Vitamins 'may raise death risk from cancer'

[Karmadillo]

Sigh.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1317198,00.html

Vitamin supplements may increase the chances of dying from cancer, a science review finds. And the studies, which compared the health of people who regularly took antioxidant pills with those who took dummy pills, suggest that combinations of beta-carotene with either vitamin A or vitamin E pose the most risk.
The findings, published in the Lancet medical journal, go far further than recent evidence that such pills do no good, and, if confirmed, could severely damage the vitamin industry worldwide.

However, the research review warns against drawing conclusions from work that does not yet provide "convincing proof of hazard".

Covering trials involving more than 170,000 people, the review echoed other studies that found no protective effect from vitamins against disease.

more...

[codegreen]

1. oh that's just fucking wonderful

[bigwillq]

2. Well isn't that special

I take a vitamin every day. Usually Centrum and if I'm feeling extra shitty I take an additional Vit. C pill.

[schultzee]

27. I used to take beta Carotene and then I read that if you were a smoker or

past smoker it increased cancer. You know they need to get the facts straight on this. I do find that mega C does make the flu last a shorter time and help allergies.

[crimson333]

3. Everything causes cancer

:shrug:

[latebloomer]

4. I'd like to know who funded that study

The pharmaceutical industry, perhaps?

[Maple]

5. The world is full of junk science

yet in spite of all the warnings about practically everything...people are living longer healthier lives than ever before in history.

Take your vitamins and relax.

[codegreen]

6. how much is the vitamin lobby paying you?

j/k

[Maple]

8. Get real

You eat vitamins every day.

Supplements just make sure you get them all.

People live long healthy lives these days.

Enough with the left wing bullshit. Time to grow up.

[codegreen]

10. j/k = just kidding

although i could theorize that perhaps having a massive amount of various vitamins absorbed more or less at once could be harmful in some way, i guess... i mean, it's very much unnatural to come across anything like, say, a Centrum in nature, and for the intestines and all to have to deal with it...

not that i'm saying i support that argument; hell if i'd know

[Maple]

11. Ahhh okay...sorry. Couldn't tell.

It's just that people eat vitamins all the time in their food...the pills just make sure you get them all, instead of a hit and miss thing.

Jeepers, one week coffee will kill you, next week it's the best thing you could drink. Same with everything else.

I've lived to see beer and wine become health foods. LOL

I believe...'everything in moderation'...and you'll be fine.

[Piperay]

7. What BULLSHIT

vitamin and supplements are the one thing that the drug companies have tried to control and can't so now some bogus study claims those things can cause you to die of cancer, that's real convenient for them. I'm not buying this brand of bullshit and will continue to be healthy by taking supplements and vitamins.

[happynewyear]

9. I was told this a few years ago

by someone really afraid of cancer ... I won't say who exactly, but this person advised me not to take any vitamins as he believes that they cause cancer and he used to take them himself but now won't. :shrug: ?????

Something definitely worth :think: ing about IMO. I'd really like to KNOW the answer to this question ... I really really would. :grr:

[Ezlivin]

12. What about eating Grape Nuts?

It seems pretty harmless, too, but look what happened to Euell Gibbons. He ended up dying of a heart attack.

[Connie_Corleone]

13. Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

According to researchers, almost anything will give you cancer nowadays. Might as well have fun while you're still alive.

[n2mark]

14. Well

My mother took multivitamins, vit E, herbs, whatever was out there, she took no prescription drugs, she died at age 87. She died in her sleep from heart failure. The fact that at age 87 without taking no prescription drugs, makes me question the drug companies. The week before she died she mowed the lawn in the front yard of the house she was living. Let me add, this is Arizona in the middle of summer 100-110 degress. She worked part time in a fabric store lifting bolts of material until 86 when she fell and broke her hip for the second time.

Actually I feel my best when taking my vitamins. My feeling is, I am going to die from something, don't know when or how. When my time is up, it is up.

The drug companies just want you to take their stupid drugs and make them rich.

[teryang]

15. Relative risk?

Relative to what?

Any odds ratio less than 2.0 is not statistically significant.

[Bridget Burke]

16. The article could have provided some better data.

Exactly what vitamins were the subjects taking? At what dosage? Were some of them doing megadose therapy? Or just a simple daily supplement?

Until I hear more, I'll try to remember to take my one pill a day; nothing exotic. And a little extra vitamin C in cold season.

[Nikia]

19. Probably megadoses of fat soluable are more dangerous

Vitamin C is relatively non toxic. If you consume more than your body can use, your body will excrete it. Fat soluable vitamins are stored in fat. Like with other chemicals, it is probably unhealthy to have too much of it stored in your body. Taking megadoses of fat soluable vitamins on a daily basis probably is unhealthy since it probably builds up in your body over time.

[smiley_glad_hands]

17. Drinking too much water will kill you too. eom

[Nikia]

18. Maybe moderation is better

I couldn't tell from the article how hefty of doses people were taking. Like all chemicals, vitamins can be toxic when taken to excess. I have always started feeling ill after a few days of vitamin supplements containing several times the RDA for fat soluable vitamins on several different occaisions even though I felt great after the first dose. I actually take Flinstone complete vitamins, which don't contain megadoses of anything, now. Ideally I would get them all from food but I cannot afford to eat a varied enough diet to assure that.

[Squeegee]

25. Vitamin A is especially bad

It is very toxic. It only takes .003 grams to kill an avarage adult human.

[schultzee]

28. But if you do not have enough your lungs, eyes, and other mucosal

membranes have problems. In the third world this is a serious problem. Here if you eat one large serving of orange or green veggies a day, you probably get enough.

[goforit]

20. Bad PR from the pharmaceuticals......sounds like propaganda!!!!

[Rochambeau]

21. I have herpes on my mouth since I'm a baby and it's about

10 years since I take 1 gram (0.0353 oz say the dictionary) of vitamin C every morning and herpes attacks are since then far, far more rare than before. No need Aciclovir (except during attacks) it works !! So they can say whatever they want, even that it may be bad for kidneys, I'll stick to that habit untill my last breath !

[SoCalDem]

22. Life is a terminal "disease"

Until fairly recently in human history, people did physical labor, and died young..

The human body is a "machine", and machines wear out and malfunction.. We are just outliving our predescessors..

Most animals live, reproduce a few times, and then die.. We tricked mother nature with our big brains, but we are part of the life cycle, and something will do us in..

[shanti]

23. wonderful

you take vitamins to seek/maintain your health, and now they find that they could kill you...:(

[young_at_heart]

24. My health improved after adding supplements

People should do lots of research.....loads of info out there and to trust this blindly might be a mistake.

[schultzee]

30. They increase my energy level dramatically.

[TexasBushwhacker]

26. Some chemo works by oxidation

There's not enough data in the article to know what all was covered. I do know that if you're on chemo, you should check with your doctor about ALL supplements you take because some can actually work against the chemo.

[nine30]

29. Beta Carotene (vit A) + tobacco smoke = dangerous combo...

..everything else in the article is BS.

[SKKY]

31. Well, isn't this just "Fan-fucking-tastic"...

...Screw it! I'm done living a healthy life. If I keel over dead after a nice long run, well, so be it.