The front page headline in the Globe and Mail on November 1, 2007, was "Poor Diet Ratchets Up Cancer Risk". This is based upon a report by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund.

By and large, this is a very good report and makes some very good suggestions: Be as lean as possible, be physically active, eat most foods of plant origin, limit intake of red meats and avoid processed meat, do not drink much alcohol, decrease salt, avoid mouldy cereal (why would anyone eat mouldy cereal anyway?) and aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone rather than through supplements.

That last recommendation flies in the face of all the studies that have shown that even the best of modern diets can not consistently supply even the smallest of recommended nutrient doses.

Take your vitamins, study
On October 29, 2007, Bill Sardi (www.KnowlegdeofHealth.com) summarized the results of a study headed by Dr. Gladys Block, University of California at Berkeley, that was published in the Nutrition Journal. The study compared 602 adults who did not take any supplements with 176 who took a single supplement (usually a multivitamin) and 278 who took a large number of different supplements. All of the multiple vitamin users received enough vitamin C based on the conventional definition of what constitutes "enough"; 9 percent of the single supplement users did not receive enough and 32 percent of the non-supplement users did not receive enough. In other words, if everyone followed the advice in the American Institute for Cancer Research report about cancer prevention through diet alone, at least 32 to 41 percent of the population would not get enough vitamin C - and this is still according to the modern non-orthomolecular (non-optimum) standard of how much vitamin C our bodies really need.

In the Nutrition Journal, Dr. Block and colleagues wrote, "Dietary supplement use in the United States is prevalent and represents an important source of nutrition. This study describes the dietary supplement usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users, and where possible makes comparisons to non-users and multivitamin/mineral supplement users."

"Dietary supplements consumed on a daily basis by more than 50 percent of multiple supplement users included a multivitamin/mineral, B-complex, vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin E, calcium with vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, lecithin, alfalfa, coenzyme Q10 with resveratrol, glucosamine, and a herbal immune supplement. The majority of women also consumed gamma linolenic acid and a probiotic supplement, whereas men also consumed zinc, garlic, saw palmetto, and a soy protein supplement. Serum nutrient concentrations generally increased with increasing dietary supplement use. After adjustment for age, gender, income, education and body mass index, greater degree of supplement use was associated with more favorable concentrations of serum homocysteine, C-reactive protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as lower risk of prevalent elevated blood pressure and diabetes."

This report by Block et al is only the most recent in a large number of other findings that modern diets cannot and do not supply enough nutrients for good health, including cancer and chronic disease prevention. It confirms my observations over the past 40 years. If every physician who had ever referred patients to me had first placed patients on a good diet and the correct supplements, I would have lost half of my practice.

Dr. Abram Hoffer, now in private practice as a consultant at the Orthomolecular Vitamin Information Centre in Victoria, BC, was recently awarded the inaugural Dr. Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine for his work using nutrition and vitamins to treat disease.

Usage patterns, health, and nutritional status of long-term multiple dietary supplement users: a cross-sectional study Block G, Jensen CD, Norkus EP, Dalvi TB, Wong LG, McManus JF, Hudes ML Nutrition Journal 2007, 6:30 (24 October 2007)

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