Multivitamins Decrease Male Cancer Risk

In, what researchers describe as a "landmark study," a modest but definite link has been established between the daily consumption of a multivitamin and reduced risk of cancer in middle-aged men. While no effect was noted in the reduction of prostate cancer, regular multivitamin use was tied to 8% reduction in non-prostate cancers. When prostate cancer was eliminated from the findings, the rate increased to 12%. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, followed nearly 50,000 male doctors aged 50 and older who were randomly assigned to a multivitamin or a placebo and tracked for over a decade. Previous trials focused on the cancer reduction potential of specific vitamins, often in high doses, and provided mixed results. The new study prescribed a very commonly used multivitamin and suggests that the biggest health benefits may come from a broad combination of dietary supplements. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about half of U.S. adults take dietary supplements daily- the most popular being multivitamins. Trial observers stated that there appear to be no risks associated with the consumption of a multivitamin. They added that additional studies would be required to establish the same cancer-reduction benefits for women and younger men.


Source: Reuters. October 17, 2012.
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