Too many vitamins can give you CANCER, major new study warns the millions who take them 22:00, 20 April 2015 By Martin Bagot Around 18 million Brits down supplements thinking they are getting a health boost, but research has found they can have the opposite effect 565 Shares Share Tweet +1 Vitamin warning: Too many can give you cancer Taking extra vitamins “does more harm than good” and increases the risk of cancer and heart disease, a major study has revealed. Around 18 million Brits down supplements thinking they are getting a health boost, but research has found they can have the opposite effect. Dr Tim Byers – one of the world’s top cancer experts – examined research papers spanning 30 years. He looked at three widely taken over-the-counter pills and supplements, vitamin E tablets, beta-carotene and folic acid, and warned against exceeding the recommended daily amount. Dr Byers said: “We are not sure why this is happening but evidence shows that people who take more dietary supplements than needed tend to have a higher risk of developing cancer. “When we first tested dietary supplements in animal models we found that the results were promising. GettyMiddle-aged woman taking vitamin or mineral supplement capsuleWarning: Too many vitamins can give you cancer “Eventually we were able to move on to humans. We studied thousands of patients for 10 years who were taking dietary supplements and placebos. “We found that the supplements were actually not beneficial for their health. In fact, some people actually got more cancer while on the vitamins.” Folic acid supplements are thought to be taken by more than 230,000 pregnant UK women each year as it can help prevent spina bifida and other birth defects affecting the brain and spine. But one study examined by Dr Byers’ team found too much increased the chances of getting cancer by 56%. The acid – also known as vitamin – is also taken to cut the risk of heart disease and polyps in a colon, which lead to cancer. But the research found too much in supplement form in fact increased the number of dangerous polyps. Two trials of beta-carotene supplements found taking more than the recommended dose increased the risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease by 20%. Meanwhile another trial of 35,000 people between 2001 and 2014 in the States found taking too many vitamin E tablets increased the risk of developing prostate cancer by 17%. Do you take vitamin pills? YES NO Dr Byers, associate director for prevention and control at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, US, began his study after it emerged two decades ago that people eating more fruit and vegetables were less likely to get cancer. He wanted to see if vitamin supplements – now an estimated £385million market in the UK – would reduce the threat of the killer disease even further. But long term studies since the 1980s have found taking too many has the opposite effect. One trial found the chances of lung cancer increased by 18% while another showed an rise of 28%. Dr Byers said: “We have discovered that taking extra vitamins and minerals do more harm than good.” He added that most people got their daily recommended doses of vitamins and minerals by eating healthy meals. He said: “This is not to say that people need to be afraid of taking vitamins and minerals. If taken at the correct dosage multivitamins can be good for you. "But there is no substitute for good food.” PAA general view of tablets and capsulesWarning: Vitamins could give you cancer Folic acid is naturally found in green veg such as broccoli. Vitamin E is found in foods such as kale and almonds and is taken to boost the immune system. And Beta-carotene – an antioxidant taken to cut the risk of heart disease and cancer – is found in carrot and mango. The findings will be presented a US cancer summit this year. Top UK nutritionist Dr Carina Norris insisted the problem lies with people exceeding the recommended dose. She said: “GPs recommend folic acid to reduce the risk of birth defects and this is not some weird, wacky supplement. “But I think there is an assumption that if a nutrient is good for you, then more is better. "But in some cases increasing the dose can increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.” In 2012 market research firm Mintel found 35% of the adult population took health supplements, although that had fallen from 41% in 2008.
Let's now actually see the double-blind clinical affirmations of all of this. (There will be none.) Mentioned "vitamin E." Yep, cheap, common dl-alfa form is unrecognized by the body, as there is no natural dl-alpha forms of this molecule in real foods or in the body naturally. Bad stuff. Avoid it. Take a d- form mixed-tocopherol of "vitamin E." (That won't be mentioned, of course. The studies that showed health harm from “vitamin E” all used or examined the unnatural, artificial, synthetic dl-alpha form. Extremely bad science.) The excessive "folic acid" issue is an old one. Again, wrong stuff to take. Good multi-vitamins don't have this. Of course, those who are certain that allopathic medicine knows all and has all the answers will throw away any VMSs they are taking (Well, no. In fear and certitude, they don't take any vitamins, minerals, or supplements to start with.) The contention that one can get all required nutrients from "good food" is ludicrous. I could go on for pages on this, but will just clearly ask for someone, perhaps a certified dietician or physician, to write out a one-week, seven-day, three meals a day menu that a) provides all of the known or nutrients recommended by modern medicine, b) can be feasibly prepared in a modern household, c) from foods available in conventional grocery stores, and d) is tasty, palatable, and eaten by all members of a family, from toddlers to antiquarians. No such wonderful and health-giving diet has ever been prepared, to my knowledge. And, therein is the major problem. It’s easy, even gratifying (for some, anyway), to cut down and castigate particular medical protocols or recommendations. The authors of this bit of medical propaganda have done this with projected expertise and authority. But unless one can present a viable solution to the problem that has been attacked, the attack is mere hot air. The authors, lamely, proposed eating “good food” to solve the problem. But they provide no listing of what such foods and a diet with them might be. Is that professional (or even possible)? The reading audience, then, is allowed to think that any or all modern foods are healthful, untainted with carcinogenic vitamins, minerals, or supplements. Let’s see, should it be Pepsi or Coca-cola? Probably a “fruit drink” would be better, of course. --John of Ohio
Nothing beats a good diet! I recommend a diet heavy on fruits and veggies and No Supplements. It is becoming clear theyay do more harm than good in the long term but to each their own. I'm not in the business of telling people what to do just presenting the facts and let them make their own decisions as we are all adults. PS: I wish mommy would change her diet because she is 5'7 and well over 300 lbs.
One point. Tell how a "good diet" can get you to 50 ng/ml of serum vitamin D-3. Not possible without either supplementation, or sitting in the bright sun, which is impossible for half the year. "Good diets" fail also to provide adequate magnesium. Everyone will decide for themselves, of course. --John of Ohio
Good idea t rule out TMJD and neck and shoulder issues as a cause before taking supplements. Drink plenty of water with supplements, can cause kidney stones as well. All about risk/ reward I guess.
That's great. Good to learn of the exceptional health of the French, Italians, and Greeks. Still, let's see a meal-by-meal one-week menu that causes such good health. Just what would I eat for 21 consecutive meals that my wife could prepare, with foods in the local grocery stores, say, in February? Can't anyone list this out? Does such a menu or diet exist? I've never seen one, just platitudes about how good foods in Southern Europe are. I need details beyond the platitudes.
The people of the island of Ikaria grow their own food and drink mountain herbal teas made from dried herbs native to only to that island. .
I'm stuck. I'm condemned to poor health by bad geography. I don't live on Ikaria. I live in the dark, snowy cold of Northern Ohio. --John of Ohio
Curiously, I wonder if the French, who probably eat a Mediterranean diet, ever get Meniere's Disease. That diet is imputed to be health-giving, of course. So, isn't it interesting that our disease was first discovered, described, and named where? In France, by Proper Meniere. And that was back in the 19th century, before chemicals and other pollutants degraded local foods. I'm still striving to find the diet that will work for me, so I can throw out and stop taking my handful of vitamins, minerals, and supplements each day. --John of Ohio
Hence the name John of Ohio I live in the South, lots of sunshine and outdoor activities year round. Would you still recommend I take 5-10k mg of vit D a day or is that just for people in north. Thanks JOH
I live in the "Sunshine State," and, Yes, Floridians need to take Vitamin D in the months from October to March. The sun never gets high enough in the sky to give the average person enough V-D. Sure, some people work outside all day and they maybe get enough from the sun. But, the majority of people go to work in the dark and come home in the dark for December and January.
The skin can synthesize vitamin D only when the sun is at least 45 degrees above the horizon. If your shadow is longer than you are tall, you can make no vitamin D at all, as the sunlight at the lower angles passes through too much of the atmosphere, which absorbs the required ultra-violet B wavelengths. Best thing is to get a serum test for actual circulating vitamin D. If it's less than 50 ng/ml, you are deficient. "Fifty is Nifty" is the thing to remember. Get to at least 50 ng/ml. For most that means taking at least 5000 IU of vitamin D-3 each day. (Since I began this several years ago, I've never had a bout with influenza or colds, while my winter cohorts have. My winter depression is markedly reduced, too.) --John of Ohio
Interesting to note that a legitimate published, peer-reviewed medical study in JAMA showed exactly the opposite; that those taking multivitamins had an 8% reduction in cancer. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Multivitamin-supplements-may-cut-cancer-risk-JAMA-paper --John of Ohio
I have great confidence in the quality and label-fidelity of the vitamins, minerals, and supplements (VMSs) that I purchase and consume. I buy from Swanson Health Products and VitaCost. Both firms have very high standards of manufacture and packaging. I get exactly what I pay for; nothing else. --John of Ohio
I posted about this weeks ago, and you are right it is concerning but I always call the companies I purchase from ask where they get their ingredients from and I always check consumerlabs for verification of what's in each supplement/herb and the amounts and if it is approved by them.
Do you actually think that DNA testing validates (or absence invalidates) a vitamin, mineral, or supplement? Why would a vitamin have any DNA that could be tested by some state attorney general's "scientists?" Minerals have no DNA, either. And neither do most properly prepared supplements, which aren't dependant upon the presence of nucleotides for function. Do you test butter, to make sure there is cow DNA inside, proving that it's real butter from real cows? Sorry, butter has no bovine DNA. The only molecule of consequence and functionality in the lemon bioflavonoid product in my Meniere's regimen is the bioflavonoid eriocitrin -- which can never be detected by looking for DNA. The vitamin C and mixed tocopherols vitamin E in my regimen have no DNA that could validate or invalidate purity. Same for the methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). Same for vinpocetine. One might expect to find the DNA of Ginkgo biloba trees in the ginkgo extract of the regimen. But, no; that's bad "science," too. Ginkgo extract is just that, an extract, not just some groundup ginkgo leaves. Ginkgo DNA and other cell nucleus debris are left behind. You are sadly mistaken to believe the New York attorney general's "investigation" was scientifically accurate. He merely searched for DNA sequences from the source organisms the various VMS products were derived from. The gross scientific error was to presume that that DNA must always remain undegraded or present through the entire supplement manufacturing processing. No, that's why most plant-derived supplements are processed; to remove extraneous and useless substances (such as the DNA), leaving only the functionally useful end product. It was bogus science of the crudest sort, as explained by multiple true scientific critiques. But if you wish to believe that DNA detection is a valid determiner of supplement purity, you are welcome to that magical thinking. --John of Ohio
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/gnc-to-strengthen-supplement-quality-controls/?_r=0 GNC to Strengthen Supplement Quality Controls GNC, the country’s largest specialty retailer of dietary supplements, has agreed to institute sweeping new testing procedures on its herbal products that far exceed quality controls mandated under federal law. The action to be announced Monday comes after the New York State attorney general’s office accused GNC and three other major retailers of selling herbal supplements that were fraudulent or contaminated with unlisted ingredients that could pose health risks to consumers. Experts said the announcement marked an initial but significant step forward for the $33 billion-a-year supplement industry, which is loosely regulated and plagued by accusations of adulteration and mislabeling. “This should be a standard across the entire industry,” said Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studies tainted supplements. “Today we finally have one first step taken by one retailer, and only after the very aggressive intervention by the New York attorney general’s office.” GNC, which has more than 6,500 stores nationwide and annual revenue of $2.6 billion, said that its herbal products had passed several rigorous quality-control tests and that it stood by their quality. But as part of its agreement with the attorney general, the company said it would in the next 18 months put in place additional quality-control measures to restore the trust of its customers and set new standards for the rest of the industry. The company said it would use advanced DNA testing to authenticate all of the plants that are used in its store-brand herbal supplements, and extensively test the products for common allergens like tree nuts, soy and wheat. In addition, GNC will submit semiannual reports proving that it is complying with the attorney general’s demands. The company said it would also display signs at all of its stores and post statements on its website explaining to customers how the ingredients in its herbal supplements were processed and what, if any, chemical solvents were used to make them. Eric T. Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York, would not comment on whether he was in talks to reach similar agreements with the other retailers included in his investigation — Walgreens, Walmart and Target. But, in a statement, Mr. Schneiderman said he had urged those retailers, “as well as all herbal supplements manufacturers, to join GNC in working with my office to increase transparency and safeguard the wellness of their customers.” read more... http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/gnc-to-strengthen-supplement-quality-controls/?_r=0
I would never tell another adult what to do except only when it applies to my kids and wife, and in my wife's case she can make her own decisions, I just ask that you don't eat my cereal the next morning. But but but I cannot help but question any products that are unregulated and have little to no oversight no matter what industry but especially the VMS industry. Trust me, any industry that has no regulations and oversight is not telling you the whole truth about their products. Especially when they have ZERO liability when it comes to your health. You can sue a doctor, good luck trying to sue the VMS rep. I'm all for free choice, just ask my kids principal and the lunches i pack for them.
I agree with you BD VMS and herbal supplements need to be regulated.... but but but I don't trust the FDA either. Look at those horrendous drugs they approve those side effects are extremely frightening and dangerous. We need a regulatory body that is not in the pocket of big pharma.