Risk of Cancer Reduced For Men Who Take a Daily Multivitamin

Men, listen up—you’ll want to take note of the results of this new study (psst … and to all the women out there, take note for the guys in your life who may not be quite as diligent about their health as they should be!).

The study, which is being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that a daily multivitamin may help reduce cancer occurrence among men. The researchers followed 14,641 men aged 50 and older over a period of 10 years. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: one took a daily multivitamin and one did not.

When all types of cancer were taken into consideration (including prostate and colorectal), the results documented an 8 percent reduction in cancer among those who took the daily multi—a modest but statistically significant result.

Choose your multi wisely
With aisles filled with different options, choosing a multivitamin can be confusing. However, the staff at your local health food store can direct you to a choice that matches your age, activity level, health concerns, and preferred form (tablet? capsule?). Our article “A multivitamin survival guide” offers some great tips as well!

Cancer prevention
Although the study results are encouraging and taking a high quality multivitamin may be a great strategy, don’t let it replace other cancer prevention strategies such as exercising, not smoking, and eating well. These actions have been shown to be more effective at reducing cancer risk than taking a multivitamin. Nevertheless, when it comes to supporting our overall health and reducing our cancer risk, any small step in the right direction is a good step.