SUPPLEMENTS COULD REDUCE BLADDER CANCER RISK
Researchers, led by Maree Brinkman from The Cancer Council Victoria in Australia, have established that vitamins E and D as well as carotenoids, niacin and thiamine could cut the risk of bladder cancer, particularly in older people and heavy smokers. Brinkman and her co-workers analysed dietary data from 322 people with bladder cancer and 239 healthy controls. A 121-item food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate dietary intakes. Results showed that, in general, people with the highest average intakes of vitamin E (at least 193.4 milligrams per day) were 34 per cent less likely to develop bladder cancer. The researchers found that the highest intakes of vitamin E, carotenoids (18 milligrams), and niacin (46.5 milligrams), were associated with a 42, 38, and 34 per cent reduction in bladder cancer risk in heavy smokers. In older individuals, the highest average intakes of carotenoids, vitamin D (641 International Units), thiamin (3.35 milligrams), niacin, and vitamin E were all associated with a reduced bladder cancer risk. The researchers called for additional study to further examine these potentially protective relationships. The study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings were published in Cancer Causes and Control.