Posted on 11/16/2008 11:28:16 PM PST by neverdem
The Physicians' Health Study II is a large-scale, long-term, randomized clinical trial that included 14,641 physicians who were at least 50 years old at enrollment. These physicians were given 400 IU of vitamin E every other day or its placebo, or 500 mg of vitamin C daily or its placebo.
Researchers followed these patients for up to 10 years for the development of cancer with high rates of completion of annual questionnaires, and the confirmation of reported cancer endpoints.
Analyses indicate that randomization to vitamin E did not have a significant effect on prostate cancer. This lack of effect for vitamin E also extended to total cancer. Vitamin C had a similar lack of effect on total cancer.
"After nearly 10 years of supplementation with either vitamin E or vitamin C, we found no evidence supporting the use of either supplement in the prevention of cancer," said Howard D. Sesso, Sc.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "While vitamin E and C supplement use did not produce any protective benefits, they also did not cause any harm," he added.
Previous laboratory research and observational studies in which people who reported eating a diet rich in vitamins E and C were found to have a lower risk of cancer, had suggested that taking these vitamins as individual supplements may offer some protective benefits.
Study co-author and principal investigator J. Michael Gaziano, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and VA Boston, adds, "Individual vitamin supplements such as vitamin E and C do not appear to provide the same potential advantages as vitamins included as part of a healthy, balanced diet."
Finally, Sesso said that these results provide clinically meaningful new information. "Our results represent one of only a few clinical trials that have tested this idea. The final component of the Physicians' Health Study II, testing daily multivitamin supplementation, remains ongoing."
Source: American Association for Cancer Research
Thank you.
I can’t help but note that they didn’t do one with Vitamin D, which I suspect, on the basis of other research I’ve seen, would produce some interesting findings.
IF they find a cure for Cancer... the people that did this study will be UNEMPLOYED.
Taking that much E and C in a Year, the same Dr.s will declare you DEFICIENT in BOTH!
They have with good results, at least for colorecal CA. Knock yourself out at PubMed.
Decent info here with references: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/vitamin-c.htm
I take about 5-6g of buffered ascorbic acid powder a day which also has Cal, Mag and Pot. I tell you what....if you want to get rid of a cold virus quick...do a powdered buffered Vit C calibration....it passes in about 4-6 hours! ;)
Cancer is over 200 diseases. The same kind of cancer in different patients was recently found to involve different genetic mutations from patient to patient.
I knew that there would be a reaction that the dose wasn't enough. I use vitamin C for colds.
**Bogus! 500mg is nothing!**
I do 5g/day myself.. along with as much garlic and cayenne I can get into myself during cold/flu times.
There’s some sort of group trying to outlaw vitamins and herbs as “Medicines” and make then available by “Prescription”
... All I know is... when I regularly take a full regimen of vitamins and minerals... I FEEL BETTER than when I don’t.
This story (just on FoxNews Radio) this same group has proven the INEFFECTIVENESS of B,C,D,E, Folic Acid, Calcium, and Selenium..
Mini Nuclear Power Plants Could Power 20,000 Homes (Update)
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Drug companies finance studies like this to build the premise that nutritional supplementation is not effective. Patents are not available on God;s molecules so that keeps the profits down.
They use sub-standard nutrients for these studies and they study isolated nutrients when it is widely known in scientific circles that a synergistic effect from several vitamin’s is what causes effectiveness of nutritional therapy. In other words, its a scam.
Recently, the University of California at Berkley did a long-term (20 year) study of the effectiveness of supplements.
The scientists who conducted this research are the leaders in their field.
The study was published in a peer reviewed scientific journal: see the abstract at: http://www.landmarkstudy.com/
Thanks for the link.
I try to take ten grams per day most days. It seems to lower cholesterol also. 500 mg vitamin C is at the placebo level.
Vitamin D, which is absent from this study, is already being being studied for its role in cancer prevention with promising results.
500 mg of Vitamin C is a drop in a bucket. C is flushed from the body fairly quickly.
I take a lot of vitamins and supplements including 1500 C and 2000 D3. Call me crazy, but I feel that my cancer remission is due in part by this.
You are correct. Vitamin D has important immune modulating effects that are not generally known to the public.
“Did the study use natural source or artificial form Vitamin E?”
I wondered about that and also the source/purity of the supplements.
Could there be contaminants in a natural source also?
Bottom line, IMO, was stated that while they found no benefits, they found no harm. This could be equally reported under either health or consumer advice.
There is also the explicit variable where the trial applicants were all 50 years or older.
In this age group, as a remission or preventative aid, the supplements may be ineffective.
This may not be true for those in a younger age group.
Likewise, the dose of vitamin C was inadequate.
I will continue to take my 1000mg. of vitamin C and 400IU of natural vitamin E per day regardless of the findings of the study.
Thank you Rockingham.
I thought back to recent food contamination and reading that some types of vegetables were able to absorb e-coli during their growth process. (thus washing would not remove the contaminant)
Considering this possibility, I wondered if other types of ‘contaminants’ might also be absorbed, passed through upon ingestion and how it might affect the study.
Thank you also SC DOC.
As I wrote, I thought the article could be equally placed under health or consumer advice. No harm in taking or not taking the supplements.
I enjoy a variety of foods and natural vitamin D, though I have taken supplements. People are different and there are many variables which would need to be taken into account, genetics a possible. Even the placebo affect should be considered for it’s benefit to a positive outlook.
Those issues would not affect the study, which was of vitamins. They are tightly controlled during manufacturing and extraction processes. Chinese sources are beginning to appear in the vitamin market though, and they should be avoided as problematic.
note they only studied over 50 subjects.
it is like rigging the results by selecting dead people to study the effectivness of exercise to improve their condition.
note I am not saying the study may be correct in its presumption, I am saying this study is irrelivant because the test pool is too old for its starting point.
The goal is prevention.
If anything, this says over 50 doctors have lead lifestyles which make them physically decrepid.
Chinese and off shore sources were my initial thought.
Melamine has been a news item for over a year. Fillers and binders are required for most supplements, so I wondered.
Then there is the consideration of whether the source was controlled as to origin or ‘re-packaged’. Many companies have apparently been deceived.
It’s interesting to learn and perhaps to speculate.
Anecdotal: My ex planted an herb garden by our driveway. I questioned if this was a good location since we’d warm our vehicles up there as needed.
Even post leaded gas, she decided to move it.
The tableted forms are not as well absorbed as the buffered powdered AA (try Ortho-Molecular or Perque who also has C test strips). Also...if you have patients with constipation issues from meds....this is a great way to keep things moving and healthy :)
Several Docs lecturing on this protocol - www.perque.com/pdfs/Pt_Ascorbate_Slush_FIN.pdf
Ping for later.
I hadn’t heard of health consequences from the use of Platinum in converters (sans being caught stealing one).
Thought it’s being a heavy and durable metal more or less precluded that.
Of course, things change as we learn.
Thanks for the reply.
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