Supplements and Breast Cancer Survivors

In the October 2013 issue of the Natural Medicine Journal, Tina Kaczor comments on findings from the After Breast Cancer Pooling Project which analyzes info from 4 separate large studies of women with a history of breast cancer (totalling over 12,000 women).   The project found that women who took antioxidant supplements (multivitamin, vitamin C, or vitamin E) had a 16% decreased risk of death from any cause.  Vitamin E supplementation was also associated with a decreased risk of cancer recurrence.  Vitamin D was associated with a decreased risk of cancer recurrence among women who had estrogen receptor positive breast cancer only.  No supplements were found to be associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence or death.  These findings help confirm that integrating antioxidant based supplements can be a positive, health supportive step for women who have  survived breast cancer.