piątek, 3 maja 2013

Dietary supplements and prostate cancer


Hi All~!


We have recently published a systematic review of double-blind placebo controlled trials of dietary supplements for prostate cancer. Having searched five electronic databases, eight trials met our eligibility criteria and all of them were of high methodological quality. Of those 5 reported no significant effects compared with placebo. Only two manufacturer sponsored trials with a small number of prostate cancer patients reported that a cocktail of vitamins, minerals and other plant derived substances significantly decreased prostate specific antigen levels (markers of cancer progression/regression) compared with placebo; and one trial did not report between-group differences in prostate specific antigen levels.


Following the publication I had an interview with the Reuters in which I said that “by no means is the evidence [for the effectiveness of dietary supplements in prostate cancer] conclusive. I was also asked whether any of these supplement combinations could help? Well, I replied that these supplement combinations are rather useless in the treatment of prostate cancer. I was also asked what sort of recommendations I would offer for such patients? My only recommendation for prostate cancer patients would be a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet. This includes reduced caloric intake, diet low in animal fats, animal proteins (including dairy), and rich in fruits and vegetables. Other 'natural substances' might include green tea, pomegranate seed, turmeric or capsaicin.


The main message from our review would be that no miraculous supplement for PC exists and no supplement can replace a balanced diet. I personally doubt that these results would affect sales of supplements. Market or the internet is full of bogus claims and I would not be surprised if companies were marketing these supplements as effective for PC and generating large profits as a result. 


Surely one must consider that supraphysiological doses of vitamins or minerals can be toxic/hazardous. In fact several studies have shown that supplementation with folic acid, calcium, vitamin E or multivitamins actually increases the risk of prostate cancer in smokers. We also discussed that in a survey, 79% of physicians and 82% of nurses had reported recommending dietary supplements to their patients. This is quite striking finding bearing in mind lack of benefit of supplements and their potential to harm.



The average person should also refrain from alcohol, tobacco or excessive stresses, maintain a healthy body weight, think positively and exercise regularly. As a physio I was also taught that weak or imbalanced pelvic floor muscles might be the contributing factor to the imbalances of prostate. If that is true (I do not have any evidence in mind to support these claims) one could also prevent PC by exercising regularly.

Thanks for reading this post. : )

Komentarze (1):

10 września 2013 01:04 , Blogger Unknown pisze...

Interesting! My alternative treatments for prostate cancer center likes articles like this. Keep sharing!

 

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