| We've all heard (time and time again) that a daily | | | | magnesium, potassium and zinc) as well as some |
| vitamin is important in ensuring your body gets the | | | | other nutritional elements. |
| nutrients it needs. One each day is supposed to help | | | | You can find multivitamins in many forms... tablets, |
| improve your overall health and protect against heart | | | | capsules, pastilles, powders and liquid... so you can |
| disease, perhaps even cancer. Now, a new | | | | choose the one that's right for you. Your doctor will |
| observational study suggests that this "healthy" habit | | | | tell you that you should never buy a multivitamin that |
| might actually increase your risk of breast cancer. | | | | has more of a nutrient than your body can take in - |
| Breast cancer is the second most common cancer | | | | more is not better. Never take more than directed |
| diagnosed in U.S. women, though the rates have | | | | on the label as you risk serious, potentially |
| fallen in recent years. | | | | life-threatening, side effects. |
| This latest research involved more than 35,000 | | | | So... how can something that's supposed to be good |
| Swedish women (aged 49-83) who were cancer free | | | | for you, be trouble? |
| and filled out a self-administered questionnaire that | | | | The researchers aren't sure, but theorize the folic |
| asked for information on multivitamin use and other | | | | acid that's part of many multivitamin products might |
| breast cancer risk factors. | | | | increase breast density, and this might stimulate the |
| The women reported their own use of vitamins, | | | | development of cancer. Other work has linked iron |
| though they didn't provide any information on what | | | | and zinc to increased cancer risk, though there have |
| brand they took. During the ten years of follow up, | | | | been studies that showed no association - so the |
| 974 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, 293 | | | | question is still open for debate. |
| of these happened to the 9,017 women who said | | | | The new research also found that vitamin C, B-6 and |
| they took multivitamins daily. | | | | E didn't appear to have any impact on breast cancer |
| The team found that women who reported taking | | | | risk. Calcium, in fact, seems to offer some protection |
| vitamins each day were 19% more likely to have | | | | against breast cancer. |
| breast cancer than those who didn't take any | | | | Getting essential vitamins from your diet is the best |
| multivitamin. These findings held even after | | | | way to give your body the nutrients it needs. If you |
| adjustments were made for things like family history, | | | | have concerns about your nutritional status, talk to |
| getting older, body mass index, smoking and alcohol | | | | your doctor about the foods you eat, and the ones |
| use. | | | | you avoid. You might think about taking supplements |
| There are lots of multivitamins on the market today. | | | | that address specific deficiencies, instead of a |
| These preparations typically include 3 or more | | | | multivitamin that gives you lots of things, many of |
| vitamins and dietary minerals (calcium, iron, | | | | which you might not even need. |