自由基的活动

to the activity of free radicals.

但抗氧化剂

But antioxidants,

特别是指维生素A C和E

in particular vitamins A, C and E,

会痛击自由基

mop up the free radicals

并阻止它们攻击我们的细胞

and stop them from attacking our cells.

一个简单的演示

A simple demonstration,

只要用上一块牛排

with nothing more than a piece of steak,

就能显示维生素E

can show just how good vitamin E is

防止自由基损害

at preventing free radical damage,

或是氧化过程

or oxidation.

当你在食品店里看见它时

When you look at it in the grocery store

它的红色很漂亮

it's red and beautiful.

那是维生素E在保护着肉不致氧化

That's the vitamin E that's

protecting the meat from oxidation.

我要向你们展示的

What I'm going to show you

所发生的事

is what happens

是当你破坏了维生素E后

if you destroy the vitamin E.

那么我们就取用这个化学物质

So we're going to take this chemical

放在肉的表面上

and place it on the surface of the meat.

它确实将会破坏掉维生素E

That's going to actually

destroy vitamin E.

一旦维生素E给破坏掉

Once the vitamin E is destroyed

肉中的细胞就会被自由基所吞没

the cells in the meat are

swamped by free radicals.

只要几分钟时间

Within just a few minutes

肉就开始变成棕色并发臭

the meat starts to

turn brown and rancid,

细胞遭到致命损毁

the cells have been fatally damaged.

而同样的事可能会发生在你身体中

And the same thing

would happen to your body

如果你没有维生素E的保护效果

if you didn't have the

protective effect of vitamin E.

许多大型研究已表明

Many large studies have shown

食用富含抗氧化剂食物

that people who eat a

diet rich in antioxidants,

比如水果蔬菜谷物和脂肪的人

found in foods such as fruits,

vegetables, grains and fats,

会更长寿也更健康

live longer, healthier lives.

对于所进行的

The studies that have been done

食物研究

in respect of food

表明那些有着高质量饮食

indicate that individuals

with a good quality diet,

即含很多具抗氧化作用的维生素的人

with lots of anti-oxidant

vitamins present

对于染上主要疾病会有低些的风险

have a decrease incidence

of the major diseases.

但有些人认为

But some people think

你能得到的抗氧化性维生素的数量

that the amount of antioxidant

vitamins you can get,

如果仅依靠平衡饮食

simple by eating a balanced diet,

是不够的

are not enough.

他们相信你得要摄入多得多

They believe that you

need to take much more,

那意味着要服用大剂量的药丸

and that means popping high dose pills.

Dina West就是其中一位

Dina West is one of them,

她每天都要服用大量的维生素E胶囊

she takes a high dose

vitamin E capsule every day,

是建议每日摄入量的40倍

it contains forty times the

recommended daily allowance.

维生素E是一种抗氧化剂

Vitamin E is an antioxidant,

它有助于抵抗讨厌的自由基

and it helps to fight

the nasty free radicals,

那些是毒素

which are toxins.

我喜欢那样

And I like that,

我可不想有什么讨厌的东西

在我身体里到处窜

I don't want anything nasty

racing around in my body

非常感谢

thank you very much.

而它们它们帮了我大忙

And they help, they help me a lot.

但最近有一份研究出来

But recently there's

been a piece of research

表明Dina可能未能从她的

that suggests Dina could

be missing any benefit

维E补充剂内得到任何益处

from her vitamin E supplements.

这都是因为

And it's all because

她的服用方式

of how she takes them.

她经常是急急忙忙地

She's often in a rush,

省去了早餐

skips breakfast,

只是用杯水吞下那些药丸

and so swallows her pills

with a glass of water

空腹服用

on an empty stomach.

Dina可能未能获取任何潜在益处这看法

The idea that Dina could be

missing any potential benefit

关于维生素E的

from vitamin E

来自于Linus Pauling机构的Maret Traber

came from Maret Traber at

the Linus Pauling Institute.

维E是一种脂溶性维生素

Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin,

意味着它得要和一些脂肪同时服下才会被吸收

that means it has to be eaten

with some fat to be absorbed.

因此像Dina所做的那样用杯水空腹服用药丸

So popping a pill just with water

on an empty stomach like Dina does,

可能根本没有效用

might be almost no good at all.

在一个实验中 Traber教授给了志愿者

In an experiment Professor

Traber gave volunteers

一颗维生素E丸以及一杯去脂牛奶

a vitamin E pill and a glass of

virtually fat free skimmed milk.

然后她分析了他们的血液

She then analysed their blood

查看有多少维生素E

to see just how much vitamin E

被吸收了

had been absorbed.

分析结果惊人

The results were striking.

当实验人员就着一杯牛奶服用维生素E时

When the subjects took their

vitamin E pill with a glass of milk,

几乎没有被吸收

hardly any was absorbed.

我认为我们的研究表明

I think the implication of our study

如果你要服用维生素E丸

is that if you take a vitamin E pill,

你最好是同时吃一些食物

you'd better take it with some food,

你最好是同时吃一些有

you'd better take it with some food

脂肪在内的食物

that has fat in it,

不然对你自己就不会产生任何益处

or you're not doing yourself any good.

换而言之

In other words,

如果Traber教授是对的

if Professor Traber is right,

那么对于那些不同时吃下

含脂肪食物的维E服用者来说

then anyone who takes

vitamin E without a fatty meal

可能就是在浪费时间

could be wasting their time.

但她的实验中也有些不寻常的部分

But there was something

unusual about her experiment.

Traber教授用的是特别制作的药丸

Professor Traber used

specially manufactured pills,

她没有使用商品化的产品

she did not use a

commercially available product.

'地平线'决定要更进一步地

研究Traber教授的看法

Horizon decided to investigate

Professor Traber's ideas further.

究竟有多重要?

Just how important was it

服下维生素E丸要与含脂肪食物一起

to take a vitamin E

pill with a fatty meal?

我们委托伦敦国王学院

We commissioned King's College London,

这世界上最顶尖的维E研究中心之一

one of the world's leading

research centres on vitamin E,

来进行实验

to run the experiment.

牵头的是Frank Kelly教授

In charge was Professor Frank Kelly.

他将测试的药丸是从一个大街上的药店买来的

The pills he would test had been

bought in a high street chemist.

Dina以及其他四名志愿者

Dina and four other volunteers

同意参与一个突破性的研究

agreed to take part in

a ground-breaking study.

每位志愿者被告知要确保空腹

Each volunteer was told to make

sure they had an empty stomach,

然后给他们每人一粒维E丸

then they were given a vitamin E pill

以及三种不同的饮料

with three different drinks.

第1天是一杯不含任何脂肪的水

Day 1, a glass of

water and no fat at all.

四天后

Four days later,

是一杯全脂牛奶

a glass of full fat milk.

又过了四天

After another four days

我们再次增加了脂肪含量

we upped the fat content again

给他们的是一杯含脂肪量超过40%的奶昔

and gave them a milkshake

containing over forty per cent fat.

在服完每粒药丸后

After each pill was taken,

志愿者们每四天回到这儿

the volunteers returned every four hours

抽取血样

to give a blood sample

这样我们就可以知道他们吸收了多少维E

so we could see how much of

the vitamin E they had absorbed.

如果Traber教授的理论是对的

If Professor Traber's theory was right,

志愿者们所吸收的维生素E量会极少

the volunteers should absorb

very little of the vitamin E

在用水服药丸时

when the pill was taken with water,

而他们会吸收得相当好时

and they should absorb it very well

是用高脂奶昔服药丸

when it was taken with

the fatty milkshake.

在血样测试完成后

With the blood samples complete,

Kelly教授分析了数据

Professor Kelly analysed the data.

经过数周紧张的等待

And after several weeks

of nervous waiting,

Dina回来取实验结果

Dina returned to get the results.

好了是时候得知真相了

So, it's time for the, the truth.

好

Good.

这是结果

你在研究中实际上是'实验人员5号'

Here are the results. You were

actually subject number 5 in the study.

好的

Ok.

这儿是用水服用的结果

And you can see here

that this is with water.

是的

Yes.

这是用全脂牛奶服用的结果

这是用奶昔的

This is with full fat milk,

and this is with the milkshake.

好了和我们的预期相反

So, contrary to our expectations.

是的

Yes.

实际上你的吸收量

You actually have absorbed

用水

as much with water

和用其它两种饮品的是一样的

as with either the other two diets.

因此对于你来说

用水服和用牛奶及奶昔服是同效的

So, the water was as good for

you as the milk and the milkshake,

我得说在我们看来是个令人惊奇的结果

which as I say was a

surprising result to us.

与Kelly教授的所有预期正相反

Contrary to every thing

Professor Kelly expected,

与药丸同时服下的脂肪量

the amount of fat taken with the pill

对Dina来说不会造成什么差异

had made very little difference to Dina.

而且不只是Dina的测试结果令人惊奇

And it wasn't just Dina's

results that were a surprise.

整个实验小组显示了相似的模式

The group overall

showed a similar pattern.

当Kelly博士寻求解释时

When Dr Kelly looked for an explanation

他发现在'地平线'实验中的使用的胶囊

he found that the capsules

used in the Horizon experiment

含有微量的脂肪

contained a tiny amount of fat.

脂肪常被加入

The fat is often added

以使维生素E更具流动性

to make the vitamin E more runny

并更易处理

and easier to handle.

但他未曾想到

But he hadn't suspected

这足以使吸收得以进行

that it was enough to allow absorption,

而这可能能解释意外的实验结果

and it might explain

the unexpected results.

就目前我所掌握的唯一可能的解释是

The only possible explanation

I have at this point is

在维生素E补充剂中有足量的脂肪

that there was enough fat

in the vitamin E supplement

使吸收作用得以发生

to allow that absorption to occur.

换言之

In other words,

意味着Dina可以像她目前所做的

那样服用维生素E

it means that Dina can carry on taking

her vitamin E just as she does today.

但不管如何大多数医生建议人们

However, most doctors recommend people

从食物中获取所需的维生素E

to get the vitamin E

they need from food.

因为这个'地平线'研究项目范围小

而且只测试了一种产品

And because the Horizon study was

small and tested only one product,

对于那些决定要服用维E补充剂的人来说

for people who decide to

take vitamin E supplements,

仍建议他们在进食后再服用

it may still be advisable to take them

以使得他们自己有更好的机会来

after a meal to give

themselves the best chance

吸收维生素E

of absorbing the vitamin E.

但有另外一种抗氧化性维生素

But there is another antioxidant vitamin

更为常用

which is popular

而对这种维生素科学家们

and about which scientists

要谨慎小心得多

are much more cautious.

即维生素A

Vitamin A.

在蔬菜中有种称为β胡萝卜素的化学成分

In vegetables there is a

chemical called beta-carotene,

你的身体可将它转化为维生素A

which your body

converts in to vitamin A.

这成分在胡萝卜以及阔叶绿色蔬菜中均能找到

It is found in carrots

and leafy green vegetables.

似乎它具有非同一般的健康益处

And it's seen to have an

extraordinary health benefit.

研究显示

Studies have shown

常吃富含β胡萝卜素的人

that people who eat a

diet rich in beta-carotene

得肺癌的机率要小得多

are much less likely

to develop lung cancer.

而这似乎提供了

And this seemed to offer

一个真正的突破

a genuine breakthrough.

Demetrius Albanes

是一位美国顶尖的癌症专家

Demetrius Albanes is one of the

leading cancer experts in America.

他希望β胡萝卜素药丸

He hoped that beta-carotene pills

会是抵抗我们所面临最大杀手之一的简单方式

could be a simple way to fight

one of our biggest killers.

因此他和他的同事们组织了一个研究

So he and his colleagues

organised a study

以验证大剂量的药丸

to confirm that high dose pills

确实能拯救数百万条生命

really could save millions of lives.

我们非常期待看到肺癌病发率的降低

We were thoroughly expecting to see

a reduction in lung cancer incidents.

我们设计的这个研究确实能够检测到

We designed the study

actually to be able to detect

有至少25%的减少量

at least a twenty

five per cent reduction

而我会说目前我们中大多数人

and I would say many of us at the time

估计应该会观察到有25%至50%的减少量

would have estimated we might observe a

twenty five to fifty per cent reduction

在肺癌方面

in lung cancer.

1万5千人要求服用大剂量的β胡萝卜药丸

Fifteen thousand people were given

high dose beta-carotene pills,

每颗药丸含有6根胡萝卜的量

each one containing the

equivalent of six carrots.

为更好地观察这些药丸是否真能预防肺癌

To have the best chance of seeing whether

the pills really could prevent lung cancer,

因此将药丸给予那些最可能染疾的人

they were given to people

most likely to develop it,

即吸烟者

smokers.

八年来一组安全专家

For eight years a team of safety experts

监察着志愿者的健康状况

monitored the volunteer's health.

看起来一切进展顺利

And it seemed that everything

was progressing normally.

但就在试验接近尾声的时候

But then, just before

the trial was due to end,

他们给召到一个突然会议上

they called a surprise meeting.

关键的调查人员给召集到委员会上

The key investigators were

called in to the committee,

他们告知我们

and they informed us that we had some

对于β胡萝卜素有一些状况发生了

effect happening with

respect to the beta-carotene.

他们告诉我们

实际上得肺癌的机率有些许升高

They informed us that we in fact

had a small increase in lung cancer

在使用的β胡萝卜素的小组

in the beta-carotene group.

看起来β胡萝卜素药丸

It seemed that beta-carotene pills,

大家都指望会御防肺癌发生

which every one had hoped

would prevent lung cancer,

起到的是完全相反的效果

were having the exact opposite effect.

我认为在起初阶段会有大范围的惊慌

I think there was a

mass panic to begin with

因为这确实就是我们指望科学起作用的方式

because this is really the way

we expected the science to work.

这是个推翻了一切的结果

It was a devastating result.

服用了药丸的人显示出

The people taking the pill had shown

得上肺癌的机率升高了18%

an eighteen per cent

increase in lung cancer.

我听到这些结果的第一个反应

My first response on

hearing these results

是惊呆了还不敢相信

was being stunned and

not really believing it.

我想这结果是个意外

I thought the results were a fluke.

但它不是意外

But it was no fluke,

18个月后关于β胡萝卜素的消息

eighteen months later the

news about beta-carotene

越发糟糕了

got even worse.

另一个相似的研究在两年前停止了

Another similar study was

stopped two years early.

期间的分析

An interim analysis

显示有28%的增长率

showed that there was a

twenty eight per cent increase

得肺癌的数量

in the number of lung cancers

在那些服药的人中间

in those taking the intervention.

科学家们仍没能完全明白

Scientists still do not fully understand

为什么β胡萝卜素在食物中显得如此有益

why beta-carotene appears

so beneficial in food

但在服用高剂量的情况下似乎对

but seemed to have such a

devastating effect on smokers

吸烟人士有着如此恶劣的作用

when taken in a high dose pill.

但正因为这些研究

But because of these studies,

在2003年英国的健康安全专家

in 2003 safety experts in the UK

建议吸烟人士不要服用β胡萝卜素补充剂

advise smokers not to take

beta-carotene supplements.

并建议大家

And advised everyone

限制他们每日服用的大剂量药丸

to limit their daily

intake from high dose pills.

这些研究是有益的教训

These studies were a salutary lesson

即维生素补充剂

that vitamin supplements

不单单是一些无害的天然药物

were not just some

harmless natural remedy.

高剂量的它们会有出人意料的

In high doses they could have unexpected

并危险的后果

and dangerous consequences.

当β胡萝卜素的负面效果在以后的研究中

得到证实后

When the results of the adverse effects of

beta-carotene were confirmed in later studies,

我们开始理解大剂量

we began to understand that high doses

对于特定人群及特定环境之下

in certain populations and

under certain circumstances

确实可能有害

really could be harmful.

我认为我们大受教益

I think we learned a great lesson.

对于大剂量维生素可能有害的担心如此强烈

So great is the fear that large doses

of some vitamins can be dangerous,

而如今一些科学家们发布了警示

that some scientists are

now sounding the alert

是关于维生素A的另一种常见形式

about another common form of vitamin A.

称为视黄醇

It's called retinol.

Maddie Walford是众人中的一员

Maddie Walford is one of the many people

每天都服用这种维生素A补充剂

who take this type of vitamin A supplement every day.

她服用的高强度药丸

She takes a high strength pill

含有近三倍于

containing nearly three times

每日建议服用量

the recommended daily allowance.

我服用高强度维生素的原因

The reason I take a

high strength vitamin,

老实说我不很清楚

to be honest I'm not quite sure,

但我想可能是因为它更有效力吧

but I thought it was probably

because it had more potency.

也就因此

And would therefore,

因此就值得所花的钱

therefore be you know worth the money.

但这种你服用越多的维生素A就越好的想法

But the idea that the more

vitamin A you consume the better

如果无节制就会导致可怕的后果

can lead to terrible

consequences if taken to excess.

Rob Goldin博士是位病理学家

Doctor Rob Goldin is a pathologist

他在伦敦的圣玛丽医院

at St Mary's Hospital in London.

他专门研究了肝病起因的诊断

He specialises in diagnosing

the cause of liver disease

而最近他进行了一位三十来岁

and recently he was given a biopsy

病人的活组织切片检查

from a sick patient in his thirties.

给我展示了一些肝脏活组织检查的幻灯片

I was referred some

slides on a liver biopsy

来自于另一家医院的病人

from a patient of another hospital

要试着确定这肝病的起因

to try and ascertain the

cause of liver disease

因为还没有明显的起因

because there was no obvious cause.

我对这肝脏活组织检查进行审视时

The first thing I did when I examined

所做的第一件事是要寻找病毒性肝炎或者

the liver biopsy was to look

for evidence of viral hepatitis,

酗酒性肝病的症状

or alcoholic liver disease,

这两者是肝损害最常见的起因

the commonest cause of liver damage.

而都看不到

I couldn't see any of these.

因此Goldin博士得要

So Doctor Goldin had to look

寻求另外的解释

for another explanation,

而他知道维生素A

and he knew that vitamin A

可能掌握着答案

might hold the answer.

如果你每天摄入的维生素A

If you consume more vitamin A each day

比你身体所真实需要的多

than your body actually require

那么维生素A就会在你体内累积

then the vitamin A will

accumulate in your body

因为并不容易将它排泄出体外

because there's no

easy way of excreting it

而它所累积的地方就是肝脏

and the place where it

accumulates is the liver.

Goldin博士接着检查了取样

Doctor Goldin then examined the sample

以寻找维生素A造成损害的迹象

to look for the telltale

signs of vitamin A damage.

在屏幕上这一半

On this half of the screen

你可以看到正常的肝组织

you can see some normal liver

有着正常的肝细胞

with normal healthy liver cells.

在屏幕上的这一半

On this half of the screen

可以看到从病人体内取得的肝切片

you can see the liver

biopsy from the patient,

在这幻灯片中疤痕组织给染成蓝色

and in this slide the

scar tissue stains blue,

你可以看到有疤痕组织

and you can see there's blue scar tissue

环绕着肝细胞

surrounding the liver cells.

现在这位病人体内的这种疤痕组织

Now the pattern of this

scar tissue deposition

沉积样式使得我认为

in this patient made me think

他的肝病可能是由维生素A引起的

that the liver disease

could be caused by vitamin A,

这可能就是他的肝脏问题的解释

and that this could be the

explanation of his liver problems.

但令人惊奇的是

But surprisingly

病人的医疗记录

the patient's medical records

没有提到过他在服用维生素A补充剂

made no mention of him

taking vitamin A supplements.

我联系了病人所在医院的临床医生

I contacted the clinician

at the referring hospital,

看看他的病人是否一直在服用超乎常量的维生素A

to check whether his patient had been

taking excessive amounts of vitamin A.

他回去询问了病人

He went back to the patient.

细察之下病人说他们的确一直在大量服用

On close examining the patient said

they had been taking excessive amounts

但之前没有提及

but hadn't mentioned this earlier

是因为他不认为维生素A是一种药

because he didn't consider

vitamin A to be a drug.

像这样的案例极为罕见

Cases like this are extremely rare,

通常还包括那些服用与许多相当量

they normally involve

taking the equivalent

高强度维生素A药丸的案例

of many high strength vitamin A pills,

每天经年

every day, for years.

但这些案例提醒我们所有人

即维生素A

But they serve to remind

us all that vitamin A,

以视黄醇的形式

in the form of retinol,

尽管不是药

although not a drug,

仍是强效化学品

is a powerful chemical.

而如今维生素A的安全摄入水平

And today, the safe level

of vitamin A consumption

是激烈争论的课题

is the subject of fierce debate.

Patrick Halford建议

Patrick Halford recommends

人应摄入2500微克

people take 2500 micrograms,

而这是每日建议服用量的三倍多

that's over three times the

recommended daily allowance,

因为他确信

because he is convinced

这样会达成更好的健康

that it will lead to better health.

维生素A是绝对必不可少的

Vitamin A is absolutely essential

对身体内的每个细胞

for every single cell in the body.

它帮助保护你的DNA

It helps to protect your DNA,

帮助使你的皮肤健康

it helps to keep your skin healthy,

帮助保护你的身体细胞免受感染

it helps to protect your

body cells from infection.

因此它是一种基本的维生素

So it's an essential vitamin,

你每天都需要它

you need it every day.

但在近些年

But in recent years

一些证据开始显示出来

evidence has emerged that suggests

即使是这样的量也可能有害

even this amount could be harmful.

而每个人都需要认真考虑

And everyone needs to think carefully

他们所消耗的维生素A的量

about the amount of

vitamin A they consume.

瑞典是个富裕的国家

Sweden is a prosperous country,

那里的人们长寿而健康

where people live

long and healthy lives.

但令人惊异的是它有着世界上最高的一种

But surprisingly it has one

of the world's highest rates

令人衰弱的疾病-骨质疏松症的发病率

of a debilitating disease, osteoporosis.

这种病大多影响年龄在50以上的妇女

It most often affects women over fifty.

而它致病的情况

And its crippling condition

会逐渐削弱你的骨头并使之变细

gradually thins and weakens your bones,

增加了骨折的发生率

increasing the risk of fracture.

但多年来这个病为何如此普遍

But for years it has been a mystery

一直是个谜

why the disease is so common.

当我们审视骨质疏松症的已知致病因素时

When we look at known risk

factors for osteoporosis,

比如年龄吸烟身体活动

such as age, smoking, physical activity,

这些能部分解释

they can partly explain

在瑞典为何骨质疏松症和

骨折如此普遍

why it's so common with osteoporosis

and bone fractures in Sweden,

但还不能解释一切

but that can not explain everything.

而接着更令人惊异的是

And then, even more surprising,

我们的饮食中富含钙

is that we have a diet rich in calcium,

这应该会保护我们的骨骼

which should protect our bones.

因此Melhus教授开始寻求另外的解释

So Professor Melhus began to

look for another explanation.

在瑞典饮食中有一些特别的东西

And there was something in

particular about the Swedish diet

引起了他的怀疑

that made him suspicious.

即异乎寻常高的维生素A含量

It was exceptionally high in vitamin A.

我们食用奶制品

We eat dairy products,

油性鱼类

oily fish,

像是鲱鱼和鲑鱼

such as herring and salmon,

我们服用鳕鱼肝油

we consume cod liver oil,

维生素补充剂

vitamin supplements,

所有这些都含有高含量的维生素A

all which contain high

levels of vitamin A,

而更为突出的是

and on top of that

我们是唯一一个欧洲国家

we are the only European country

在低脂奶制品中添加了维生素A

which fortifies low fat

dairy products with vitamin A.

这引起了Melhus教授的警惕

This triggered an alarm

for Professor Melhus.

因为有证据显示

Because there was evidence

大剂量的维生素A会损害动物骨骼

that huge doses of vitamin

A damaged animal bones.

自从我们了解到这些维生素A有害效应

Since we knew about these

harmful effects of vitamin A

对于动物骨骼

on animal bones,

我们就想了解这是否也会发生在人类身上

we wanted to see if this also

could be occurring in humans.

因此Melhus教授展开了他自己的调查

So Professor Melhus launched

his own investigation.

在6万6千名年逾40岁妇女的数据库中

From a database of sixty six

thousand women aged over forty,

他寻找着有骨折的人数

he looked for cases of bone fracture.

然后他检查了这些女性的饮食

He then checked the diet of these women

以查验她们的维生素A摄取量

to see if their vitamin A intake

是否特别高

was particularly high.

而结果看来是验证了他的怀疑

And the results seemed

to confirm his suspicions.

当我看到研究得出的结果时

When I saw the results from our study

我确实大吃一惊

I was really surprised,

尽管我对于在动物中所做的实验很了解

although I knew the

experiments done in animals,

仍难以接受维生素A

作为维生素

it was hard to accept

the fact that vitamin A,

对于人类骨骼有负效应这一事实

a vitamin, had negative

effects on bone in humans.

Melhus教授进一步探究

Professor Melhus then went further.

他进行了一系列骨骼扫描来弄清楚

多少维生素A量

He did a series of bone scans to

work out what level of vitamin A

会与更脆弱的骨骼相关联

was linked to weaker bones.

他的结论表明

His results suggested

长期摄入即便是相对来说少量的维生素A

that long term consumption of even

relatively small quantities of vitamin A

也会有戏剧性效果

were having a dramatic effect.

我们看到的是每日摄入超过1.5毫克的维生素量

What we saw was that a vitamin

intake above 1.5 milligrams per day,

这大约是每日建议服用量的两倍

which is approximately twice

the recommended daily intake,

会造成骨骼密度减少大约10%

there was a reduction in bone

density about ten per cent,

而髋部骨折的发生率翻倍

and the risk of hip

fracture had doubled.

如果Melhus教授是正确的

If Professor Melhus was right

那么其中涵义令人惊愕

then the implications were staggering.

每日1.5毫克的摄入量

An intake of 1.5 milligrams per day

是单单从食物中就能获取的水平

is a level that can be

reached from food alone.

而只服从一粒就足以超过这个水平的

And it will be exceeded by

taking just a single capsule

高强度维生素A补充剂胶囊

of some high strength

vitamin A supplements.

因此人们每日服用的本意

So, tablets that people take every day

要增进他们健康的药片可能实际上在缓慢地

to improve their health

might actually be slowly,

暗暗地损害他们的骨骼

silently, weakening their bones.

在Melhus教授看来

For Professor Melhus,

其中含意很清楚

the implication is clear.

基于我们的研究

Based on our research

我认为人们应继续进行健康

I think people should

continue to eat a healthy,

而普通的平衡饮食

normal balanced diet.

但因为含高浓度维生素的补充剂

But since supplements containing

high levels of vitamin A

可能有负效应

may have adverse effects,

我不能建议人们常规性地服用它们

I cannot recommend people

to take them routinely.

Melhus教授现已进行了另一项研究

Professor Melhus has

now done another study

显示出同样的风险也适用于男性

that suggests the same

risk also applies to men.

自他独创性研究开展以来

And since his original work,

来自美国的研究成果也支持了他的发现

studies from America have

supported his findings,

但还有一些其它的研究

but there has been some other research

并没有找到同样的关联

which has not found the same link.

将骨质疏松症的证据

The evidence linking osteoporosis with,

和相对小量的维生素A摄入量关联起来

with relatively small amounts

of vitamin A consumption,

我还不能被它说服

I'm not convinced by it.

还有还有些研究没有显示如此关联

There are, there are studies

that show no such link,

而且它就是讲不通

and it simply doesn't make sense,

因为我们在谈论的这个量

because we're talking about levels

很容易就能摄入而且数百万年来

一直就是这样食用的

that we could easily eat and

have eaten for millions of years.

所在当前我还不能信服

So at the moment I'm

simply not convinced.

但一些科学家们以很不一样的视角

看待这个研究

But some scientists see the

research very differently.

Andrew Renwick教授

Professor Andrew Renwick

是一位临床药理学家

is a clinical pharmacologist

他在南安普顿大学

at Southampton University,

是英国一位维生素安全方面顶尖的专家

and one of Britain's leading

experts on vitamin safety.

四年来他是一个独立委员会的成员

For four years he was part

of an independent committee

对政府提出维生素安全方面的建议

advising the government

on the safety of vitamins.

他对于所出现的维生素A方面的证据很是重视

He takes the emerging evidence

about vitamin A very seriously.

我关注的是

I am concerned,

尽管证据还不是完全一致

although the, the evidence

is not totally consistent,

已经有一些研究显示出一种关联

there have now been a number

of studies showing a link,

而我确信维生素A的高摄入量

and I'm convinced that a

high intake of vitamin A

会增大骨折的罗患风险

will give an increase

risk of bone fracture.

在2003年 Renwick教授所在的安全委员会

In 2003, the safety committee

Professor Renwick was part of

报告道他们还未能界定

reported that they could not yet define

维生素A的最大安全摄入量

a safe maximum intake of vitamin A.

但他们确发布出警告

But they did sound a warning.

我们评估了所有的数据

We evaluated all the data,

结果就是每日摄入多于1500微克的

and concluded that an intake of more

than fifteen hundred micrograms per day,

维生素A可能是不适宜的

of vitamin A, could be inappropriate.

主要是因为会增加患骨折的危险

Primarily because of an

increased risk of bone fracture.

1500微克这个量比一些

Fifteen hundred micrograms is

less than the amount found in some

高剂量维生素A补充剂中的含量要少

high dose vitamin A supplements,

这些在柜台上就可获得

available over the counter.

Maddie Walford已服用含量超过

2000微克的

Maddie Walford has been taking a pill

containing over two thousand micrograms

维生素A药丸一年多

of vitamin A for more than a year.

我们请Catherine Collins

We asked Catherine Collins,

伦敦圣乔治医院的首席营养学家

chief dietician of St

George's Hospital in London,

对她的饮食进行分析并建议如何做

to analyse her diet and

advise her what to do.

从我们的饮食分析你可以看到

What you can see from

our dietary analysis

实际上你的饮食结构非常健康

is that you've actually

got a very healthy diet.

当我们查看你维生素A的水平时

When we look at your vitamin A level,

可以看到你在饮食当中就可获取你所需要的

we can see that you're

getting the full amount of

全部的维生素A

vitamin A you need in your diet,

就来自于少量的动物性食源

from your small amount of animal source

以及其它你食用的水果及蔬菜

and the rest of the fruits

and vegetables that you eat.

是的

Right.

引起注意的是你正在服用高剂量

What is of concern is the

fact that you're taking

维生素A补充剂这一情况

a very high dose

supplement of vitamin A.

哦是的

Oh right.

而在这样的水平下会有潜在的危险

使你患上骨质疏松症

And at this level there is a potential

risk of you developing osteoporosis

和骨折如果长期服用的话

and fracture risk with long term usage.

好的

Right.

你认为我这段时间以来一直在服用的

Do you think that with the

amount of vitamin I've been taking

这些维生素量是不是已对自己造成了

for the length of time I've been

taking it I will have done myself any,

一些身体上的损害?

any physical damage?

如果你只是服用这个一年左右的时间

If you've only been taking

this for a year or so

可能不会有事

it's probably fine.

但这不是我们建议你长期服用的一种补充剂

But it's not a supplement we'd

recommend you take long term.

它确实和增长的患骨折风险相关

It certainly is associated

with an increase fracture risk.

我很感惊异

对于骨质疏松症的关联

I was very surprised about

the link between osteoporosis

和维生素A之间

and vitamin A

还有和骨折的关联

and risk of fracture,

因为我从未将维生素A和骨质疏松症联系起来

because I'd never associated

vitamin A with osteoporosis.

这绝对改变了我对服用它的想法

It's definitely changed

my mind about taking that,

实际上从今天开始我就停用它

I'm actually going to be

stopping it as of today,

因为很明显它不能对我自身有什么好处

because it clearly doesn't

do any good for me personally,

可能反而是更多坏处

and it might do more harm than good.

无疑维生素

Vitamins without doubt

对于我们的健康至关重要

are vital to our health.

而仍有可能

And it remains possible

高剂量的维生素

that high dose vitamin supplements

某一天证明补充剂能保护我们免受诸如心脏病

will one day be proven to

protect against illnesses

及癌症等疾病的侵袭

like heart disease and cancer.

但就目前来看这些主张的证据

But so far, definitive

evidence for these claims

仍甚难找到

remains largely elusive.

而当我们对一些维生素了解得越多

And as we discover more

about some vitamins,

就愈加明显

it is increasingly clear

即大剂量情况下就会产生

that in large doses

they can have unexpected,

有时是危险的后果

and sometimes dangerous consequences.

在我们对于这些强大的化学物质

有更多的了解之前

Until we understand more

about these powerful chemicals,

大多数医生会建议大家

most doctors would advise everybody

在添加高剂量维生素之前

先寻求指导

to seek advice before joining

the high dose vitamin revolution.