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June 2, 2010
Another Cancer Study Bites the Dust
The latest bladder cancer study to hit the media claims that vitamins may do nothing to protect men against bladder cancer.
Study, shmuddy. It seems like every day, new studies are coming out of what contributes to cancer, what can help prevent cancer, what to eat, what not to eat. Wine is good for this. Garlic is good for that. It never ends.
The latest bladder cancer study to hit the media claims that vitamins may do nothing to protect men against bladder cancer.
Researchers analyzed more than 10,000 questionnaires from men as part of a prostate cancer screening. More than 60% of the men said they took supplements, with 48% taking three or more. Multivitamins, fish oil and vitamin C were the most common supplements that the men took. Three-hundred-thirty developed bladder cancer over the next five years. Researchers concluded that that vitamins did not lower the odds of bladder cancer.
Well, that is unfortunate - but that’s not to say that you should not take vitamins; maybe it doesn’t do anything for bladder cancer, but these vitamins of course have other tremendous benefits - fish oil is great for healthy skin, hair and nails (and has been shown to reduce prostate cancer!); vitamin C is great for the immune system.
I’m no doctor (just married to one :)) but I have read countless articles, books and publications on healthy living. The bottom line is if you maintain a healthy lifestyle – exercise regularly, eat well, and stay away from cigarettes, excess junk food and other toxins – this is as much as you can do to control your health. If you have a genetic disposition towards cancer, and are older, well that is obviously beyond your control, but maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle will certainly increase your odds of successfully fighting a disease. And if you are young, frivoulous with your health and not thinking about certain cancers which affect older people - bad attitude! Now is the time to develop good habits. Don't wait for something to go wrong with your health to start exercising and eating better. Take control of your life at an early age, and you will have less health problems in the future.
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