ITAR-TASS reports that Russians think a major cause of their declining population is . . . the use of vitamins! No wonder Russia is in such trouble!

At least five million women in Russia suffer from manic-depressive disorders that need correction, Professor Yuri Vasyuk told on Wednesday a news conference at Itar-Tass on problems of women’s health. {LR: Given the fact that one Russian woman is murdered by her husband every forty minutes, this may well be a massive understatement.}

“Depression is widespread among women for the reason that they suffer to some or other degree from cardiovascular diseases – ischemia and arterial hypertension, which have the common genetic origin,” he said.

Vasyuk said treatment of hypertension in women in Russia became much less effective in the past five years. He believes this is connected with the fact that a large number of various biologically active supplements, which at best can serve as vitamins, found their ways into the pharmacy market. He said a sum of 117 million dollars is spent on advertising of biologically active supplements annually in Russia, which is much larger than the sum spent on basic cardiovascular medicines.

Maria Glezer, the chief of the department of preventive and emergency cardiological service at the Sechenov Medical Academy in Moscow, warned against indiscriminate use of vitamins. She said the latest research showed that excessive use of vitamin B6 and folic acid leads to the increase of mortality in women. Glezer stressed that cardiovascular diseases are among the main cause of mortality among Russian women.