Health Buzz: Vitamin Pills and Cancer Prevention and Other Health News

Vitamins, Beta Carotene Supplements Don't Seem to Prevent Cancer

Antioxidant-rich vitamin and beta carotene supplements don't appear to prevent cancer in women, according to new research, published online yesterday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "Simply taking antioxidant supplements is insufficient to prevent cancer development," lead study author Jennifer Lin, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told HealthDay. A better bet: Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, which are also rich in antioxidants, she advised. Studies released in recent years suggest that calcium, folic acid, and vitamins B, C, D, and E don't offer the cancer-prevention benefits many once thought they had. Earlier studies suggested vitamins might offer protection via antioxidants, which decrease cell damage in the body. In the new study, 8,171 women took vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta carotene supplements. They were assigned to either take one supplement, a combination of supplements, or a placebo, HealthDay reports. There was no evidence that the supplements helped or hindered the participant's risk of ending up with cancer.

Do vitamins and supplements work as weapons in fending off chronic and age-related disease? The answers are mixed, depending on the supplement. It might be best to adjust your diet in order to get essential nutrients. Try these 11 easy ways to load up on healthful omega-3 fats. Also, consider four distinct diet styles that promote health, the Mediterranean diet, Asian diet, Latin American diet, and vegetarian diets.

How to Beat Stress and Angst Through Meditation

There's nothing like economic calamity to focus the mind. But instead of obsessing over your job security or declining 401(k) balance, try diminishing your stress via a very old tool: meditation. Stretching back thousands of years to ancient spiritual traditions, meditation—while still not exactly mainstream—has been attracting a growing following of secular practitioners in recent years. Data released in December by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, an arm of the National Institutes of Health, show that 9.4 percent of adults surveyed in 2007 had tried meditation at least once during the previous year, a significant increase from 7.6 percent in 2002. And 1 percent of children had zoned in, too.

Once considered far outside the mainstream, alternative medicine is now being embraced by top hospitals. Learning the art of relaxation through meditation and other techniques can help you get through the holiday season—and through other stressful times of the year.

FDA Approves Eyelash Growth Drug. Should You Take It?

A new drug called Latisse was approved last week by the Food and Drug Administration for those with dull or thinning eyelashes. The drug, made by the manufacturer of Botox, contains the active ingredient of the glaucoma drug Lumigan, which was found to cause thicker eyelashes during treatment. Latisse is meant for those with a real (and often genetic) health problem called hypotrichosis, in which no hair grows on the eyelid. It may also be useful for those who've suffered permanent eyelash loss because of chemotherapy or other medical treatments. But U.S. News's Deborah Kotz blogs that she's concerned about tabloid headlines like this one in the British Telegraph declaring, "Chemical drug by Botox makers could spell the end of mascara." As with any FDA-approved drug, Kotz reports, doctors can use their discretion to prescribe this drug to any woman who complains of thinning lashes. And like any drug, Latisse carries a risk of side effects.

Kotz has written earlier about the price women pay for beauty. Some get Botox, hoping it will help them land a job. Others get face-lifts, even before aging sets in. Meanwhile, the FDA is taking a closer look at wrinkle treatments.

—January W. Payne

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