Cancer Wont Be prevented by Vitamins Alone

Taking supplements of vitamins rich in antioxidants will not prevent cancer development, according to a new Harvard University study.

The study looked at 8,171 women who were taking a supplement, a combination of supplements or a placebo, the Washington Post reported. The supplements were 500 milligrams of vitamin C, 600 International Units of vitamin E, and 50 milligrams every-other-day of beta carotene.

The women were all over the age of 40, and took part in the study from 1995 until 2005. All the women either had cardiovascular disease, or were at risk for it. A total of 624 developed cancer and 176 died from it.

The results led researchers to conclude that taking the supplements neither prevented nor increased the women's chances of getting cancer. The odds of developing cancer were no different from the women taking the supplements than they were for those taking the placebos, according to the study.

The study's lead researcher, assistant professor Jennifer Lin, said one reason the vitamins were ineffective, is that these women were well-nourished, and that supplements could be more effective in people who are not getting enough nourishment from their diets.

Andrew Shao, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs with the supplement trade group, Council for Responsible Nutrition, had some issues with the study.

He said the study may not have gone on long enough, and it was too narrowly focused, with the average age of the women being 60, and that they all either had or were at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Shao told WebMD that he agreed that vitamins alone should not be viewed as anti-cancer drugs, but are something that should be incorporated into their lifestyles.

The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers Find Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Helps to Reverse Early Diabetic Kidney Damage

Researchers have discovered that high doses of thiamine can reverse early diabetic kidney damage.

High doses of thiamine, vitamin B1, were found to stop the loss of a key protein in the urine of people with type 2 diabetes, researchers at Warwick University found.

Although scientists say the results aren't conclusive, thiamine is a relatively inexpensive B vitamin. Since about 70 percent to 90 percent of people with type 1 or 2 diabetes are thiamine deficient, it would be beneficial overall for them to take more B1.

Vitamin B1 is found in in meat, yeast and grain.

Researchers from Warwick University worked with the University of Punjab and Sheik Zaid Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan for the study.

The study used 40 participants in Pakistan to test the efficacy of 300 vitamin B1 taken orally for three days. One third of the study participants had a return to normal for albumin excretions in the urine.

Results of the study are published online in the journal Diabetologi.