A study (Journal of International Medical Research; February 2010) which followed patients suffering from breast, lung, colon, brain and other cancers between 1990 and 1999 on the Danish Cancer Registry looked at those who were predicted to live an average of 12 months and who were taking orthodox medicine plus high levels of supplements.
Researchers claimed that the vitamins increased survival times by an average of 5 months.
Typically patients took:
- Vitamin C 5.7mg
- Vitamin E 1.625 gms
- CoQ10 300 mgs
- Linoleic Acid 375 mgs
- Panthothenic Acid 22.5 mgs
- Vitamin B6 12.5 mgs
- Folic acid 5 mgs
- Vitamin B12 13.5 microgms
- Vitamin B1 5.4 mgs
- Niacin 45 mgs
- Fish oils 1.5 mgs
- Vitamin A 25,000 IU’s
- Beta carotene* 76 mgs
* Not given to lung cancer patients
Chris Woollams’ Comments:
Frankly I’m confused. I can’t see that this test was set up against a control group, so the claims just rely on how long the patients were ’guessed’ to survive. A proper Clinical Trial is planned.
Also the levels of vitamins are all over the place. Some are very high: For example, Folic acid is normally taken in microgram amounts, selenium in high doses is usually a maximum of 200 mgs, CoQ10 has research behind it showing amounts over 50 mgs are wasted. Others are too low: For example I take 1 gm of Fish oils a day normally! The vitamin A will double up with the fish oil vitamin A. Some vitamins are known to play important roles in immune boosting and against steps in the cancer process, but there is also no evidence whether these were natural or synthetic vitamins.
Vitamin supplements may increase cancer survival times, indeed. But I’m not too sure this study proved it to me.