|
|
Article: Multivitamins May Prevent Colon Cancer; Study Suggests Large Benefit, Probably Due to Folic Acid in Daily Supplements
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 20, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
For years physicians and nutritionists have maintained
that vitamins are superfluous for people who eat a well-balanced
diet heavy on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Now a study of nearly 89,000 nurses suggests that this advice
may merit revision. Researchers at Harvard have found that women who
took a daily multivitamin for at least 15 years were 75 percent less
likely to develop colon cancer than those who did not.
The key ingredient, the researchers suggest in their study
published Oct. 1 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, appears to be
folic acid, a B vitamin that prevents neural tube birth defects,
most notably spina bifida, an incomplete closure of the spine.
Recent ...