My
mom is very interested in what type of supplements can be used to help with the
chances of surviving cancer. She asked me to look up herbal supplements that
are under study for helping cancer patients survive; well I have finally found
where there is a study linking breast cancer survival and vitamin supplements.
This
study is not saying if you are developing breast cancer and you take
multivitamin you are cured, but a link is seen that women who took multivitamin
before they developed breast cancer have a 30% lower mortality rate. This study
is involves vitamin D, which is related to a similar report that vitamin D has
been found to lower the risk of breast cancer. The effect the vitamin D has to
guard against the breast cancer is still unknown. Most studies that are done on
this subject have not been to clinical trial but in an epidemiologic
investigation. To have proof, clinical results are needed.
Another
study done on older men who received vitamins experienced an 8% lower rate of
most forms of cancer. This did not have any reduction in prostate cancer.
This
study is different from another study stating that older women who took daily
vitamin supplements had an increase risk of dying of cardiovascular disease and
cancer. They say that the study is different simply by the fact that this study
is based on women who already have cancer.
Based
on the information from both studies, does this encourage you to take vitamin
supplements? Do you think taking vitamin supplements will increase your longevity
or decrease your risk of dying of cancer?
Here
is the story if you would like to read it:
Taking vitamin supplements as an adjunct to diet can be advantageous to prevent health conditions such as anemia due to iron or B12 deficiency. It would be folly, however, to rely on them as the fountain of youth in pill form. Too much of a good thing can actually be bad.
ReplyDeleteLori would you take the vitamins if it could help you later to survive cancer?
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