Multivitamins are generally considered as beneficial however, a new study suggests that excess, as usual, can do considerable harm, possibly increasing the risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancer in men.
The study is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Its specific objective was to study the link between multivitamin use and the risk of prostate cancer, including over 295,000 men.
Dr. Karla Lawson Dr Karla Lawson from the US National Cancer Institute and colleagues found that men who took multivitamins more than seven times a week had an increased risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancer.
There was however no link with early or localized prostate cancer, the researchers said.
The men that were investigated took part in the National Institutes of Health AARP Diet and Health Study. The project began in 1995, at which time all men were free of cancer. During the next five years of follow-up, 10,241 men were diagnosed with incident prostate cancer (8,765 localized and 1,476 advanced cancers).
The team of researchers also found that 179 of the cases of prostate cancer were fatal.
Each participant completed questionnaires covering his use of multivitamins and food supplements.
The results showed that there was no significant link between multivitamin use and localized prostate cancer risk; men who consumed multivitamins more than seven times a week had a significantly higher risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancers compared with men who did not take multivitamins at all.
“Regular multivitamin use is not associated with the risk of early or localized prostate cancer,” the researchers said. “The possibility that men taking high levels of multivitamins along with other supplements have increased risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancers is of concern and merits further evaluation.”
Prostate cancer is the most common disease in American men. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 200,000 men will develop prostate cancer this year in the US, while more than 27,000 may lose their lives to the disease.
