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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Numerous epidemiological studies have
concluded that high intakes of fruits and vegetables are
associated with lower risks of cancer. It was originally thought
that beta-carotene was the protective component, but six large-scale clinical trials have failed to confirm any cancer-protective
effects. Two of the trials involving heavy smokers showed a
significant 18 per cent increase in lung cancer among the smokers
who took beta-carotene. One very large trial involving 22,071
American physicians showed no benefits and no harm from 12 years
of supplementation with 50 mg of synthetic beta-carotene every
second day. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have just released the results of a major study aimed at evaluating the effects of beta- carotene supplementation among women. The study involved almost 40,000 healthy female health professionals (aged 45 years or older). The women were randomized into two groups with one group receiving 50 mg of synthetic beta-carotene on alternate days and the other group receiving a placebo. The 2.1-year supplementation phase of the study was followed by a two-year observation period. At the end of the four years 747 cases of cancer and 218 cases of cardiovascular incidents (heart attack, stroke, and death) had occurred among the women. There were no significant differences in the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular events or death from all causes in the two groups. This also held true when just the smokers among the women were considered.
The researchers conclude that beta-carotene supplementation is
neither harmful nor beneficial to people at average risk for
cancer except in the case of prostate cancer. The Physicians'
Health Study found that men who supplemented with 50 mg of beta-
carotene every second day for 12 years had a significantly lower
incidence of prostate cancer.
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