Too Much of This Vitamin May Raise Cancer Risk, New Study Says

Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, MS, RD

Lock points

• A new study suggests that too much or very little vitamin A can increase the risk of cancer.

• Take vitamin A in foods such as red pepper, sweet potatoes and eggs.

• However, talk to a healthcare provider before trying vitamin A supplement.

Very important for vitamin A Maintaining a healthy visionA solid immune system And bright skin. There is some Carotenoids with provitamin A activity– They are converted into vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A functions as an antioxidant, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation. Moreover, Vitamin A plays a role in the prevention of cancer. But how enough is it? And can it be too much?

The researchers also wanted to know, so Vietnamese participants conducted a hospital -based case control work. They published their findings Food. Let’s break down what they found.

How was this work done?

Researchers hired the participants from four major university hospitals in Vietnam. There were two groups of participants. A group consisted of more than 3,700 cancer patients; The other was about 3,000 control patients who had no cancer but were hospitalized for other reasons. The cancer group included esophagus, stomach, colon, rectal, lung, breast and other cancer patients.

Demographic information such as diet information was collected using the food frequency survey. From this information, the intake of vitamin A of the participants was calculated.

What did this work find?

After conducting various statistical analyzes, including the adjustment of mixing factors such as gender, age and BMI, researchers found a U -shaped relationship between vitamin A intake and cancer. This means that both the lowest and highest vitamin A intake is associated with an increase in cancer risk. Reference Vitamin A intake was 85.3-104 mcg/day; This reference indicates the average intake for the control group without cancer.

The most powerful cancers with vitamin A were esophageal, breast, rectum and stomach – but not columns.

In this study, it has several limitations starting from the potential to recall for food frequency survey – because most of us cannot remember what we have eaten yesterday, but try to guess how much we eat regularly. In addition, since this is a hospital -based study, we cannot be generalized for other populations or we cannot be sure that it is valid for other ethnic origins.

How does this applies to real life?

As in most things in life, it is not better when it comes to vitamin A, but you need to make sure you get enough of this vitamin, because when you hit it with it, it is a food center. This study does not provide a quantity that the authors recommend; They only provide the reference amount.

According to the National Health Institutes, Recommended vitamin A intake Shifts according to your age and gender. And because you can get vitamin A from many sources, retinol activity equivalents (RAE) can be converted into certain amounts of beta carotene, retinol and other vitamin A forms.

• Men: 900 micrograms Rae

Foods rich in vitamin A Carrot, zucchini, sweet potatoes, spinach, tuna and cattle liver contains. We like to be creative with these materials to be fun, Tahini with sac pan carrots and chickpeas– Not to care about pumpkin And Tuna melt. And the good news is that most American diets take enough vitamin A, so you can see that you are already in good condition when it comes to nutrients.

Of course, vitamin A is not the only important nutrient for preventing cancer, nor is it the only area to consider. And since then Cancer rates are increasingIt is time to start prevention strategies, including young people.

The American Cancer Association argues that the main concern areas of cancer risk include diet, physical activity, tobacco use and alcohol intake. In relation to diet anti-inflammatory eating pattern It is recommended because it is loaded with nutrients such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole wheats and healthy fats.

Participating in regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of cancer. Breast Cancer Included. And more and more evidence alcohol and tobacco products.

Our Expert

This study suggests that too much and very few vitamin A can increase your risk of various types of cancer. If you are not sure whether you have taken the right amount of this basic vitamin, make an appointment to talk with a registered diet or search for a healthcare specialist for advice.

It is also important to buy All health approach to preventing cancer with Numerous anti-inflammatory food foodTo move your body more often, to obtain plenty of quality sleep, to manage your stress factors, to limit or avoid alcohol and avoid tobacco products. If this list overwhelms you, choose a space to start working on and to be consistent with it. Soon you will realize that other areas are easier. And with this strategy, although there is no guarantee to prevent cancer, if you get it, you can handle it more powerful and better what you have thrown to you.

Read the original article Yeghwell