Multiple Vitamins, Cancer and Postmenopausal Women

· According to an analysis of the Women’s Health Initiative published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, there was previously no protection offered against forms of cancer in postmenopausal women who took vitamin supplements.
· This retrospective study (an analysis of data on women from 1993 through 1998) showed that postmenopausal women who took vitamin supplements did not have a decrease in the incidence of breast, colon, endometrial, kidney, bladder, stomach, ovarian, or lung cancer.
· There was also no overall change in death rate in postmenopausal women who took vitamins verses postmenopausal women who did not take vitamins.
· However, researchers found a possibly a lower risk of heart attack in postmenopausal women taking high dose stress type B vitamins.

· Readers should keep in mind, however, that the “Women’s Health Initiative” is not the best type of study for medical research. There are too many variables that cannot be controlled, which affect the results of the study.

· Other recent studies have shown benefits from vitamin supplements. Vitamin D supplements have been shown to offer some protection from certain types of cancer and heart disease. Folic acid(another vitamin) can control homocysteine blood levels which in excess can increase heart attack risk.

· Vitamin supplements are likely beneficial to good health and we should not conclude otherwise based on the Woman’s Health Initiative.

Reference
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(3):294-304.

February 11, 2009

Posted on February 11, 2009

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