Long term consumption of these vitamin supplements might lead to cancer

In order to make up for the insufficient vitamins and minerals, people consume supplements.

Vitamin and mineral supplements have gained a lot of popularity in terms of consumption and most people preach about the health benefits that supplements have.

However, it is to be duly noted that studies have found that supplements can have enormous adverse effects on the health of individuals.

Regular long term consumption of supplements has shown to have cancerous consequences and here are vitamin supplements that you should be careful while consuming.

As per the American Institute for Cancer Research, a dietary supplement is a product intended for ingestion that contains a ‘dietary ingredient’ intended to achieve levels of consumption of micronutrients or other food components beyond what is usually achievable through diet alone.

However, researchers have stressed on the importance of nutrients from food over supplements.

Researchers at Tufts University have said that lower risk of death associated with adequate nutrient intakes of vitamin K and magnesium was limited to nutrients from foods, not from supplements. In the study over 27,000 US adults were evaluated. They have also said that getting sufficient vitamin K, vitamin A, and zinc from a balanced diet lowers chances of having cardiovascular disease and have said that the same benefits are not received through pills.

1. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for the formation of DNA. It also plays an integral part in maintaining good nerve and blood cell health. A lack of Vitamin B12 affects every day bodily functions and can lead to poor cell health. Taking supplements is thus the easiest and most convenient method to make up for the vitamin. However, studies have shown that regular long-term consumption of supplements can increase the risk of cancers of the lung and colon or the rectum.

When trials to see the preventive action of supplements for cancer were conducted, the trials had to be halted because the actual action of the supplements was opposite to what was expected. Studies conducted exclusively on men were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and have shown that overdosing on Selenium can lead to increased chances of developing high grade cancers. The chances did not increase in people who lacked Selenium. In people who had adequate levels of Selenium, the risk of aggressive cancers increased by 91 per cent. Risks related to cancer of the prostrate can increase if selenium is overdosed on.

Selenium regulates thyroid hormones and works together with vitamin E to reduce free radicals generated in the cell. Free radicals are carcinogenic in nature and both these vitamins are therefore mostly associated with anti-cancerous properties. However, studies have shown that when people with already high Selenium levels consumed Vitamin E supplements, it was found that the risk of developing prostate cancer increased by 69 per cent. In these individuals, the risk of high grade cancers also increased by 111 per cent.

The market is abuzz with the benefits of supplements. The narrative is so one-sided that a lot of people believe that supplements are extremely beneficial to health and do not have any adverse effects. It is however not true and taking supplements only when your physician prescribes is the best way to protect oneself from the adverse effects of their consumption.