Multivitamins worthless for cancer/cvd.

[f1jim]

New study looking at multivitamin usage and cancer and coronary artery disease shows them to be worthless. Once again, the lesson is to get your vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc from FOOD!!!! Here is the link to the report...

http://www.theheart.org/article/940361.do

f1jim

[Daffodil]

Now if I could just convince my husband to quit taking his multi's and the giant chewable C's. Of course he doesn't eat as many veggies as me. His idea of a green veggie is iceberg lettuce.
I made a couple of lentil loaves this week and included leafy greens in them. He didn't notice. Now I can sneak him vitamins.

[bcmike]

Usually many questions regarding these studies. What was the dosage ? Quality ? etc. These i believe are important to the study--Just my opinion Jeff

[SactoBob]

It is just one more piece of evidence to support what Dr. Campbell, Dr. M, etc. have been saying for a long time. Get your "supplements" from your foods.

Dr. Campbell really makes this point well in his lectures and book The China Study. Many studies have shown that extracting a particular supplement does not work.

Supplements are a lot like the cholesterol and diabetes meds. People take them thinking that they are medically worthwhile. In fact, they are just a ruse to make people think that they can eat SAD without destroying their health.

[Daffodil]

I just read this on yahoo tonight:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthn ... ivitamins/

They started the article off just fine, mentioning we get all the vitamins and minerals we need in our food, but then later on they had the nerve to say that strict vegetarians need multivitamins much more. I see a hidden agenda in there somewhere that whoever wrote the article seems to think that animal foods contain vitamins and minerals everyone needs. When it's the fruits and vegetables that have the most power. Which is what vegans eat the most of! Duh! lol Yet another misleading article in some parts.

[bcmike]

Such a controversial subject. Fuhrman and Esselstyn (whose diets are kinda along McDougals) among others recommend at least a multiple. Mason, recommends a boatload (yes he sells em but always states to find others) and has some success stories from people with cancer. The debate will never end.

[Daffodil]

How about Suzanne Sommers? Someone says she takes 80 different supplements a day! I bet that costs alot!
Ever since I read that McDougall and Jeff Novick recommend just a B12 supplement, I quit buying Multi-vitamins and other supplements. I don't feel any differently not taking them. Plus they always gave me heartburn and I don't miss that. I guess it's a "to each their own" kind of thing.

[bcmike]

I took a physical a few years back in a center whose Dr. is connected with Life extension foundation (who i am not a fan of) He showed me the am't. of supps he took daily, couldn't believe it. He had a huge pill case with so many compartments, amazing how he just kept track of them.
As you say, to each his own. I am battling some health issues and was taking about 17 different supps daily. I also changed my diet. Since then my blood test #'s are great. Was it diet-supps-or a combination of both ?
I do know that supps cannot do it alone, DIET is everything. Without the proper diet supps will not do it. Jeff has me convinced to cut down on my supps, my powdered green drink (miss that). I still take some rec. by my dr. relating to my condition and a B vit. 3x per week since i eat no meat and little fish (maybe 8oz. week)
When i started this regimine i was 225lbs, 6'4" (61 yrs) in 3/07. I adhered to Roger Masons dietary guidelines (50% whole grains-30%veggies-10%fish-10%fruit) no dairy,eggs,etc. Well not only did my #'s from my blood tests get remarkably better (they were not terrrible to start) but i lost 40lbs without even trying !! Losing weight was not my goal but it just happened, and i must say i look like shit now Starting to look better but think it's cause i'm growing on everyone.
Also, Jeff convinced me to up my fruit intake, which i did. I must say my diet is rock solid and my next blood test will give me more info as to my supplement regime.
sorry to ramble, like talking this subject.
Mike
P.S.-R. Mason pulls no punches whrn it come to supps. He backs his statements with much proof and studies. He advises to stay away from many popular supps with no "real" proof behind them, (resveratrol-lycopene-overloading vit C-saw palmetto-and many more--BIG on diet)

[f1jim]

I don't offer this as anything but anecdote. For 15 years prior to my chest pains and diagnosis of CAD, I was on the massive vitamin/mineral/supplement train. You name it, I took it. I also was a Star SAD'er. For me the pills were obviously not protective against the poor diet. Now I am on zero supplements and what I now see as a great diet. For me, it's a no-brainer about what brought about the tremendous changes to my health. Would it be better if I were doing the supplementation too? A critical view of the data and research tells me no. There are studies and there is solid research. I haven't found much of the latter that encourages me to supplement. Add to that the very poor track record of that industry to even deliver what they claim in the label and I vote with my wallet. It's very hard to resist that magic pill even now. But it's getting easier every day.
f1jim

[funcrunch]

Dr McD gave a good lecture on vitamins during the Costa Rica trip. He said that the oft-stated pitch that we need vitamin and mineral supplements because the soils are depleted doesn't wash, because in modern times we get food from all over the world, not just from one farm where the soil might have less of a certain nutrient.

[bcmike]

f1jim
agreed, pills will never overcome the poor diet, which is what most in the industry try and sell. The $$ i'm saving may eventually buy me to Costa Rica -- Jeff's suggestion.

[SactoBob]

I consider the statins, bp meds, and diabetes meds largely pills attempting to overcome a poor diet. They don't cure your disease - they just make you feel better about eating an unhealthy diet.

You can generally lower your cholesterol far more with diet than pills. We shouldn't think of these pills as medicines, but as partial SAD food enabling drugs (which they really are not).

[northwestcowboy]

This topic has been on my mind for a week now, when I started changing over to Starch Based diet. I had fallen for the teaching about the supposed importance of supplementation due to the depleted soils in N. America. This started when I was an Amway distributor in my youth. There is a lot of cancer in my family history so that was another reason for me to take supplements for the last 30 years or so. This is a radical change for me: the idea that it would actually be healthier for me to completely drop supplements. I am basically healthy at 51 years of age but my father died at 54 of abdominal cancer. I intend to beat his record by many years, God-willing. So I am willing to be open-minded and try these new ideas.

[f1jim]

Since my original post years ago the studies looking at supplementation have only reaffirmed what this study found. Supplementation is worthless or worse than none in fighting cancer and other diseases. I am not sure how many of these studies it's going to take to convince the public they are a giant black hole that money pours in and nothing comes out.
f1jim

[IndyAnna]

Would it be better if I were doing the supplementation too? A critical view of the data and research tells me no. There are studies and there is solid research. I haven't found much of the latter that encourages me to supplement.

I personally only take a B12 supplement. I live in FL so I don't need a vitamin D supplement.

However, you asked for solid research. Andrew Saul (bio - http://www.doctoryourself.com/aboutme.html ) claims you can find all the peer reviewed solid research on his site http://www.doctoryourself.com/ . I'm too lazy too read it, just thought I'd point in the direction of a respected authority on the subject.

He was featured in the documentary Food Matters.