Multivitamins Did Nothing To Prevent Cancer, Heart Disease In Older Women, According To Study

CHICAGO — The largest study ever of multivitamin use in older women found the pills did nothing to prevent common cancers or heart disease. The eight-year study in 161,808 postmenopausal women echoes recent disappointing vitamin studies in men.

Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars on vitamins to boost their health. Research has focused on cancer and heart disease in particular because of evidence that diets full of vitamin-rich foods may protect against those illnesses. But that evidence doesn't necessarily mean pills are a good substitute.

The study's lead author, researcher Marian Neuhouser of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, offered this advice: "Get nutrients from food. Whole foods are better than dietary supplements," Neuhouser said.

The study appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.

Co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson said despite the disappointing results, the research doesn't mean multivitamins are useless.

For one thing, the data are observational, not the most rigorous kind of scientific research. And also, it's not clear if taking vitamins might help prevent cancers that take many years to develop, said Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham & Women's Hospital.

She said multivitamins may still be useful "as a form of insurance" for people with poor eating habits.

The study involved an analysis of data on women in their 50s and up who participated in long-running government studies on postmenopausal women. Almost 42 percent of the women said they used multivitamins regularly.

After about eight years, roughly equal numbers of vitamin users and nonusers developed common cancers, heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Overall, there were 9,619 cases of cancer, including cancers of the breast, lung, ovary, colon and stomach; and 8,751 cardiovascular ailments including heart attacks and strokes. In addition, 9,865 women died, also at similar rates in multivitamin users and nonusers.

Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition professor who was not involved in the research, said the study is important because it involved so many women.

"All the evidence keeps pointing in the same direction," Lichtenstein said.

Eric Jacobs, an American Cancer Society epidemiologist, said while his group doesn't advise vitamins to prevent cancer, it does recommend maintaining a healthy weight and eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily while limiting red meat. Similar habits are also thought to help reduce heart disease risks.

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On the Net:

Archives: http://www.archinternmed.com

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org

Comments

[marijam]

11:07 AM on 02/11/2009

This news comes at a good time since we've learned that most of our vitamins, if not all of them, are actually coming from CHINA and can't be trusted to be "pure". Problem is, I hear that all of our aspirin will soon be coming from China. What do we do then, if we want to make sure we are purchasing a quality product? Lots and lots of people taking aspirin for their heart, not to mention its usual value as a pain reliever. Personally, I cannot take ibuprofen any more. Hummmm, I wonder if that's because its coming from China now?

[jacko88]

08:55 PM on 02/12/2009

It's rather alarmist to fear any and all chemical products from a country because of a few, highly publicized scandals. China is one of the world's top chemical manufacturers, and you can certainly trust large-brand, standardized products like ibuprofen. I'm also confused as to why you think aspirin is safe, but ibuprofen "comes from China" and cannot be trusted. Both products are manufactured here and internationally.

Frankly, I'd trust Chinese drugs over supplements manufactured in the US - at least China takes infractions seriously, when they finally notice them. In the US, however, things are different. Thanks to Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is a stupid bastard, there is virtually no control over these supplements at any level. Few are reliably dosed, many have been shown to cause organ damage and other health problems, and almost no inspections are made of any packing or manufacturing plants, even in the US. Most of these products are not worth buying at all, but the situation is made worse by the lack of regulation.

[NoSillyName]

07:26 PM on 02/10/2009

Gee, I could have written this report. "Its best to get nutrients from food sources." Well, duh.

I don't believe that food sources are as nutrient rich as they once were, or that most people eat a "balanced" diet. So, unless they discover that taking supplements will kill me, I'll continue to take them.

I do not take them to ward off those two diseases mentioned in this article and I don't know anyone who thinks a supplement will ward off cancer or heart disease. However, anyone taking statin drugs should be taking CoQ10, an essential co-enzyme; statins completely turn off the body's ability to manufacture it. Doctors know this, but never bother to mention it to users. Most doctors only know of nurition by the RDA minimums to ward off scurvy, rickets, and the like, NOT for optimum health.

Does anyone still trust the FDA?

Just my opinion from life experience, general knowledge, and a few decades of reading everything I can get my hands on.

We're all gonna die.

[justime]

05:24 PM on 02/10/2009

I am a vitamin user and am not surprised by the conclusion of this survey. The ineffectiveness of multi-vitamins is caused by the inadequate amounts of most vitamins in each tablet. The world outside of the USA participates in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. Here one can find information and scientific studies of vitamins conducted by Nobel Prize winners among others.

Why should we use vitamins when we can use pharmaceuticals?

[jacko88]

08:56 PM on 02/12/2009

Which vitamins do you feel are provided in inadequate amounts, and what prevents you from taking more to fix this perceived problem?

[LukeTunyich]

05:12 PM on 02/10/2009

It seems that the nearly a century old quackery is responsible for nowadays vitamin-mania.
It is serious question: does vitamin C prevent and cure scurvy.
It is serious claim that scurvy didn’t despaired from sailor’s life due to citrus fruit, but something also has caused that scurvy despaired.
Se for you self on the Google; “The Scurvy, the Vitamin C and the Blasphemy”

[goodog]

01:43 PM on 02/10/2009

I never picked up on any serious research claiming that vitamins protect us from cancer and heart attack, so this is not a letdown for me.

I can't help thinking this as an article hoping for more impact than it really deserves.

[NoSillyName]

07:29 PM on 02/10/2009

Pretty silly, eh? Never heard such a claim anywhere by anyone.

[mbarnes]

01:43 PM on 02/10/2009

This study used very low doses of all the vitamins tested. Who would expect 500mg of vitamin C to prevent cancer. When you do a drug trial you first establish what dose you need to keep the blood level above a certain minimum. Vitmain C needs to be dosed in gm quantities and several times per day. Also the Canadian Cancer Society now recommends that everyone takes vitamin D to prevent cancer. The data on the cancer preventative properties of vitamin D is now almost as massive as the data on smoking causing cancer. Take a look at this web site: www.vitaminD3world.com and decide for yourself. It has great summaries of all the data on cancer and vitmain D

[NoSillyName]

07:30 PM on 02/10/2009

Especially now that so many people bath in sunscreen.

[ZellaBee]

08:32 PM on 02/11/2009

This is what they do. It is more pro p@ g@nda studies.

[Bigredhunk]

01:36 PM on 02/10/2009

I'm a big fan of supplements. I'm also a big fan of whole, clean, healthy foods. You need both, IMO.

I started my parents taking a handful of supplements in addition to their (mostly) healthy diets 8-10 years ago. My dad is 66 (67 in May), my mum just turned 62. They both look much younger than their chronological age and have very few problems. Genetics, environment, stress management, diet, and supplementation are all factors. You can't completely discount supplementation, as most food doens't have the nutrional value it once die (overfarming, poor soil, etc...).

Try supplements. Add one at a time and see if you notice a difference. Read up on who provides good supplements (Andrew Weil's web site is great, so is WebMd). Like others have said, you need to take responsibility for your own health. MD's know very little about nutrition. They're finally recommending fish oil, something we've been taking for over 10 years.

Here are a few of our faves:

Neuro PS (Vitamin World) - Phosphatidylserine - Great for brain health
Fish Oil (Kirkland Signature, Costco's store brand)
Multivitamin/Multimineral (Kirkland Signature)
B-Complex (Vitamin World)
Selenium (any brand)
Emergen-C (Alacer) - THE best supplement for immunity, one of the most effective I've ever used

[JSaeger]

09:40 PM on 02/10/2009

Emergen-C (Alacer) contains fructose, a synthetic, not healthy for you to consume. Please look at Natural News' article www.naturalnews.com/024466.html for a better explanation.

[euthman]

11:41 PM on 02/10/2009

There is no scientific evidence to back up almost all the recommendations in your post. Fish oil is a good idea for some people, but the rest is just conjecture and blind faith.

Ed Uthman, MD
Pathologist, Houston, Texas, USA
http://web2.airmail.net/uthman

[DFL]

01:20 PM on 02/10/2009

Happines is taking good care of myself so I can hit the mute button for every drug commercial, I dont need any of them!

[timezone]

12:49 PM on 02/10/2009

While vitamins or other supplements may not be a cure-all for bad eating habits, I found it difficult to get the five servings of fruit and vegetables that we are always told we need. It didn't mention much in the way of other supplements, like omega-3 or spirulina, but unless people eat a perfectly balanced diet (and even then, their requirements for certain vitamins or minerals may be higher than the average person), I don't see how one couldn't benefit from supplementation.

[emily00011]

01:23 PM on 02/10/2009

Be careful of those omega-3 pills, they've been shown to be rancid in some cases. If you can't/don't eat fish try flax seed oil. Your body has to convert the fatty acids into DHA, which it isn't super-efficient at, but it will help.

[timezone]

01:27 PM on 02/10/2009

Thank you for your response, emily, I will definitely remember that. I try to eat sardines, walnuts and salmon, but also supplement a few times a week with a spoonful fish liver oil. I have checked online to research the freshest and look for expiration dates on bottle, but you brought up a really important point about making sure not rancid.

[Myshkin57]

05:43 PM on 02/10/2009

You can get vegetarian sourced DHA in a liquid form, and I've never had a problem with it. Eating fish is actually riskier than vegetarian DHA, because the algae-based DHA does not have nearly the amount of mercury that fish and fish-sourced DHA has.

[EHarold]

12:36 PM on 02/10/2009

This report brought to you by Pfizer.

[pangursperson]

01:55 PM on 02/10/2009

LOL, exactly! Crooks, the lot of them.

[euthman]

11:43 PM on 02/10/2009

Interesting that the rich corporations that sell FDA-approved drugs are the bad guys, but the rich corporations that sell untested, unapproved supplements are the saviors of the world.

[JSaeger]

09:21 PM on 02/10/2009

I have a feeling Big Pharma is on the A-List of Major Overhauls. The question at this point is, who will be first on the examining table. The FDA or Merck & Co. for Gardasil?

[washlib]

11:58 AM on 02/10/2009

hmm, i wonder what it does on the livers and kidneys of daily users.

i refuse to take vitamins or supplements, because i know they just go right through my body and DONT absorb.

The entire vitamin industry is a scam. Eat a balanced healthy diet, THAT is the answer.

[wm1066]

01:16 PM on 02/10/2009

I agree, I used to be a big believer in vitamins, used them for twenty years, but then I got sick off of some suppliments and I took a good hard look at them and decided they are nothing but dead food.

[pangursperson]

02:00 PM on 02/10/2009

I, on the other hand, take them religiously and can vouch for their effectiveness. The entire big pharma industry is the scam, and their interest is in keeping people sick to keep lining their pockets.

[steveholt243]

03:01 PM on 02/10/2009

And the vitamin idustry's interest is hoodwinking you into believing you need their supplements.

[rh654]

11:46 AM on 02/10/2009

You mean I just can't pop a pill and avoid having to eat veggies, fruits and having to exercise?

Dang!

[inEugene]

11:39 AM on 02/10/2009

Dear friends, Please read about The Western A. Price Foundation and Sally Fallon, and her book Nourishing Traditions The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.
Say hello to real food, search Sally Fallon on youtube, and hear the truth about soy, butter and red meat.
Real food provides everything we need. Support Bio-dynamic agriculture.

[pangurban]

11:15 AM on 02/10/2009

Unless you are eating really fresh food you probably have some vitamin deficiencies. Taking supplements even if they don't prevent certain diseases just makes sense if you find you actually feel better, have more energy etc. IMHO

[myoungholt]

10:54 AM on 02/10/2009

We need safe food. That's a given. We need safe anything that goes into our bodies.

BUT, have there ever been any problems with vitamins and supplements like the ones we have with our freshly farmed foods: tainted spinich, tainted peanuts, tainted meats, cattle effluent runoff into our streams, etc. ad infinitum?

Naw, I'll stick to my diet of proper amounts of good food for caloric intake, and vitamins and supplements to ensure that I keep feeling fine.