Older Americans Turn To Vitamins For Cancer Prevention

Sept. 1, 2000 -- It's another example of wanting the quick fix. Instead of changing their diets to reduce their risk of cancer, many older Americans are turning to vitamin supplements, according to a survey sponsored by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR).

"After age 54, dietary for decreasing high cancer risk actually started decreasing, and supplement intake started increasing," Melanie Polk, RD, director of nutrition at AICR, said at a press conference in Washington on Thursday. "This is of concern to us because we want to focus more on the things we know are cancer-preventive, like eating lots of vegetables," rather than vitamin supplements, whose cancer-preventive capabilities are uncertain.

The survey, taken in late July, involved more than 1,000 adults chosen at random and interviewed by telephone.

Overall, 39% of those surveyed said they were making changes to their diets to prevent cancer. And 43% said they were taking a daily multivitamin for cancer protection. But when the data are analyzed by age group, 33% of Americans ages 35-44 were taking multivitamin supplements for cancer prevention, compared with 50% of those aged 55-64, and 54% of those 65 and over. On the other hand, only 43% of Americans 65 and over had changed their diets to help prevent cancer, compared with 53% of those in the 45-54 age group.

"Assuming the results are valid, it's surprising and disturbing," says Bonnie Liebman, MS, director of nutrition for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit Washington organization that publishes the Nutrition Action Healthletter. "There is such a large body of evidence indicating you can reduce your risk of cancer by eating a healthy diet, and yet it seems many older Americans haven't heard about it.

"By the same token, there is very little conclusive evidence that supplements can help prevent cancer, yet many older Americans seem to be relying on them to cut cancer risk," she says. "It could be that supplements have much better marketing than fruits and vegetables, which is a shame. We do our best to tell people about the link between diet and cancer, but we can't compete with an ad implying that a particular vitamin supplement prevents cancer."

In addition to multivitamins, 21% of respondents said they were taking individual supplements of vitamins or other substances to help lower their cancer risk. Vitamin C was the most popular, taken by 17% of respondents; it was followed by Vitamin E (16%), garlic, and folic acid (both at 8%).

One reason so many Americans turn to vitamin supplements is that they want fast, easy answers for their health problems, says John Potter, MD, PhD, a member of the Cancer Prevention Research Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. "There's no question people want rapid responses for what's bothering them," he says. "But diet can influence most stages of cancer -- for good or ill."

Americans need to change their ideas about what makes a healthy meal, Potter says: "We should be reorienting our view of what should be on our plate. It should be a smaller amount, and it should have more plant-based foods."

More emphasis should also be placed on preparing food, he says. "Today you can even buy an apartment without a kitchen. And we no longer teach children how to find, cook, and prepare food. We can do a lot to reverse that."

To help prevent cancer, the AICR recommends:

• Eating predominantly plant-based foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.
• Limiting weight gain during adulthood to less than 11 pounds.
• Limiting red meat intake to less than 3 ounces daily.
• Avoiding alcohol (if consumed at all, it should be limited to less than two drinks a day for men and one for women).
• Limiting consumption of fatty foods, especially those containing animal-based fats.
• Limiting consumption of salted foods.

Americans who follow these recommendations probably don't need dietary supplements, the organization says.