Daily supplements of multivitamins may reduce the risk of cancer by a modest 8%, says a new study published in JAMA. The study has been hailed by the dietary supplement industry in the US. In response to those who have previously tried to shut the door on the benefits of taking a multivitamin, the new study "pushes the door and the windows wide open to the benefits and safety of multivitamins", said by Duffy MacKay, ND, vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

 

The Physician's Health Study (PHS) II study, published today online ahead of print in JAMA, analyzed data from almost 15,000 male physicians followed for over a decade. The researchers concluded: "The reduction in total cancer risk in PHS II argues that the broader combination of low-dose vitamins and minerals contained in the PHS II multivitamin, rather than an emphasis on previously high-dose vitamin and mineral trials, may be paramount for cancer prevention."

 

 

Commenting independently on the study, Prof Balz Frei from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University said that an 8% drop in overall cancer rates is not small.

 

"Given that more than 1.6 million new cancer cases are diagnosed in the US each year, this translates into about 130,000 cancers prevented every year, and with it all the health care costs and human suffering" he said.

 

"Quite simply, at around a penny a day a multivitamin is the cheapest health insurance a person will ever buy," he added. "Of course it's just a supplement, and it's not a substitute for a good diet and healthy lifestyle. But this study should finally answer all the doubters out there who still think multivitamin supplements have no value. And it further confirms they are completely safe to take."

 

Source: JAMA

Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.14641

Author: J.M. Gaziano, H.D. Sesso, W.G. Christen, V. Bubes, J.P. Smith, J. MacFadyen, M. Schvartz, J.E. Manson, R.J. Glynn, J.E. Buring