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Now for some interesting news in the world of nutrition!
I just read this study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and had to share it with you. (To read the abstract directly, click here.) I found this study to be shocking, and would like it to make headlines since it's a very serious issue.
Researchers tracked over 35,000 cancer-free, Swedish women for over 9 years to observe if multivitamin use was correlated with breast cancer. During that time, almost 1,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and these women were 19% more likely to have been taking a multivitamin supplement over the years. In other words, multivitamin use was shown not to prevent breast cancer, but to increase its likelihood.
The association did not differ significantly by hormone receptor status of the breast tumor.
In the words of the study's authors: "These results suggest that multivitamin use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This observed association is of concern and merits further investigation." I would say so!
Why would taking a multivitamin over the years make cancer more likely? Because antioxidant nutrients, which include many vitamins and minerals found in multivitamins, when taken in supplemental - or pill - form, act as pro-oxidants. Pro-oxidants are compounds that increase free radical formation, and free radicals cause cancer.
Antioxidant nutrients and compounds found in food do not act as pro-oxidants, which is why eating healthy food helps to prevent cancer.
5 Comments:
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Now onto the multivitamin topic. This really concerns me...esp. since my mom had breast cancer and I take a multivitamin, a calcium/D vitamin, and a super B complex vitamin. I have no doubt that you are correct about vitamins increasing the chance of breast cancer, but I'm wondering what you'd suggest to replace them.
For the calcium/D for example: I know there's no way I can get the recommended amount w/out a supplement (esp. the D), and I definitely don't want osteoporosis when I'm older (my mom has that also). And for the B vitamins...since I almost never eat meat, the vitamins are my only way to get enough B. And finally iron -- I have been anemic for over a year now and can't seem to get it under control. I eat a large amount of vegetarian foods that are iron sources, but the iron from them is non-heme iron and isn't easily absorbed, plus eating whole grain foods with them actually slows the absorption even more (and I eat whole grains w/every meal).
And to complicate things even more, I have Crohn’s disease and have trouble absorbing nutrients from my foods because of that.
Any suggestions? Would taking vitamin supplements that aren’t synthetic make a difference?
Sorry to post such a long comment…there are just so many factors to consider! Thank you so much! :)
-Libby
Thanks for your comment/question. It is a weighty issue, I agree, especially if you have Crohn's. I personally don't believe that when eating a plant-based diet we need the amount of calcium that's generally recommended, since our bones aren't leaching out calcium to offset the acid from animal foods. I also believe the current vitamin D recommendations are ridiculously high (NO ONE has enough!). As for iron, I would only take a supplement if you're truly anemic, not borderline, since the iron standards are based from men. B12 is the only vitamin I'd be concerned with, and I'd either eat something (like soy or almond milk) fortified with B12, or take a supplement. Hope this helps!