Point-counterpoint: Multivitamins

Many folks were excited at the news that a long cycle, double-blind study showed that multivitamins reduced cancer incidence in men. Overall, researchers found an eight percent reduction in cancer incidence, with some cancers reduced even more than that. The vitamins had no significant effect on prostate cancer. The multivitamin was Centrum Silver.

Consumer Reports jumped in a few hours later with a cautionary message.

"The only end point that reached statistical significance, and that barely, was in the occurrence of cancer in general," says Marvin Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports' Chief Medical Adviser. "The use of multivitamins did not affect site-specific cancers, such as colon cancer, nor did their use decrease the death rate from cancer," he says. "This study would not persuade me to tell my patients to take multivitamins."

There is an apparent difference of opinion about the affect on site-specific cancers. Further, CR found that some people had other health problems resulting from multivitamin usage. One study showed an increased risk for women of breast cancer.