Beta-Carotine and Smokers

[g29er]

Beta-Carotene and Smokers

Lets face it,some people who work out smoke. Even some Pro Bodybuilders smoke. Marcus Ruhl is one I can think of off the top my head. I once watched a Body-Building competition from Europe and half of those guys smoked. I am a former smoker and I am sure that there are people here on A.M. that smoke or are former smokers as well. It is bad for you,however it is hard to quit.I will be the first to admit that. It is possible to smoke and be in pretty decent shape,and a bad diet and lack of exercise will kill you quicker than smoking will. I would say that a majority of us at A.M. also take a multi-vitamin in some form or another,and the chances are really good that the Multi you are taking contains Beta-carotene. More and more evidence is revealing that taking Beta-carotene if you smoke or if you are a former smoker can increase your chances of Lung-cancer.If you are a moderate drinker those chances increase even more. In 1994 Finnish researchers conducted a study of Finnish Men who smoked and drank moderately and were given Beta-carotene supps. heres what they found: this is from the National Cancer Institute website.


" What is the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Trial?

The Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Trial or ATBC Trial was conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in collaboration with the National Public Health Institute of Finland. The purpose of the study was to see if certain vitamin supplements would prevent lung and other cancers in a group of 29,133 male smokers in Finland. The 50- to 69-year-old participants took a pill containing either 50 milligrams (mg) alpha tocopherol (a form of vitamin E), 20 mg beta carotene (a precursor of vitamin A), both, or a placebo (inactive pill that looks like the vitamin) daily for five to eight years.


# What did these trials show?

In the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Trial, 18 percent more lung cancers were diagnosed and 8 percent more overall deaths occurred in study participants taking beta carotene. In CARET, after an average of four years of receiving supplements, 28 percent more lung cancers were diagnosed and 17 percent more deaths occurred in participants taking beta carotene and vitamin A than in those taking placebos. Neither of these studies showed a benefit from taking supplements.

Because the interim results of CARET were similar to the ATBC study, the intervention was stopped 21 months early. Both of these studies involved people who were specifically invited to participate because of their high risk for developing lung cancer.


# Should Americans who smoke avoid taking beta carotene?

The NCI has never made recommendations as to whether Americans should take supplements. The best advice for smokers who want to reduce their risk of lung cancer is still the most direct: stop smoking. The results from CARET and the ATBC Trial suggest that smokers should avoid taking beta carotene supplements."

I know that this post is long but I wanted to put out there the risks of taking Beta-Carotene if you smoke or drink or if you used to do either,and I also wanted to get your thoughts as well. There is also alot of info on the CARET study online.

 

[bombBoogie]

were the patients race disclosed?

 

[bombBoogie]

I went to take a look about this info provided, and stumbled upon this in an uk cancer site.

Research into beta carotene and lung cancer
Researchers began to look into whether taking extra beta carotene as a supplement, in combination with other vitamins, may help stop smokers getting lung cancer.

One study called the ‘Alpha Tocopherol, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Study’, looked at whether taking alpha tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) and 20 mg of beta carotene daily reduced the risk of lung cancer. The study recruited 29,133 male smokers. A computer randomised those taking part into 2 groups. One group took the pill containing alpha tocopherol and beta carotene. The others took a dummy pill (placebo). They took the pills daily for between 5 and 8 years. In this study 18% more lung cancers developed in the people taking the alpha tocopherol and beta carotene pills. This was the opposite of what the researchers expected.

Another study called the ‘Beta Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial’, looked to see if beta carotene and retinol (vitamin A) could prevent cancer in men and women smokers and ex-smokers. The people in the trial were aged from 45 to 69. This trial was also randomised and some participants took a placebo pill. After an average of 4 years of taking the pills, there were 28% more cases of lung cancer diagnosed in those taking the supplements.

Not all studies have shown that beta carotene increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers. The ‘Physicians' Health Study’ was a trial with 22,071 American male doctors. Only 11% of these doctors were smokers. The purpose of the study was to test whether a beta carotene supplement reduced the risk of cancer and heart disease as well. The Physician's Health Study finished at the end of 1995. The results showed that there was no benefit or harm to people taking beta carotene supplements for more than 12 years.

There is no evidence to suggest that smokers should cut down on foods that contain high levels of beta carotene. It may be that a component of these foods other than the beta carotene, help protect against cancer. Or, it may be that the whole food is better than a supplement.

 

[g29er]

were the patients race disclosed?

No, their race wasn't disclosed but being that the study was conducted in Finland, I would assume that they were Caucasian.