Using Me!

Cochrane reviews of popular medical beliefs.

I’ve been using the Cochrane Organisations systemic reviews to look into the evidence for a number of popular beliefs on the efficacy of treatments. Here are the results I have found so far.

I was expecting to find a negative result here but the review is not quite so clear cut. One brand, Rotta, appears to have a statistically significant benefit over and above the placebo.

Except in certain groups of people (e.g. marathon runners and sub-arctic soldiers!) Vitamin C does not provide any protection from catching a cold. It does help to reduce the length of the symptoms in children but only by 8%, which for the average cold would be half a day or so?

I didn’t go looking for this one, it found me. Surprisingly, given how many doctors I know have recommended it, this diet change is of limited effectiveness and there is not enough evidence addressing any possible long term effects (positive or negative).

This was the study I was most interested in finding as there is SO much in the media about super-foods and high-in-antioxidant foods. The study clearly shows no benefit. There is even evidence that some of the supplements, such as Vitamin A or beta-caroten, may DECREASE your life expectancy.

I need to find a link to this one particular study – and bear in mind it is only one study not a large analysis like the Cochrane one above – but there was a trial of beta-carotene in a group of patients at high risk of cancer. It had to be abandoned after a few years because the cancer rates in the group receving beta-carotene were 40% higher than those in the control group and mortality rates for all other non-cancer related causes were up 15%. Just one study as I said but I highly doubt anyone’s going to repeat it to see if it was a statistical anomaly!

Anyway, if you’re wondering if the health claims in the media are correct, or you have any concerns about medical treatments from your Doctor, head on over to cochrane.org/ and have a look around.