A multivitamin pill a day lowers cancer risk in men, study shows

Scientists in the US who monitored almost 15,000 men for 11 years said those who took the pills were 8 per cent less likely to develop cancer of any kind.

The “modest” reduction is thought to mirror the benefits of eating a healthy diet high in fruit and vegetables.

Multivitamins contain nutrients that might be missing from a less-than-ideal diet.

Researcher Howard Sesso, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said: “Many studies have suggested that eating a nutritious diet may reduce a man’s risk of developing cancer.

“Now we know that taking a daily multivitamin, in addition to addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, may also be considered in the prevention of cancer in middle-aged and older men.”

The trial involved male American doctors who received either a daily multivitamin tablet or an inactive placebo pill.

Over an average 11.2 years, a total of 2,669 cancers were diagnosed, including 1,373 cases of prostate and 210 cases of bowel cancer. During the follow-up period, 2,757 (18.8 per cent) of the men died, including 859 killed by cancer.

Compared with men not taking multivitamins, pill users experienced an 8 per cent reduction in total cancer incidence.

Multivitamin use led to a similar reduction in all cases of epithelial cancers, which affect skin cells and those lining organs and body cavities.

The scientists found no risk reduction in prostate cancer from taking multivitamins.

Results of the study were presented at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Chicago and also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers wrote in their paper that it was not possible to say which particular vitamins and minerals in a multivitamin supplement may be responsible for reducing cancer risk.

Nor was it known whether the same effects extended to women or men younger than 50.