This Vitamin Story is “Fake News”
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted September 22, 2017
Dear Living Well Daily Reader,
The next time you see my picture on top of Living Well Daily, I may be completely bald.
Because the studies on vitamins and supplements these days have me pulling my hair out!
Make no mistake about it – there’s a propaganda campaign going on right now that’s designed to scare you off of natural remedies that could change (or even save) your life.
The latest attack on natural medicine was this headline: “B Vitamins Cause Cancer”
Maybe you saw it?
I’ve had at least a dozen people in the last week ask me if they should stop taking B vitamins.
My answer to them?
Take a closer look at the study. Because it’s not just nonsense – it’s “fake news.”
These headlines all started with a new study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology
The study looked at vitamin B use in relation to lung cancer risk and claimed that Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 increased lung cancer by 30 percent.
Stop for a moment and think about that.
Who gets lung cancer?
If you thought that this study looked at smokers, you’d be right. Yes, lung cancer is mostly a disease of smokers.
But were smokers mentioned in all those headlines? NO, most headlines failed to mention that this study was done on smokers.
So, let’s fix the headline: “Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 increased lung cancer by 30 percent IN SMOKERS.”
That is better, but we are still not finished.
Did the study find that smokers taking small, medium, and large amounts of B6 and B12 had problems?
Once again, the answer is no.
The study found a problem with smokers who took 15 times more than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin B6; 20 times more than the RDA for vitamin B12.
That is a lot of a vitamin to take.
So, let’s fix the headline again: “MEGA-DOSING with Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 increased lung cancer by 30 percent IN SMOKERS.”
The study also only found the association in men (not in women).
So, let’s fix the headline again: “MEGA-DOSING with Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 increased lung cancer by 30 percent IN MALE SMOKERS.”
If that wasn’t enough: the study also did not distinguish between people who smoke occasionally or those who smoke a lot.
In my experience, people who take huge doses of vitamins are the same people who smoke a ton. They are using mega-doses of vitamins in a desperate attempt try and protect themselves from their heavy smoking habit (which never works).
The study also found that there was no association between cancer and B vitamins in:
- Non-smokers
- Former smokers
- Women
- Or in men (smokers and non-smokers) who consumed lower doses of vitamins B12 and B6.
As you can see, the study showed one thing and the headlines another.
So, what is the take-home message from this study?
- Don’t smoke
- If you do smoke, don’t plan on mega-dose vitamins to save you
- Take vitamins – most of us need them
Headlines like the ones from this study cause a lot of problems because Vitamin B12 (and B vitamins in general) are very common deficiencies – especially in people who have any kind of digestive problems, are exposed to chemicals, or anyone who feels tired.
You need B Vitamins.
Please, keep taking your vitamins.
Health and Happiness,
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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