B Vitamin Supplements Don't Prevent Cancer

Friday November 7, 2008

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that taking large doses of the B vitamins folic acid, B6 and B12 did not prevent cancer from occurring in females who had (or had three or more risk factors for) cardiovascular disease. Other studies show similar findings -- these B vitamins reduce the levels of homocysteine in your body, but that reduction doesn't seem to have any affect on cardiovascular disease risk.

This is disappointing for those who believe that taking large doses of B vitamins will help to reduce their risk of chronic disease.

So what does this mean for you? Dietary supplements are certainly valuable for preventing vitamin deficiencies, however taking larger doses isn't going to undo the damage done by eating a poor diet (or other unhealthy risk factors).

Rather than focusing on dietary supplements, you should be thinking about your diet instead. Are you getting at least five or more servings of fruits and vegetables? Do you eat whole grains? Do you avoid unhealthy fats and choose foods cooked with healthy methods?

You'll do more for your health by eating a balanced diet than you ever will by popping vitamin pills.

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