Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- If you take vitamins hoping to ward off cancer, you may be wasting your money.
A review of the scientific literature published online in the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute” finds no such evidence. The authors say that vitamins C and E don’t protect against cancer; beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol do not prevent lung cancer; and alpha-tocopherol and selenium fail to prevent prostate cancer in average risk men.
In fact, say the authors, several anti-oxidant trials have shown an increased cancer risk with supplements – notably beta-carotene, which may increase the incidence of lung cancer among some high risk patients.
Even so, the authors haven’t given up on dietary supplements. They say more trials are needed to test their use in cancer prevention.
