YOUR HEALTH
Antioxidants keep us from rusting
DR. DONOHUE

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a man who is checked every six months by his doctor. I am 90 and plan to live to at least 115. My doctor says I just may do that.

I read an article that says antioxidants are harmful and increase one's chances of dying. I have taken a multivitamin for years. What are your thoughts on this? -- D.B.

ANSWER: The body is a vast chemical factory. The chemical reactions that take place in every body cell generate harmful byproducts, called oxidants. Outside the body, oxidants produce rust on iron products. They turn the pulp of an apple brown when it's exposed to air. In the body, they do equally destructive things if they aren't neutralized.

Antioxidants inactivate oxidants. We have our own arsenal of antioxidants, and we also depend on antioxidants in foods. Vitamins A, C and E, beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, copper, zinc and manganese are examples of food-supplied antioxidants. Foods filled with antioxidants include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, beans (red, kidney, pinto and black), avocados, apples, cherries, plums, oranges, artichokes, spinach, potatoes, broccoli, walnuts, pecans, almonds and dark chocolate. The multivitamin you take has many.

Overdosing on antioxidants is too much of a good thing. High doses of beta carotene add to the cancer risk that comes from smoking. Too high a dose of vitamins A and E can be detrimental to anyone. Staying within the suggested daily limits of antioxidants, on the other hand, promotes health.

Antioxidants obtained from food don't create trouble. Antioxidants obtained from pills can be troublesome if they're taken in high doses for too long. You don't have to worry about your multivitamin. You're not going to overdose by using it.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a question about something that plagues me after many years. When I was 25, I had a sudden attack of severe abdominal pain that landed me in a hospital for surgery. The surgeon expected to find a ruptured appendix, but found I had an ovarian pregnancy. They had to remove the ovary and the fallopian tube. Two years later, I had to have a dilation and curettage because of spotting. This turned out to be another pregnancy on the remaining ovary. My doctor told me that ovarian pregnancies were very rare and that having two was unheard of. Most women have heard of tubal pregnancies, but not ovarian ones. Is there really such a thing? -- S.S.

ANSWER: Ectopic pregnancies are pregnancies where the embryo burrows into a place other than its usual home, the uterus. The fallopian tubes -- the tubes through which an egg travels from the ovary to the uterus and in which the egg is fertilized -- is the most common site for ectopic pregnancies. However, a fertilized egg can take hold on the ovary. It's rare, but it happens.

In the past, the treatment for an ovarian ectopic pregnancy was removal of the ovary. Now it's possible to remove just the affected part of the ovary, and sometimes this can be done with a laparoscope.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com. 2006 North America Syndicate Inc. All Rights Reserved