However! To be clear - the FDA's issue yesterday was to tell the manufacturers of these anti-bacter

As I listened to the news, I got the distinct impression they were suggesting anti-bacterial soaps don't work. And maybe they don't! chemistry In fact, I wrote on this subject more than one year ago - breaking down the question by - first, whether they really kill more germs and 2 - whether they are worth the extra cost. Are Antibacterial Soaps Better than Regular Soaps ?
However! To be clear - the FDA's issue yesterday was to tell the manufacturers of these anti-bacterial soaps that they can't make claims on their labels or in their promotional literature that says they kill more germs without showing research results that prove that's true. Then those manufacturers were told they have until December 2014 to prove effectiveness . The FDA will rule on their safety and effectiveness sometime in 2016.
Fair enough - but no - the FDA did not issue a total indictment - at least not yet. So don't toss that soap or fret over potential problems - yet. Stay tuned for further word. (But even then, be sure you play devil's advocate!)
Now this is a place where you MUST read between the lines, or even more accurately, be sure that the results as announced in the press apply to YOU. Because there's a possibility those results do not apply to you .
First - relating to the studies - did they prove what you think? They don't necessarily prove what the media says they do, and I even take the research conclusions to task. That is: Their blanket "don't waste your money on vitamins or supplements" - is way too broad. The only people chemistry we can apply their "don't waste your money" advice to is healthy men over the age of 65 who are concerned with mental decline, or people who have had heart attacks . Why? Because they were the only people who were studied.
Second - In both trials cited, the only supplement that was swallowed each day was a general multi-vitamin. No mention of any other non-general supplement. In the clinical trial of men only - the only aspect of health that was studied was mental decline. In the clinical trial of heart attack patients, they studied only whether or not there were more or fewer second heart attacks (there was no difference against placebo). No mention in either trial of arthritis or diabetes (chronic chemistry conditions) nor cancer, Parkinsons or any other disease.... Aren't those important to study, too?
So - there you go - once again, we don't have nearly enough information on the people who were studied or other supplements to know whether we can expand the results to be such a general condemnation. chemistry
Conclusion: if you are a healthy man over the age of 65 and are concerned only with mental decline, or if you have had a heart attack and are looking to a multi-vitamin to prevent another one, then yes - these study results of "don't waste your money on vitamins and supplements" may apply to you.
But - if you are anyone else - then NO - you cannot chemistry deduce the same conclusions from the research cited. At least not until we have results from other studies where the study participants were reflective of you, and the conclusions speak to your concerns. chemistry
Does that mean vitamins and supplements can help you? No - it doesn't chemistry mean that either. It just means that no one with YOUR profile was studied and/or YOUR concerns were not addressed, so no conclusions can be drawn whatsoever.
Important chemistry note: there may be other research that does address who you are and what you're worried about. My point here is that the conclusions being drawn cannot come solely from the information published yesterday.
We all know the media takes shortcuts and, sadly, those shortcuts become manipulative. Manipulative, in this case, means our health might be at stake. As smart patients we cannot, and should not, take the headlines - or sometimes even the content - at face value. We MUST read between the headlines to glean whether or not the information can be useful to us .
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