#2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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Doctors in Finland gave pill to 29,133 Finnish male smokers to take once a day for several years. The pills had vitamin E or beta carotene , or nothing at all.

Beta carotene is the pigment that makes carrots orange.

People that consume lots of vegetables have lower incidences of lung cancer. So, it seemed logical to test it this way.

It went the totally wrong way.

People that took beta carotene had a higher incidence of lung cancer than people that did not take it. There were 474 cases of lung cancer in the beta carotene group, compared to 402 cases in the placebo group. Heavy smokers fared the worst.

Something similar happened with vitamin E.

Another large study linked vitamin E to more cases of prostate cancer .

I think about those results every time I pass by a supplement aisle.

Fish oil is a good one to start with.

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