A Daily Multivitamin Reduces Cancer Risk in Older Men

By Olivia B. Waxman | @OBWax | October 18, 2012 (Courtesy of Time Magazine)

There hasn’t been strong evidence to support the idea that vitamins can combat cancer—until now.

In the first rigorous, long-term study of multivitamins and their effect on cancer, older men who took daily vitamins lowered their risk of cancer by 8% compared to men who skipped the supplements over an average of 11 years of follow up.

Participants included 14,641 male U.S. male physicians ages 50 and over for 11 years enrolled in the Physicians’ Health Study. The men were randomly assigned to take a multivitamin —Centrum Silver — or a placebo, and neither they nor the scientists were aware of their status. Overall, they were healthy; two-thirds exercised on a regular basis and only 4% were current smokers. The doctors’ mean age was 64. Nine percent (1,312) reported a history of cancer (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer).

“It appears that there may be a modest benefit in preventing cancer in men over the age of 50,” said Dr. J. Michael Gaziano, lead author of the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and chief of the Division of Aging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in a teleconference call. The findings were presented Wednesday at an American Association of Cancer Research conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Previous studies haven’t been so definitive, which is why the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National Institutes of Health both decided that the evidence wasn’t strong enough to advise healthy people to take vitamins daily. One placebo-controlled study published in JAMA revealed that taking large doses of vitamin D supplements did not prevent colds or reduce symptoms in healthy adults any more than a placebo. Another analysis of clinical trials found that omega-3 supplements do not reduce users’ risks of heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease. And older women who took daily multivitamins were 6% more likely to die over a 19-year-period compared to those who did not take the pills. Higher odds of death were associated with vitamin B, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper supplements; calcium, however, was associated with a 10% lower risk of death in the women.

But because the participants in Physicians Health Study were randomly assigned to take vitamins or placebo, and because they were followed for a relatively long period of time, the findings may finally provide some clarity on the role that vitamins can play in suppressing cancer.

That doesn’t mean that vitamins are the antidote to cancer, or that they can offset cancer-causing behaviors like smoking or an unhealthy diet. It also doesn’t mean that vitamins are the only way to fight cancer. Skipping the vitamins and getting the same nutrients from a well-balanced diet can also be an effective way to keep tumors at bay.  “A varied diet is associated with reduced risk of cancer, so a multivitamin may mimic the vitamins and minerals we get from that varied diet,” Gaziano said.

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Commentary:

There is good news and GREAT news within this article.  First the good news- the actual story itself: that men taking a daily Centrum Silver multi-vitamin supplement reduced their cancer risk by 8%. Now the great news. Centrum Silver has to be one of the worst supplements available on the market- so if Centrum Silver can produce positive results, imagine what a HIGH quality product could produce! Why do I say that Centrum Silver has to be one of the worst supplements on the market? Check out these ingredients courtesy of the Dietary Supplements Label Database.    

Centrum Silver is a mass produced product that is made to be sold in huge stores. The manufacturer has no idea how long the product will remain on the shelf but it must remain "fresh" for its shelf life.  Therefore, the product contains artificial binders, fillers, and ingredients that have NO relation to improving a person's health. So, if such a product CAN produce such positive results, imagine what would have happened if they would have studied a product that did NOT contain talc, artificial colors, binders, fillers, and BHT.  What is BHT?  BHT, according to thegoodhuman.com, "Butylated Hydroxytoluene, or BHT, is an anti-oxidant which reacts with oxygen free radicals to slow down the autoxidation rate of ingredients in a product that can cause changes in the taste or color. As such, it is primarily used to prevent fats in foods from becoming rancid – but it is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, electrical transformer oil, and embalming fluid. Sure sounds like BHT is something that should definitely be in our food, right?" Thegoodhuman.com goes on to state:

"Turns out this additive, used in all the above products, has a scary MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) that says the following:

• Do NOT let this chemical enter the environment.
• Combustible.
• Ingestion causes Abdominal pain. Confusion. Dizziness. Nausea. Vomiting.
• The substance may have effects on the liver.
• The substance is harmful to aquatic organisms"

Doesn't sound like a great ingredient for a health product, does it?  Again, why does a product like Centrum contain binders, fillers, and artificial colors?  The answer is so that the pills remain pills in the package for as long as the package is on the shelf.  People won't buy the product if they pick up the package, shake it, and hear a thud. They want to hear the pills shaking...even if the pills have been in the bottle 2 years.  So, how does this effect the delivery of the nutrients?  If the nutrients are packed in a pill with binders and fillers, can they be released in the body?  The answer is a huge maybe.  Below is a picture of an X-Ray showing a patient who consumed Centrum vitamins three days in a row.  Unfortunately for this patient (and all patients are different due to body make-up, stomach pH, etc) NO nutrition gets delivered to the body. The pills actually go through the body and exit without breaking down.  If the pills contain ingredients to keep them in pill format, there is a good chance the pills will remain in pill format all the way through the process! If you want to check for yourself, "Google" the term  "Centrum Bedpan Bullets."  Centrum pills are nicknamed that because nurses find them (whole) in bedpans. 

So, if a product like Centrum Silver produces positive health results, we should all be giddy a the thought of what could happen if they tested a multi-vitamin with no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no binders, no fillers, no soy, no dairy, no gluten, and what if that product had a superior isotonic delivery system?  

NutraMetrix Isotonix Multivitamin is an isotonic-capable food supplement containing 100 percent or more of the daily value of essential vitamins and minerals. The vitamins and minerals are delivered in an isotonic solution. This means that the body has less work to do in obtaining maximum absorption. The isotonic state of the suspension allows nutrients to pass directly into the small intestine and be rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. With nutraMetrix Isotonix products, little nutritive value is lost, making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient while delivering maximum results.

Orlampa Enterprises, Inc. specializes in helping individuals lose sickness and find wellness.  

Orlampa Enterprises also helps health care professionals implement holistic wellness programs into their existing practice with the goal to educate both the health care provider and the patient. The programs, which provide the health care professional with a substantial additional income stream in this ever changing medical marketplace, allow the patient to achieve true wellness instead of receiving a traditional treatment for symptoms.

Orlampa Enterprises is an internet based product broker specializing in personalized health and wellness related services. Orlampa Enterprises is primed to continue its growth by duplicating its successful business model of educating, training, and developing entrepreneurial leaders as business partners. As an Unfranchise™ business owner, Orlampa Enterprises, proudly utilizes highly researched products including nutraMetrix® nutritional supplements. 

 Orlampa Enterprises' motto is "Eat well, exercise, and supplement intelligently."

Contact Beth at bb@orlampa.com or 727.492.8212 for more information about nutraMetrix® partnership opportunities available.

 These claims by manufacturers have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Companies may not market as dietary supplements any products that are intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.