Salah-Eddin Al-Batran: The Deleterious Effect of Antioxidant Vitamins for Cancer Prevention
Salah-Eddin Al-Batran, Director Institute of Clinical Research UCT-University Cancer Center, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“The Deleterious Effect of Antioxidant Vitamins for Cancer Prevention.
Dear colleagues,
This week, I had an insightful discussion with a valued colleague about the use of antioxidants in cancer prevention. This conversation prompted me to take a closer look at the available data.
While there are hundreds of retrospective and observational cohort studies on this topic, only a few randomized phase III trials exist. Interestingly, these trials consistently indicate either no benefit or even an increased risk of cancer associated with antioxidant vitamins. So, would you still recommend antioxidants supplementation to healthy individuals?
Here is my summary of the key trials:
ATBC Study (1994):
Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study Group. “The effect of vitamin E and beta-carotene on the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers in male smokers.” New England Journal of Medicine.
Main Finding: Beta-carotene increased the risk of lung cancer among smokers.
CARET Study (1996):
Omenn, G. S., et al. “Effects of a combination of beta-carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.” New England Journal of Medicine.
Main Finding: Supplementation increased lung cancer incidence and mortality in smokers and asbestos workers.
Aspirin Folate Polyp Prevention Study (2007):
Cole, B. F., et al. “Folic acid for the prevention of colorectal adenomas: a randomized clinical trial.” JAMA.
Main Finding: Folic acid does not reduce colorectal adenoma risk, but increases the risk of advanced adenoma.
Vitamin E and Vitamin C in Physicians’ Health Study II (2009):
Gaziano, J. M., et al. “Vitamins E and C in the prevention of prostate and total cancer in men: the Physicians’ Health Study II randomized controlled trial.” Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Main Finding: No effect of vitamin E or C on cancer prevention.
SELECT Trial (2011):
Klein, E. A., et al. “Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT).” JAMA.
Main Finding: Vitamin E significantly increased the risk of prostate cancer.
Multivitamins: Physicians’ Health Study II (2012):
Gaziano, J. M., et al. “Multivitamins in the prevention of cancer in men: the Physicians’ Health Study II randomized controlled trial.” JAMA.
Main Finding: Very modest but statistically significant reduction of the risk of total cancer.
VITAL Study (2018):
Manson, J. E., et al. “Vitamin D supplements and prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.” New England Journal of Medicine.
Main Finding: Supplementation with vitamin D did not result in a lower incidence of invasive cancer or cardiovascular events.
(Note, there are other randomized trials on vitamin D).”
Muhammad Awidi, Hematology and Oncology Fellow at Roswell Park Cancer Center, shared this post on LinkedIn, adding:
“Great summary! We should reconsider conducting clinical trials on vitamins. A well-balanced, moderate diet is typically sufficient to prevent deficiencies. In an era of dwindling research funding, our efforts should prioritize interventions that significantly improve patients’ lives and overall well-being.”
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