Vitamin E and Selenium supplements may increase risk of cancer

With this increasing obsession with fitness and health the use of supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and herbal has increased exponentially. The increased efforts to stay healthy are good news but the fact that a huge majority of individuals do not even know what supplement to take or not to take, many end up losing any benefit and incur more damage to their health then advantage.

Recent clinical trials have shown that the unnecessary use of certain dietary supplements can lead to far more serious problems then known before. Such a study conducted in the US has shown that the high levels of the mineral Selenium can lead to a 91% increased risk for high grade cancer.
According to the the study leader Dr. Alan Kristal (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, Seattle)"These supplements are popular – especially vitamin E – although so far no large, well-designed and well-conducted study has shown any benefits for preventing major chronic disease.
"Men using these supplements should stop, period. Neither selenium nor vitamin E supplementation confers any known benefits, only risks."

This adverse effect appeared only when men with already high levels took the selenium supplement and not in men who originally had low levels. It was also noted that Vitamin E also increased the risk of cancer almost doubling it in men who had low level of selenium.

This study was a follow-up of Select (selenium and vitamin E cancer prevention trial), which originally recruited more than 35,000 men to see if the supplements could help prevent prostate cancer. The main goal of the trial was to prove whether selenium and vitamin E supplements actually prevented prostrate cancer. It was concluded "SELECT was initially planned for a minimum of seven years and a maximum of 12 years of participants taking supplements, plus follow-up observation after the men finished taking their supplements. However, the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) for the trial met on September 15, 2008, to review SELECT study data and found that selenium and vitamin E, taken alone or together did not prevent prostate cancer. The committee also determined that it was unlikely selenium and vitamin E supplementation would ever produce a 25 percent reduction in prostate cancer incidence, as the study was designed to show. Based on their recommendation, with SWOG and NCI agreement, SELECT participants were told in October 2008 to stop taking their study supplements." (National Cancer Institute)

The Select trial suggested that Vitamin E intake may have more detrimental effects then initially thought, whereas the outcome of overuse of selenium was still disputed hence the follow up study.     "In 2011, data showed that men taking vitamin E alone had a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer, but men taking vitamin E plus selenium did not.  If men had low selenium levels at the start of the trial, the selenium supplement may have counteracted a negative effect of the vitamin E supplement." (Select study - NCI)

The results of this follow-up study have shown a clear relation between selenium and vitamin E supplements and the increased risk of prostrate cancer.
"In an analysis published in 2014, men who had high levels of selenium at the start of the trial, as assessed by measures of selenium in their toenail clippings, had almost double the chance of developing a high-grade prostate cancer if they took the selenium supplement compared to men with low levels of selenium at the start of the trial.  This finding was unexpected, as previous studies had shown that men with low levels of selenium had an increased risk of prostate cancer that was reduced with supplements (11, 12).  Additionally, men with low levels of selenium at the start of the trial had double the chance of developing a high-grade prostate cancer if they took the vitamin E supplement."
(National Cancer Institute)

A detailed article on the latest results was published on February 21st 2014 in The Guardian, titled

Some vitamin supplements raise risk of cancer in men, research shows.

P.S:

References:

Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) (National Cancer Institute)
Some vitamin supplements raise risk of cancer in men, research shows. (The Guardian)

Cancer on the rise in the world

Since the release of the  World Cancer Report 2014 by the WHO, we have been seeing headlines like 'Cancer 'tidal wave' on horizon, warns WHO' (BBC World) and for good reason.

The stats in the report have gotten everyone's attention. It suggests that the number of cancer cases might reach 24 million by 2035. It also points out that world health issues such as smoking, drinking, and obesity must be effectively dealt with to reduce that number. 

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) press release states:

Global battle against cancer won’t be won with treatment alone.

Effective prevention measures urgently needed to prevent cancer crisis.

Based on the latest statistics on trends in cancer incidence and mortality worldwide, this new book reveals how the cancer burden is growing at an alarming pace and emphasizes the need for urgent implementation of efficient prevention strategies to curb the disease.
Despite exciting advances, this Report shows that we cannot treat our way out of the cancer  problem,” states Dr Christopher Wild, Director of IARC and co-editor of the book. “More commitment to prevention and early detection is desperately needed in order to complement improved treatments and address the alarming rise in cancer burden globally.”

In 2012, the worldwide burden of cancer rose to an estimated 14 million newcases per year, a figure

expected to rise to 22 million annually within the next two decades. Over the same period, cancer deaths are predicted to rise from an estimated 8.2 million annually to 13 million per year.

According to the report globally the highest number of diagnosed cancers were lung cancer, breast cancer and cancer of the large bowel. The highest number of cancer deaths were caused by cancer of the lungs, followed by cancers of the liver and stomach.

This World Cancer Report 2014 highlights the presence of a cancer divide.

As a consequence of growing and ageing populations, developing countries are disproportionately affected by the increasing numbers of cancers. More than 60% of the world’s total cases occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, and these regions account for about 70% of the world’s cancer deaths, a situation that is made worse by the lack of early detection and access to treatment.

 Many of the cancers seen in developing countries are high infection related cancers (cancer of liver, cervix and stomach) or are cancer known to be associated with the industrialized lifestyles (cancer of lungs, breast and large bowel). Therefore high mortality from cancer in these countries could be significantly reduced if they have access to effective and affordable cancer treatments but also by implementation of vaccination programs (Hep B and HPV) and preventive efforts towards the spread of tobacco.
The rising number of cancer cases is proving to be detrimental to the economy of even the richest countries. According to the report 'In 2010, the total annual economic cost of cancer was estimated to reach approximately US$ 1.16 trillion. Yet about half of all cancers could be avoided if current knowledge was adequately implemented.'

Last but not least the report stresses on the need for widespread efforts towards early detection and treatment and the promotion of adequate legislation to reduce exposure and risk behaviours.



P.S:

Cancer 'tidal wave' on horizon, warns WHO (BBC World February 4th 2014)
International Agency for Research Cancer  
World Cancer Research Fund International 

A Survey for all parents of teenagers : Monitoring the Future 2013 Survey Results

I am sharing some informational posters on NIDA ( National Institute on Drug Abuse) to help all parents better understand the degree to which our kids are exposed to drugs and how prevalent the use of illicit drugs in youngsters is. Knowledge and information are power, the more we understand the seriousness of this problem, the less likely we will be to support such crazy legislation as the legalization of Marijuana. Please if you come across this post, do share it with your teenagers and middle schoolers.

Description: Monitoring the Future is an annual survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. Since 1975, the survey has measured drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes in 12th-graders nationwide. Eighth and 10th graders were added to the survey in 1991. Overall, 41,675 students from 389 public and private schools participated in the 2013 survey.

Description: Last Two Decades of Alcohol, Cigarette, and Illicit Drug Use*
*Past 30 day use.
This graphic illustrates past 30 day alcohol, cigarette, and illicit drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders from 1993 through 2013. In general, alcohol and cigarette use has decreased, and illicit drug use, which declined in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has been increasing in recent years.

Description: Marijuana: As Perceived Harm Drops, Use Goes Up
* Past-year use in 12th graders.
Three points in time are shown—1993, 2003, 2013— for marijuana use and the perception of risk (saw great risk in smoking marijuana occasionally) among 12th graders.

 Description: 60% of high school seniors do not view regular marijuana use as harmful, which is nearly double from 20 years ago. The potency of marijuana, as measured by THC content, has steadily increased over the last few years, which means that daily use of today’s marijuana may have greater health consequences than use of marijuana from 10 to 20 years ago.

Description: Prescription/Over-the-Counter vs. Illicit Drugs
After marijuana, prescription and over-the-counter medications account for most of the top drugs abused by 12th graders in the past year.

Description: Abuse of Some Synthetic Drugs is Down.
These are substances that are chemically similar to and/or mimic the effects of illicit drugs. This year, 7.9% of high school seniors reported past-year use of K2/Spice (sometimes called synthetic marijuana), down from last year’s number of 11.3%. Past-year use of the substances called “bath salts” was low for all three grades - at or below 1%.

P.S:Monitoring the Future 2013 Survey Results(NIDA)

The truth about addiction; ruthless, honest, and extremely insightful....

"The mind of a heroin addict: the struggle to get clean and stay sober" on The Guardian is a collection of comments by recovering sober addicts and some using addicts on how they struggle and how Philip Seymour Hoffman's death from heroin overdose after 23 years of sobriety affected them. 

As I read this post, I was not only shocked and troubled by the very truthful and blatantly honest responses but also got a better understanding of how they struggle or relapse and how terribly hard it is to fight the addict inside them. I am not totally unaware of what goes into rehabilitation, I worked with addicts during my one year psychiatry job. Yet I found these comments revealing and poignant. 

One of the comments which stood out to me was by Danny from Ireland, who has been ten years sober; "My father died from addiction, we lost a cousin, I myself had numerous overdoses and helped prevent siblings from OD-ing (all of who are now clean thanks to the process of one addict helping another that Russell Brand spoke of). Hearing about Hoffman affects me the same way as if it were a friend. I didnt know he was an addict untill he died, but when I heard of his story and addiction I immediatly identified with him. We work the same way in our minds. I know what happened to him before he picked up. I know how he felt. I'm pretty sure it started the same way most relapses do. "

Read all the responses...

Some drug facts in the US:

According to NIDA ( National Institute on Drug Abuse) "Illicit drug use in America has been increasing. In 2012, an estimated 23.9 million Americans aged 12 or older—or 9.2 percent of the population—had used an illicit drug or abused a psychotherapeutic medication (such as a pain reliever, stimulant, or tranquilizer) in the past month. This is up from 8.3 percent in 2002. The increase mostly reflects a recent rise in the use of marijuana, the most commonly used illicit drug."

 Most people use drugs for the first time when they are teenagers. There were just over 2.8 million new users (initiates) of illicit drugs in 2012, or about 7,898 new users per day. Half (52 per-cent) were under 18.

More than half of new illicit drug users begin with marijuana. Next most common are prescription pain relievers, followed by inhalants (which is most common among younger teens).

In 2009, there were nearly 4.6 million drug-related Hospital Emergency Department (ED) visits nationwide. These visits included reports of drug abuse, adverse reactions to drugs, or other drug-related consequences. Almost 50 percent were attributed to adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals taken as prescribed, and 45 percent involved drug abuse.

The majority of drug-related ED visits were made by patients 21 or older (80.9 percent, or 3,717,030 visits). Of these, slightly less than half involved drug abuse. Patients aged 20 or younger accounted for 19.1 percent (877,802 visits) of all drug-related visits in 2009; about half of these visits involved drug abuse.

In 2009, almost one million visits involved an illicit drug, either alone or in combination with other types of drugs. The rates of ED visits involving cocaine, marijuana, and heroin were higher for males than for females. Rates for cocaine were highest among individuals aged 35–44, rates for heroin were highest among individuals aged 21–24, stimulant use was highest among those 25–29, and marijuana use was highest for those aged 18–20.

 Illicit drug use among teenagers remains high, largely due to increasing popularity of marijuana. Marijuana use by adolescents declined from the late 1990s until the mid-to-late 2000s, but has been on the increase since then. In 2013, 7.0 percent of 8th graders, 18.0 percent of 10th graders, and 22.7 percent of 12th graders used marijuana in the past month, up from 5.8 percent, 13.8 percent, and 19.4 percent in 2008. Daily use has also increased; 6.5 percent of 12th graders now use marijuana every day, compared to 5 percent in the mid-2000s.

P.S:

The mind of a heroin addict: the struggle to get clean and stay sober

Trends and Statistics on Addiction (NIDA)