6 September 2017: Vitamin Supplements Can Be Harmful to Health

A recent article confirms prior studies that high dose supplements by men of Vitamins B6 and B12 (individual supplements, not multivitamins) is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, particularly in smokers, see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28829668. These daily doses (vitamin B6: > 20 mg; vitamin B12 (> 55µg) are much higher than the recommended daily doses for men (vitamin B6: 1.3 to 1.7 mg; vitamin B12: 2.4 µg), see https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsh…/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/ and https://ods.od.nih.gov/facts…/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/, but they are sold at major retailers without a prescription, see, for example, https://www.walgreens.com/q/vitamin+b6. The authors conclude "This sex- and source-specific association provides further evidence that vitamin B supplements are not chemopreventive for lung cancer and may be harmful." Of course, the best way to reduce risk for lung cancer is to stop smoking, which causes 80-90% of lung cancers. In addition, the Mayo Clinic recommends reducing exposure to second hand smoke, testing your home for radon, eating more fruits and vegetables and getting sufficient exercise, http://www.mayoclinic.org/…/…/basics/prevention/con-20025531, which are standard recommendations in the medical community.