Supplementation With Vitamins C and E or Beta-Carotene May Not Prevent Cancer

from latest news wrote:

Laurie Barclay, MD

December 30, 2008 — Supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta-carotene does not help in the primary prevention of total cancer incidence or cancer mortality, according to the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study reported in the January 7, 2009, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"Observational studies suggested that a diet high in fruits and vegetables, both of which are rich with antioxidants, may prevent cancer development," write Jennifer Lin, PhD, from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues from the Women's Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study (WACS). "However, findings from randomized trials of the association between antioxidant use and cancer risk have been mostly negative."

WACS was a double-blind, placebo-controlled 2 × 2 × 2-factorial trial of vitamin C (500 mg of ascorbic acid daily), natural-source vitamin E (600 IU of alpha-tocopherol every other day), and beta-carotene (50 mg every other day). The total trial cohort included 8171 women; the study sample for this analysis consisted of 7627 women who were cancer-free before randomization.

Hospital reports and the National Death Index allowed confirmation of diagnoses and deaths from cancer at a specific site. Hazard ratios (relative risks [RRs]) of common cancers associated with individual or combined use of antioxidants were determined with Cox proportional hazards regression models, and subgroup analyses examined whether duration of use modified the association of supplement use with cancer risk. Statistical tests were 2 sided.

Average treatment duration was 9.4 years. During that time, incident invasive cancer developed in 624 women, and 176 women died from cancer. Use of any antioxidant was not associated with any statistically significant effects on total cancer incidence. Compared with placebo, RRs were 1.11 for vitamin C (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.95 - 1.30), 0.93 for vitamin E (95% CI, 0.79 - 1.09), and 1.00 for beta-carotene (95% CI, 0.85 - 1.17).

Deaths from cancer also did not vary significantly among groups. RRs vs placebo were 1.28 for vitamin C (95% CI, 0.95 - 1.73), 0.87 for vitamin E (95% CI, 0.65 - 1.17), and 0.84 for beta-carotene (95% CI, 0.62 - 1.13).

"Duration and combined use of the three antioxidants also had no effect on cancer incidence and cancer death," the study authors write. "Supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta carotene offers no overall benefits in the primary prevention of total cancer incidence or cancer mortality."

Limitations of this study include lack of complete follow-up and compliance; lack of generalizability to the overall population; limited power to evaluate the combined effects of the 3 antioxidants on site-specific incident cancers; and possibly insufficient duration to evaluate effects on cancer incidence, given the long latency for cancer.

In an accompanying editorial, Demetrius Albanes, MD, from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, notes that taken as a whole, WACS offers limited or no evidence that vitamin supplementation as tested offers any measurable preventive effect on cancer in women. However, he points out 2 specific findings that show the potential of antioxidants for site-specific efficacy.

"The first is the possible effect of vitamin E supplementation in preventing colorectal cancer (RR = 0.63), similar to what was observed in the ATBC [Alpha Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention] Study and in a pooled analysis of serum tocopherol levels in cohort studies," Dr. Albanes writes. "The second is the elevated lung cancer risk in the beta carotene arm, along with modest excess overall cancer risk in smokers and heavier drinkers.

"The suggested harmful effects from vitamin C for lung and pancreatic cancers, with the former effect achieving statistical significance, are also noteworthy and raise questions concerning the chemopreventive [potential] of ascorbic acid," Dr. Albanes concludes. "All these observations, based on the randomized design, represent value-added data that will contribute to a better understanding of cancer etiology and prevention and the appropriate role of these micronutrient supplements."

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute sponsored this study. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals provided pills and packaging for another study to coauthor J. Michael Gaziano.

J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009;101:2-4, 14-23.

Aspirin does not reduce the risk of heart diabetik

The researchers from Kumamoto University of Japan to find, low-dose aspirin does not reduce the risk of a meaningful cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. According to the researchers, aspirin is not a means to reduce the combination of fatal coronary and cerebrovascular fatal.

In the study, Japanese Primary Prevention of atherosclerosis with Aspirin for Diabetes, the researchers examined whether low-dose aspirin to prevent atherosclerosis that stricture, or stiffening arteries due to plaque dump on patients with type 2 diabetes.

From December 2002 to April 2008, 2,539 patients with type 2 diabetes and do not have a history of atherosclerosis from 163 institutions in Japan, occurred 154 cases of atherosclerosis. 68 from the aspirin group and 86 from non-aspirin group.
In the 1,363 patients age 65 years or older, aspirin group consisted of 719 persons and non-aspirin group 644 people. Case in atherosclerosis means lower in the aspirin group. Or 45 cases in the aspirin group and 59 cases in non-aspirin group.
From the 1,176 patients under age 65, the difference between the two groups are not meaningful. The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans.

Health Food with Low Cost

Consuming health food not just important for having strong body, but also to step down the risk of the disease, enhance productivity, and also give more energy. You perhaps suspect that good food is expensive. But, there some tricks to save your cost.

Before you buy some foods, value first the healthy food, there are :

• Protein - to build and repair the damage cells. Building muscle for example, that required for power.
• Fat - balance intake between omega 3, 6 and 9.
• Vegetables - all kind of vegetables, especially green fibery vegetables.
• Fruits - rich of vitamine.
• Water - 1 liter per 1000 calorie expensed.
• Intact ricely food - havermut, rice, pasta, bread.

Bring food stock to the office

Have you count the money you expenses for buying food in your cafetaria everyday? Start to bring your own food for a day by :

• get up early in the morning
• eat solid food like scramble eggs
• prepare food for working Total times that you need is 30 minutes. Not worry for being frustration of thinking what food that you're going to eat.

EAT EGGS

eat egg for breakfast because :

- rich of vitamine

- rich of protein

- cheaper than meat or chicken

You may select the fatty meat Fatty meat cheaper and more palatable than not fatty meat. You may think fat is not healthy. Try to learn the myths about fat: - Fat does not make obesity. That make obesity is excess calories. (There is also truth. The Chinese in mainland China consume more fatty foods, but the case obesity is lower than the United States). Except: if you need a low-fat diet because you have certain health problems. -Intake of fat you need to be balanced: Omega 3, 6 and 9.
You may buy frozen vegetables Frozen vegetables also have some benefits -More time to prepare brief. No-burn money if not eaten out at the time. -Can be purchased in the number of lots with price discounts and stored in freezers. Fish Oil Omega-3 include in the fish oil. Properties consume Omega-3 include: Lowers cholesterol-rate Lower-body fat -Reduce inflammation To get this property, if you eat fish, you should eat 3 times a week. More expensive than fish oil, taking 1 teaspoon per day. Use supplement Some experts recommend supplement. The reason for pesticides and reduce the level of vitamin fruits and vegetables. Solution: Buy organic fruits and vegetables, but expensive. Select the most suitable with the condition of your wallet.

Food Supplements in Menopause

At menopause, hot flushes and night sweats appear, but other symptoms may occur very often. Sleep becomes more difficult with morning fatigue, the silhouette change, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases. Lifestyle and medical care can help in the fight against these complications.

Hot flushes: The phytoestrogens

Hot flushes are, of course, the most typical signs of menopause. In fact, they may even occur in the years before menopause or pre-menopause. If they are generally decreasing over time, we can not predict how long they persist. Besides hormone \”classic\” of menopause, the HRT (hormone replacement), which has largely proved its effectiveness in flushing, which has largely fueled the newspapers in recent years, phytoestrogens, derivatives soybean, present an alternative that your doctor may offer to relieve your hot flashes.

According to the French health authorities, a phytoestrogen is a substance naturally present in plants, devoid of nutritional virtue, which has a chemical structure similar to estradiol, a major sex hormones of women. A phytoestrogen has estrogenic activity demonstrated in the laboratory (AFSSA consumer information / Afssaps). The phytoestrogens include a score of plant molecules, among which the most studied are the isoflavones (including genistein and daidzein). Some pharmaceutical companies sell food supplements in the form of tablets or capsules containing these soy isoflavones.

Morning Fatique: Selenium

Without being specific to that period, morning fatigue is common to menopause. This is accentuated by all external \”aggression\” like toxic environment, tobacco or alcohol.

To operate, our body needs oxygen, essential to many beneficial functions accompanied by the release of \”free radicals\”. Very powerful, they play a role in the reactions to defend the body against viruses and bacteria. But when the body suffers from toxic attacks, it produces excess free radical, which then become dangerous, as a sort of \”toxins\” internal: it\’s called \”oxidative stress-tif \”. It then attack the cells and tissues, causing premature aging and even real pathologies. To neutralize free radicals, our body defends itself by producing antioxidants, whose efficacy is potentiated by those in power.

Selenium is one of the most powerful. Selenium comes from fish, eggs, meat and cheeses. It is also found in asparagus, carrots and broccoli. An association phytoestrogens and selenium may be attractive to women with menopausal hot flashes and exposed to smoking, pollution, stress, or inflammatory disorders. Consumed in the morning, it is indeed capable of reviving the cellular metabolism.

Sleep disorders: Magnesium

Sleep disorders are among the complaints frequently raised by menopausal women. They are a nervousness, a state of stress and difficulties to sleep. The frequent nighttime awakenings reach 27% of women in the age group 50-65 years. May also occur apnea (breathing) sleep, including the frequency and severity are still under-estimated.

Magnesium Improves the nervous system, mental and emotional. Essential for muscle contraction, he participates in the regulation of heartbeat and takes part in over 300 metabolic reactions. when it is absorbed in the evening he used to facilitate sleep.

There are frequent shortages of food intake among postmenopausal women, Involving phytoestrogens in nutrients adapted to troublesome signs of menopause is a good solution to correct these deficiencies and live this delicate period to the best of his physical and mental potential.

The Garlic Compound Potentially being Diabetes Drugs

The researchers Suzuka University of Medical Science, Japan, the use of drugs based on chemical substances found in garlic to treat rats with diabetes type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The medicine is based on vanadium and allaxin, a compound found in garlic, are given in the oral mouse diabetik type 1. The result is found, the blood sugar. In previous studies, the researchers found, vanadium compound-allaxin can treat the two types of diabetes when disuntikkan. But this new study shows, these promising drug for oral treatment for the disease metabolik. Currently, type 1 diabetes is treated with daily insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes treated with drugs, some of them have side effects. The findings published in the journal Metallomics from the Royal Society of Chemistry.