Excess vitamin E may increase the risk of lung cancer
From the editorial office:
Just don't panic. The daily requirement for vitamin E for a person weighing 70 kg is 200 mg. The composition of multivitamin complexes for adults usually includes 10-30 mg of tocopherol compounds in addition to the amount that enters the body with food. So from this message, you can first draw a completely sensational conclusion: it is not necessary to take biologically active substances in quantities an order of magnitude higher than recommended by doctors: any medicine is poison...
Another consideration is not so obvious: it is quite possible that smokers with poor heredity swallow multivitamins and dietary supplements by handfuls. So we still need to check where the cause is and where the effect is.
In a large-scale study, American scientists found that daily intake of 400 milligrams of vitamin E increases the risk of lung cancer by 28%, according to the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Experts from the University of Washington in Seattle used data from the VITAL study, which involved about 77 thousand men and women aged 50 to 76 years. Over a four-year follow-up period, 521 people were diagnosed with lung cancer.
As expected, the main risk factors for lung cancer were smoking, heredity and old age. In addition, taking dietary supplements with vitamin E was among the unfavorable factors. According to study leader Christopher G. Slatore, every 100 milligrams of vitamin E increased the risk of lung cancer by 7%, and the standard dosage of 400 milligrams by 28%. Moreover, the most often negative effect of vitamin E was manifested in smokers.
Vitamin E in the body plays the role of an antioxidant that protects against harmful molecules – free radicals. However, in high doses, this substance can have the opposite effect and act as a pro-oxidant, causing oxidative processes and cell damage, the researchers suggested.
Earlier, Finnish scientists showed that the risk of lung cancer increases when taking beta-carotene – provitamin A. (Also in smokers and also with multiple overdoses – VM.) According to researchers, it is possible to avoid such a risk and provide the body with the necessary vitamins with a balanced diet containing a sufficient amount of vegetables and fruits.
Source: Certain Vitamin Supplements May Increase Lung Cancer Risk, Especially In Smokers – Science Daily, 03.03.2008
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of "Mednovosti"04.03.2008