Taking certain vitamins during breast cancer chemo tied to recurrence, death

• Study findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggest that use of dietary supplements that boost levels of antioxidants, iron, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids may lower the effectiveness of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer, as reported in the Ottawa Citizen.

• Investigators analyzed data from the Diet, Exercise, Lifestyle and Cancer Prognosis study, which was conducted as part of a trial designed to determine the best dose and schedule of chemotherapy drugs.

• Participants were asked about their use of supplements at the outset and during treatment, and about their lifestyle, diet and exercise habits. The researchers focused on 1134 patients who filled out the surveys and followed them for a median of six years. 

• Study author Christine Ambrosone noted that in this particular group of patients, supplement use was much lower than is typical, with 20% taking supplements prior to starting chemotherapy and 13% during the treatments.

• Results showed that patients who took any antioxidant at the outset and during chemotherapy, including carotenoids, Coenzyme Q10 and vitamins A, C, and E, were 41% more likely to have their breast cancer return and 40% more likely to die during follow-up compared to patients using no supplements.

• Findings were similar for most individual antioxidants taken before and during chemotherapy, particularly vitamin A, but for the others, the results were not statistically significant, the news source said.

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