Multivitamins Cut Cancer Risk In Men By Almost 10%, Study Finds

The Details About The Study

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that taking a multivitamin daily can cut cancer risk for men by almost 10 percent. 

The study, written in part by Dr. Michael Gaziano of Harvard Medical School, included 15, 000 men over the age of 50.  The men were divided into 2 groups. One group received daily doses of the multivitamin supplement Centrum Silver, while the other group was given a placebo. The study followed the participating men for a period of 11 years. 

The Outcome 

Following the 11-year time period, there were 2, 669 new cancers that had developed among the participants, some of whom developed cancer more than once during this period.  Each year, among very 1,000 men, there were 17 cancers that developed within the multivitamin group and 18 cancers that developed within the placebo group. This equaled to a nearly 10 percent decrease in risk of developing cancer in the multivitamin group. 

What It All Means 

The main reason why people should take a multivitamin is to supplement or prevent a nutritional deficiency. However, Gaziano concludes that there may be a slight benefit in lowering the risk of cancer development in men over 50. Other experts in the cancer field believe that further studies need to be performed to confirm the results of Gaziano’s study before they would begin recommending multivitamins as cancer prevention to the general public.

Experts suggest eating a properly balanced diet, committing to regular exercise, and refraining from smoking, as these steps can individually reduce cancer risks by 20 to 30 percent on average. 

How It Compares To Other Studies 

This study had a control group and a placebo group, while other studies did not use a placebo group. Additionally, this study followed the participants for a much longer time period of 11 years. Lastly, this study used a multivitamin supplement, which contains a mixture of both vitamins and minerals, which is a more natural way to receive these elements, compared to other studies, which used mega-doses of a single vitamin supplement. 

This study has shown that men over 50 taking a multivitamin supplement daily for an extended period of time can reduce their risk of cancer development by nearly 10 percent. Of course a healthy diet, coupled with exercise and healthy lifestyle choices can be more effective. The truth is that most people don’t adhere to these standards and are not the picture of optimum health. So if taking a multivitamin daily can help cut your risk by even a little bit, there is no reason not to take it. Cancer is a serious, life threatening disease that has many incarnations and takes the lives of thousands of Americans each year. Any step in the direction of cancer prevention is a good one and should be taken whenever possible.

Preventing Most Common Cancers In Men

Many people make the decision to take a multivitamin each day. Multivitamins have long been suspected of being beneficial to our health and have been researched over many years.

While some individual vitamins have been proven harmful in high doses, taking a multivitamin daily can benefit your health. These benefits are especially helpful to men according to the results of a new study suggesting that taking a multivitamin each day could cut cancer risks by nearly 10%. 

Most Common Cancers in Men 

In the United States each year, nearly 300,000 men die of cancer. The most commonly diagnosed of all the cancers in men is prostate cancer. In 2007 there were nearly 225,000 men in the United States who were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of those men, nearly 30,000 died from the disease.

While prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men, lung cancer is the cancer that more men die from each year. In 2007 there were nearly 110,000 men in the United States who were diagnosed with lung cancer. Of those men, more than 88, 000 of them died from the disease. The third most common cancer in men is colorectal cancer. In 2007, nearly 73,000 men were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Among those men approximately 27, 000 of them died from the disease. 

Cancer Screening

With regular cancer screenings, it is possible to reduce the number of deaths that are associated with colorectal cancers by nearly 60 percent. If you are a male over the age of 50, you should be having regular colorectal cancer screenings, including a colonoscopy. The Centers for Diseases Control suggests making an informed decision with regard to prostate cancer screenings, since there is currently not an overwhelming amount of evidence out there supporting the advantages of prostate cancer screenings. Whether or not to get screened for prostate cancer is a personal choice, but if it could reduce your chances of succumbing to the disease by even 1 percent, then why not do it? 

Cancer Prevention 

Nearly 90 percent of all deaths from lung cancer are a direct result of smoking. The single most important factor regarding the development of lung cancer is smoking. If you have never smoked, don’t start now, and if you currently smoke, know that it’s never too late to quit. Aside from smoking, there are other lifestyle changes that can be made to reduce the risks of developing certain types of cancers. For example, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are all good places to start.