The LACE study showed that breast cancer survivors who were in the top 25% of following a healthy lifestyle and who regularly took a multiple vitamin supplement, had a 60-70% reduction in risk of dying from any cause during the study. 

A healthy lifestyle was defined as a healthy diet (consuming at least 5.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day) and being at least moderately physically active (being non-sedentary for at least16 hours/week). 

The results showed that the addition of the multiple vitamin supplement enhanced the survival outcomes by 60-70% in these women, compared to women who followed a healthy lifestyle but did not take a multiple vitamin supplement.

What is the impact of poor lifestyle on women’s health?

However, in women who didn’t follow a healthy lifestyle (diet remained poor and were largely non-active), the addition of a multiple vitamin supplement alone did not improve survival to any degree. 

A previous study, a Shanghai China study that followed 4,877 breast cancer survivors, examined antioxidant supplement use (vitamin C, vitamin E, and/or multivitamins) during the first six months, post-diagnosis. 

Results showed that supplement use was associated with decreased risk of cancer recurrence by 22% and overall mortality by 18%.

Additional studies are required before any definitive conclusions can be made, but these two large studies provide some very promising results.

References:

Kwan ML, Greenlee H, Lee VS, Castillo EP, Gunderson EP, Habel LA, et al. Multivitamin Use and Breast Cancer Outcomes in Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer: The Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study. Journal of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. November 2011; 130(1):195-2015.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3272363/

Eat Smart, Live Well, Look Great!

Dr. James Meschino