Lee Swanson Research Update

Multi-Antioxidant Supplement Reduces Cancer In Men

March 2005

Multi antioxidant

Antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation cut the risk of cancer developing in men, but not in women, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. But researchers were quick to point out that the women in the study were probably eating better than the men and were already seeing the benefits of antioxidants from their food. Supplementation, apparently, raised the antioxidant intake of the men to that of the women.

In the past, researchers have suggested that people who have a low dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins and minerals exhibit a greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer. Definitive studies proving that point have not been done in the past so a group of scientists decided to test the efficacy of nutritional doses of supplementation with a combination of antioxidant vitamins and minerals in reducing the incidence of cancer and ischemic cardiovascular disease.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled primary prevention trial enlisted a total of 13,017 French adults (7,876 women aged 35-60 years and 5,141 men aged 45-60 years). All participants took either a placebo or a single daily capsule containing a combination of 120 mg of vitamin C, 30 mg of vitamin E, 6 mg of beta-carotene, 100 mcg of selenium and 20 mg of zinc.

After 7.5 years of antioxidant supplementation, the men had a 31% lower-than-average risk of cancer and a 37% lower risk of death from any cause. Women in the study saw no change, leading researchers to conclude that "supplementation may be effective in men only because of their lower baseline status of certain antioxidants, especially of beta-carotene."

Archives of Internal Medicine 164:2335-2342, 2004

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