Multivitamins may reduce risk of colon cancer.The news on vitamin supplements is more plentiful than rain in the rainy season and more variable than the weather in general. One day the wind blows in favor of taking certain supplements, the next it's 50 knots against. Don't expect any change in the meteorology meteorology, branch of science that deals with the atmosphere of a planet, particularly that of the earth, the most important application of which is the analysis and prediction of weather. of vitamin news anytime soon. Here's the latest from the Harvard Nurses Study, among the best research the business has to offer. Researchers analyzing data from this monumental study have found that women who took a daily multivitamin mul·ti·vi·ta·min adj. Containing many vitamins. n. A preparation containing many vitamins. multivitamin for at least 15 years were less likely to develop colon cancer colon cancer, cancer of any part of the colon (often called the large intestine). Colon cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. than those who did not. Not just a little less likely--an enormous 75% less likely. The key appears once again to be folic acid folic acid: see coenzyme; vitamin. folic acid or folate Organic compound essential to animal growth and health and needed by bacteria as a growth factor. , which has already been found to decrease the risk of heart disease (see Running & FitNews, April 1998, page 1). Folate folate /fo·late/ (fo´lat) 1. the anionic form of folic acid. 2. more generally, any of a group of substances containing a form of pteroic acid conjugated with l-glutamic acid and having a variety of substitutions. or folic acid (these terms are used interchangeably in the press) breaks ranks with the usual reports on vitamin supplements. It is almost always considered better to obtain vitamins from whole foods and to supplement when the diet falls short. Folic acid, however, seems to be easier for the body to use in the form of a supplement. The nurses who had high intakes of dietary folic acid were at slightly lower risk of colon cancer, but those who received folic acid in the form of supplements were far less likely to develop the disease. The women whose diets were the highest in folic acid were also the women with the highest concentration of other healthy habits, including a high fiber diet, and the least likely to smoke or be overweight, all associated with the development of colon cancer. But among the women, the ones who also took a multivitamin containing folic acid had far fewer cases of colon cancer, only 15 new cases where 68 would have been predicted. It isn't possible to be certain that something other than folic acid had an effect, but it looks like it can't hurt to add a good multivitamin to a healthy diet. Folic acid has achieved a very high status in the realm of vitamin supplements. It is known to prevent neural tube defects Neural tube defects A group of birth defects that affect the backbone and sometimes the spinal chord. Mentioned in: Birth Defects in the developing fetus, reduce atherosclerosis, and now reduce the risk of colon cancer. All women of childbearing age are recommended to take folic acid supplements. Looks like the rest of us should do the same, and stack the odds against heart disease and colon cancer even higher in our favor. (Annals of Internal Medicine Annals of Internal Medicine (Ann Intern Med) is an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It publishes research articles and reviews in the area of internal medicine. Its current editor is Harold C. Sox. , 1998, Vol 129, No. 7, pp. 517-524) |
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