Vitamins and cancer risk

  Vitamins are always an abstract part of the fitness equation. Taking vitamins won't get you or keep you in shape, but may prevent everyday illnesses or diseases that can sidetrack your fitness and your health.
   I take a Twinlab Daily One muti-vitamin everyday, and Macula, a product designed for sharper night vision and general ocular health. With a history of detached Retinas, Glaucoma, and Cataracts, I feel that is a good investment. I have to say, since taking the Macula, I do not get the "halos" associated with middle-aged night driving - which makes it worth it just for that!
  I also started with the Twinlab Joint Fuel recently, for general joint and cartilage protection as I prepare for the Long Branch Half-Marathon in May. It's hard to tell whether the benefits of that have kicked in yet, but I think so. Placebo affect? maybe!
   An article that caught my eye recently showed a study that said multi-vitamin use modestly lowered the risk of cancer, in healthy male doctors (50 and older) who took the vitamins for a decade or more. The study was commissioned by the National Insitute of Health, and had a large sample size of almost 15,000 physicians.
   Half took monthly packets of Centrum Silver for 11 years, and the others were given a placebo. The group that took the Centrum had an 8% less occurance of cancer over that span, than the others. For every 1,000 men, an average of 17 on the vitamins and 18 without it developed the disease.
  The multi's had no difference in the incidence of prostate cancer, which accounted for half of the overall incidents. It lowered the risk of other cancers by about 12%.
   To keep it in perspective, cancer experts quoted in the article say that a combination of good diet, exercise, and not smoking can lower the cancer risk by 20-30%. Still, many other studies have concluded that individual vitamins don't help prevent chronic illnesses at all, and some seemed to risk the chance of cancer. 
    Multi-vitamins might also have different results, positively or negatively, in women, younger people, or those less healthy entering the study period.
    Overall, though, it is a vote in favor of the vitamin advocates. I always feel a multi-vitamin never hurt, but the average person should consult a nutritionist before mixing and matching different letters in the vitamin alphabet.