Better with age

B vitamins may offer stronger cancer-preventing benefits for people over 65.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAMA), B vitamins may help prevent cancer. While I wouldn’t exactly classify this as “news,” the study did uncover one detail that I hadn’t heard before. Apparently these vitamins offer more cancer-preventing benefits for people ages 65 and older.

The researchers looked at the effects of folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 on the rates of breast cancer and other invasive cancers in 5,442 women. They found that, overall, women in both the supplement group and the placebo group had similar rates of cancer.

But when they looked specifically at age breakdowns, they discovered that women over the age of 65 in the supplement group has a 25 percent lower risk of invasive cancer and a 38 percent lower risk of breast cancer.

This certainly isn’t to say that younger women shouldn’t be supplementing with these nutrients – they play a critical role in keeping DNA healthy in all ages. But it is a reminder to those people who do fall into the 65+ age bracket that it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re getting enough. Dr. Wright recommends 500 to 1,000 micrograms of vitamin B12, 50 to 100 milligrams of vitamin B6, and 5 to 10 milligrams of folic acid.

Source:
“B vitamins may protect over-65s from cancer, says study,” NutraIngredients.com (www.nutraingredients.com), 11/7/08