The recent boom in the popularity of nutritional supplements has seen many people start taking daily doses of tablets that they don’t know much about. Of course, most people who take supplements do it for the perceived health benefits. Some take them to boost the immune system. Some take them to help grow or tone muscles. And some even take them as a method of preventing cancer.
But now cancer experts are beginning to question whether any supplements can have that effect. In fact some are even going as far to suggest that some nutritional supplements might even be causing cancer rather than preventing it. Experts at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center claim taking nutritional supplements rather than standard foods could alter the natural balance in the body and actually cause cancer.
Eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, grains and beans should be plenty to provide you with the vitamins, minerals and fibre that your body needs. Maintaining a healthy diet like this will naturally decrease your chances of developing cancer, and supplements cannot be used to replace the benefits of eating well.
For some people with chronic food allergies, taking a supplement pill might be a useful way to get certain minerals or vitamins into their diet. But for the majority of people it’s simply a better option to eat a healthy diet if you want to have the best chance of avoiding cancer.
Even if you have been recommended to take supplements by your doctor it still best to try to find foods that can raise the levels of nutrients in your body. More research needs to take place to look at the relationship between supplements and cancer. So for the moment it’s best to avoid them if you can get the vitamins and minerals from your diet instead.
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