Vitamin C, vitamin E or multivitamin supplements are ineffective at fighting stomach cancer, according to a new study by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
A research team led by Dr Eric Jacobs found that people taking these vitamins were just as likely to die of stomach cancer as people who shunned them. The results are published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
Worldwide, stomach cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death, and previous studies have suggested its incidence is much lower among individuals with a high intake of vitamin C. A study of vitamin E intake implied that this vitamin could also protect against stomach cancer.
Jacobs and his team studied participants in the Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) group in the US to see whether this earlier evidence held water.
The CPS-II group is made up of more than one million people who have signed up to be studied by the ACS throughout their lives. When first enrolled in 1982, they answered questions on many aspects of their lives, including diet and dietary supplements.
Jacobs found that since 1982, some 1,403 people in the CPS-II group have died of stomach cancer. Twice as many men as women in the study died of the cancer.
Taking large amounts of either vitamin C, vitamin E or multivitamin supplements did not protect anyone, Jacobs found. About one-third of the people studied took one of the supplements, and were just as likely to die of stomach cancer as those who did not take the vitamins.
The researchers also checked to see if age, cigarette smoking, race, education or other factors made any difference in whether the vitamins protected people in the study, again with negative results.
Despite the rising number of claims that vitamins can help fight cancer, the evidence of this study suggests that diet as a whole, not just one item such as vitamins, is the best way to beat cancer.
The ACS recommends that people eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, whole grains instead of processed grains, little red meat and processed meats and only enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.