Supplements that reduce the risk of getting cancer. Do you take them?

A recent study by an expert in cancer prevention shows that two dietary supplements can significantly reduce the occurrence of cancer.

Cynthia Thomson is a dietician and cancer prevention expert and recently published her latest study on dietary supplements that can reduce the risk of cancer, especially breast and colon cancer.

The expert discovered, during decades of studying the effects of supplements on tens of thousands of people, that a sufficient amount of calcium and vitamin D can make a clear difference in terms of the risk of developing deadly diseases, including some types of cancer. A person’s nutrient intake, which is largely influenced by their diet, is believed to be responsible for about 30% of cancer risk.

Her study, published a few weeks ago in the “Annals of Internal Medicine”, followed more than 36,280 postmenopausal women, who were randomly divided into two samples: one sample took vitamin D and calcium, and the other sample instead, he took a placebo pill for a period of approximately seven years. The supplements appeared to have a small but measurable effect over time on reducing cancer deaths.

After 22 years, when the researchers looked at the progress over time of those who took supplements compared to study participants who did not take supplements, they found a 7% reduction in cancer deaths among women who took vitamin D supplements and calcium. The reductions were particularly impressive in the case of invasive breast cancer (19%) and colorectal cancer (31%).

One negative aspect of the supplements was that the women in the study who took the two supplements together also had a modest but measurable 6% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.