By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Wellness

Last week, I told you how soy can help prevent prostate problems. Well, prostate health is in the news again – and the headlines aren’t good.

It seems that the National Cancer Institute has taken up the role of Chicken Little by proclaiming that men who take more than seven multivitamins per week have a 30 percent higher risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer and are twice as likely to die from the disease.

But here’s the good news: The sky really isn’t falling after all.

Fatally Flawed

Before you toss your multivitamin, let’s take a closer look at this new research.

The study, which was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was part of a larger study known as the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. The researchers in charge of this arm of the study assessed the diets of 295,344 men without prostate cancer and found that, during five years of follow-up, those who took multivitamins more than seven times a week had an increased risk of advanced and fatal prostate cancers – although no link was found between the vitamins and early or localized prostate cancer.

The researchers based their conclusions on what they were told by the participants about their use of vitamins. This type of study, known as a cohort study, is fairly common but isn’t nearly as reliable as a randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial. The reason? Cohort studies often have a large number of variables and ignore any number of factors that can skew the results. These missing observations are usually filled in by the researchers – which brings the researchers own bias into the final conclusion. And there was plenty of bias in this study. In fact, the researchers admitted their biases in the study – something that was overlooked in most press reports. For example, the study noted that “men who take more supplements tend to be individuals who seek more aggressive medical care and, thus, are more likely to be diagnosed.”

What, Me Worry?

If that weren’t enough to cast doubt on these new findings, the study didn’t look at the impact individual nutrients might have on prostate cancer. Yet, earlier studies show that certain vitamins and mineral can have a positive impact on prostate cancer risk.

Case in point: A nested study published recently in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that an increased selenium intake in combination with a daily multivitamin reduced the risk of prostate cancer by about 40 percent. This is in sharp contrast to the government’s study. And it isn’t the only study at odds with this new research. Another clinical trial of more than 1,300 men found no link between multivitamin use and prostate cancer risk. The study also found that some vitamins like zinc, vitamin C and vitamin E have a protective effect on the prostate.

So, taking all of this into consideration, should you really worry about your multivitamins? Absolutely not!

Still not convinced? Let’s put the results of the NCI study in perspective. When you break down the data you’ll see that, for every 10,000 men who took more than one multivitamin a day for 10 years, there were just seven or eight extra cases of fatal prostate cancer. That’s less than one fatal case per 1,200 to1,500 men annually. And that’s before taking the bias factors into account. When you do, there’s no way to credibly conclude that multivitamins boost the odds of advanced prostate cancer.

One Last Thing …

The men in the NCI study that were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer weren’t just heavy supplement users – most also had a family history of the disease. Not only are men with a family history of prostate cancer at greater risk for the disease, they also commonly take supplements in an effort to avoid it.

Genetics aren’t the only factor at play here. Race matters too. In fact, African-American men are 60 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than their Caucasian counterparts. Worse yet, they Are twice as likely to die from the disease.

If you fall into either group, it’s wise to get your PSA measured regularly. Even those at higher risk for prostate cancer can effectively tackle the disease when it’s detected early. So don’t wait – make an appointment with your doctor today!

This Just In …

During the last couple of weeks I’ve focused on men’s cancer risk. But there’s also news about the fifth leading killer of women – ovarian cancer. Here are some fast facts: Ovarian cancer usually strikes women over age 50 and is estimated to kill 15,000 American women each year.

Known as the “silent killer” because most cases aren’t discovered until the disease is in an advanced stage, doctors have historically thought that the ovarian cancer didn’t show any early symptoms. But there are a few warning signs that women can look for, including bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and frequent or urgent urination. Of course, most of us have experienced some or all of these symptoms at some point in our lives. However, if they last for two or three weeks, see your gynecologist and get a referral to a doctor who specializes in gynecologic cancers.

Although there isn’t a highly accurate way to routinely screen for ovarian cancer, a specialist can check for the disease with ultrasound, an exam and a blood test to check for a certain protein that can indicate cancer. One small study recently found that this 30-minute blood test can even detect early stages of the disease.

If warranted, your doctor may also do a biopsy to be 100 percent sure of the diagnosis. If the results are positive, take heart. Like prostate cancer, early detection is the key to successfully fighting this disease.

Fortunately, you may be able to avoid ovarian cancer altogether through prevention. Researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital studied 600 women ovarian cancer cases and 640 healthy controls. They found that women who took gingko biloba supplements for six months or longer had a 60 percent lower risk for ovarian cancer.

Laboratory tests are even more impressive. It turns out that two of the active chemicals in gingko biloba (ginkgolide A and B) can inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells by 80 percent. And gingko appears to work its magic at fairly low doses – just 120 to 240 mg. per day, taken in divided doses.

With greater awareness, natural prevention and early detection, ovarian cancer may become an obscure threat instead of the foremost gynecological killer of women. So be vigilant, get to know your body and take steps now to ward off ovarian cancer. You’ll be glad you did.

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References:

Kristal AR, Stanford JL, Cohen JH, et al. “Vitamin and mineral supplement use is associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer.” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. 1999;8:887-892.

Lawson KA, Wright ME, Subar A, et al. “Multivitamin Use and Risk of Prostate Cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2007;99: 754-764.

Peters U, Foster CB, Chatterjee N, et al. “Serum selenium and risk of prostate cancer-a nested case-control study.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2007;85:209-217.

Ye B, Aponte M, Dai Y, et al. “Ginkgo biloba and ovarian cancer prevention: Epidemiological and biological evidence.” Cancer Letters. 2007;251:43-52