Elephant in the room
The vitamin E controversy continues, with a new study linking it to lung cancer
Just when I thought the vitamin E controversy had finally died down and this essential nutrient had cleared its name once and for all, a whole new batch of headlines hit the media warning of the vitamin’s supposed dangers. This time, it’s been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine tracked 77,000 people and examined their daily vitamin C, folic acid, and vitamin E intake over the course of four years. During that time frame, 521 of the subjects were diagnosed with lung cancer. When the researchers looked at the nutrient intake in these participants compared to that in the remaining subjects they found that high daily doses of vitamin E (but not vitamin C or folic acid) appeared to increase the risk of lung cancer by as much as 28 percent. In smokers.
That last part seems to be what all of the articles on this study are glossing over. Sure, cases of lung cancer also occurred in non-smokers who took high doses of vitamin E each day, but the researchers freely admit the link was much stronger in smokers. Whose habit ALREADY puts them at increased risk for this potentially deadly disease. It hardly seems fair to point such a condemning finger at vitamin E when the real elephant in the room is that the best thing smokers can do for their health is to quit smoking, not quit taking vitamin E, which has many more benefits associated with it than risks — unlike smoking.
Look, I’ve never been a smoker, so perhaps my stance seems a bit harsh coming from someone who doesn’t know what it’s like to face that sort of addiction on a daily basis. And, no, I may not know first-hand how hard it is to quit. But I do know what it’s like to support someone who is facing that struggle: It’s an honor that I’ve had four times in my life, helping my mother, my cousin, and two of my best friends quit smoking. They’ve all been victorious in that quest, and they’ve all told me that the support of their family and friends was one of the key factors in their success.
If you’re a smoker, you already know you need to quit. So the next step is to find your own support network: people who will hold you accountable for your choice NOT to smoke. It won’t be easy, but relying on the people who love you and want to see you happy and healthy can help make it more manageable.
Source:
“Vitamin E linked to lung cancer,” BBC News (www.news.bbc.co.uk), 2/29/08
