Interventions that do not Lower Risk of Cancer

SIGNIFICANT POINTS

• Food supplements like vitamins do not reduce cancer risk.
• Ongoing research will evaluate newer interventions to lower cancer risk in clinical trials.

Food supplements like vitamins reduce cancer risk.

An action that can cure a disease or prevent it is called an intervention. There is limited evidence to lower the evidence of cancer with vitamins or minerals. There are certain agents which have been evaluated but found that they do not reduce the risk of cancer.

• Vitamins B6, B12.
• Vitamin C.
• Vitamin D.
• Vitamin E.
• Vitamin E.
• Folic acid.
• Micronutrients like Selenium.

The SELECT trial (The Selenium and vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial) has shown that supplements like vitamin E alone increase prostate cancer risk. Selenium alone or along with Vitamin E did not increase prostate cancer risk.

Vitamin D has been evaluated for cancer-reducing properties. Normal skin when exposed to sunlight creates Vitamin D. But studies have not shown to reduce risk of cancer when vitamin d Is supplemented at doses up to 1000 IU per day.

The VITAL trial (Vitamin D and Omega 3 trial) is ongoing to evaluate the effect of vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids from fish sources on cancer risk.