Another trial showing that high dose vitamin supplements can increase your risk of cancer.

Men have been warned not to take a pair of popular vitamin and mineral supplements after research showed they can dramatically increase the risk of life-threatening prostate cancer.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/22/vitamin-supplements-raise-risk-cancer-men

Interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26038460

A couple of years ago there was a brilliant article in the Guardian by an American scientist called Philip which went through a number of studies showing the high incidence of cancers in people who take vitamin supplements. It was really interesting but they took it down a few months ago. I’ll see if I can find an equivalent somewhere else.

I think this goes to show that a mixed healthy diet is the key. A lot of absorption of vitamins and minerals only happens when food is combined naturally. Never taken a supplement. Eat oily fish twice a week and a bit of veg and mainly chicken and the odd bit of steak as a treat. Interesting study that one.

I think this goes to show that a mixed healthy diet is the key. A lot of absorption of vitamins and minerals only happens when food is combined naturally. Never taken a supplement. Eat oily fish twice a week and a bit of veg and mainly chicken and the odd bit of steak as a treat. Interesting study that one.

Same here, but not strict about what and when I eat particular foods. I’ve always had a deep mistrust in vitamin supplements, akin to the mistrust I have in heavily processed ready meals.

Likewise I’m not a fan of supplements, particularly when you look at the amount of certain vitamins you are getting – in some cases over 150% of your daily intake. Far better to just eat a mixed and healthy diet and get all your vitamins etc that way.

Interesting. I was about to post a what supplements do you take thread

The latest Joe Rogan Experience #459 had Dr. Rhonda Patrick on it (ads finish around 6:50), found it very interesting although I was a bit perplexed that she hadn’t heard of Myostatin Deficency.

In the 1970s, chemist Linus Pauling reported that vitamin C given intravenously was effective in treating cancer.

Ah yes, Linus Pauling. I don’t think anyone questions his genius on things like electronegativity, but he was also criticised in his day for the claims he made about vitamin c dosing. He also died of prostate cancer.

What always annoys me about the discussion on vitamin supplements is that some people seem to assume that supplements means a billiom mg of vitamin A + E + rhino horn and dog wee as a cure to every known disease including death and allowing the go ahead and live on sausage rolls and red bull, so they can then rubbish the idea.

I’m more interested in whether or not a normal multivitamin can help make sure I get my RDAs if I don’t manage to get my quota via my normal healthy diet for some reason.

Molgrips, I’m sure whatever the results of this is that you’re fine taking vitamin supplements occasionally, I think in order to increase your risks of the adverse effects you have to be overdosing on these things for decades. If I start feeling a bit off it as if I’ve got man-flu coming, then I’m straight on the Sainsburys effervescent vit C tablets that give you a thousand times your RDA to ensure my body gets everything it needs to have the best chance to fight things off before they take hold. i’ve not had a fully blown cold or man-flu for about 6 yrs now since I’ve been doing that. As soon as I’m feeling better I’ll stop taking them, I usually only a few days or so before I’m feeling right as rain again.

But I take these things with a pinch of salt. You don’t need to eat a lot of fruit and veg to overdose on your RDA of a lot of vitamins and minerals, so is the real problem the vitamins themselves, or something to do with the pill you’re taking that contains the vitamins? Healthy balanced diet is the way forward.

If ever I feel particularly run down, I take them for a few days and sort my diet out (again)

But I take these things with a pinch of salt.

Is that wise? Think of the increased stroke risk!

so is the real problem the vitamins themselves, or something to do with the pill you’re taking that contains the vitamins?

Almost certainly the amount taken and possible taken as a supplement rather than gained from natural food. All the studies showing increased cancer risk were looking at large doses where the expectation was that these would help protect against cancer.

It seems that a little is essential, but a lot is not good for you.

I stopped taking any supplements after reading Bad Science.

There is a certain irony inherent in the issue of people in a society where the over abundance of just about any kind of food can get ill from attempting to supplement their diets….

This is a high-dose study. The dosage used in the study was 400mcg of vitamin E daily. The RDA is 15mcg. With regard to selenium it was 200mcg vs 55mcg RDA.

I’m really not sure how much relevance it has for blokes who pop the odd vitamin pill, rather than vastly overdose themselves.

Not that any normal bloke needs supplementation anyhow, but that’s a waste of money issue rather than a health concern.

If you are starting to feel ill with a cold, you’ve already got a cold. Overdosing on vitamin C – which the body cannot store anyway – is not going to prevent the onset of illness.

Sodium Benzonate[quote]so is the real problem the vitamins themselves, or something to do with the pill you’re taking that contains the vitamins?[/quote]

Or, being that this is a US study and considering the prevalence of Sodium Benzonate in the US food and drug chain, it could simply be that the combination of high levels of VitC in absorbic acid form and Sodium Benzonate are the issue.

In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate form benzene, a known carcinogen

Fortunately in the UK/Europe, there a better control of this antimicrobial agent.

Vitamin e and selenium? Never taken either of them, I do take other supplements though, but not at such high doses. It is common sense that too much of anything is bad for you, take alcohol for example.

Vitamin e and selenium? Never taken either of them,

They’re in most multi-vitamin pills eg Sanatogen

dirksdiggler – Member

Sodium Benzonate

so is the real problem the vitamins themselves, or something to do with the pill you’re taking that contains the vitamins?

Or, being that this is a US study and considering the prevalence of Sodium Benzonate in the US food and drug chain, it could simply be that the combination of high levels of VitC in absorbic acid form and Sodium Benzonate are the issue.

In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate form benzene, a known carcinogen

Fortunately in the UK/Europe, there a better control of this antimicrobial agent. That is not the problem – you’ll breathe orders of magnitude more benzene sat in a car, or walking down the street, than you would ever encounter from benzoate decomposing to benzene in a vitamin pill, if that is even possible.

Hard to see how ascorbic acid can form benzene from benzoic acid, at first glance. The electron count does not balance, meaning something is missing.