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The idea that dietary supplements might protect against oxidative stress is biologically plausible; however, some clinical trials of antioxidant supplements in patients with a variety of chronic diseases have shown no benefit, and some have even shown harm. Investigators assessed the effects of antioxidant supplements in a meta-analysis of 68 randomized clinical trials involving more than 230,000 participants, of whom roughly 70% were healthy. The doses of supplements and the duration of use varied widely. Supplements were tested both singly and in various combinations.
In analyses of the 47 trials with the highest methodologic quality, β-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E — given either singly or in combination with other supplements — sign…