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Can vitamins cause cancer?
Çelik is a preventative oncologist and an expert on malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer. He is a doctor at Hacettepe University Hospital who specializes in researching factors that lead to cancer and informs the public of these factors. We had a chance to speak with Çelik recently about some of the factors that may lead to cancer. And judging from what he says, some of the very vitamins we take in an effort to ward off cancer might just be putting us at increased risk.
The rise of genetically modified and hormone-filled fruits and vegetables has led many people to believe they need to supplement their diets with vitamins. Supplements and vitamins are very popular and easily accessible at pharmacies, and now people even buy supplements that claim to keep hair from falling out, to keep one healthy, to solve iron deficiencies, etc. Some people have even stopped consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, replacing them with vitamins and supplements. But Çelik offers up this strongly worded warning: “The use of vitamins can lead to cancer. Studies done in the 1990s proved this. All doctors are aware of this study. When you get your vitamin A from carrots or other vegetables, it can help protect against lung cancer, which is why some smokers started taking vitamin A (carotene) capsules every day. But actually, an opposite effect occurred, and the number of lung cancer cases exploded.” Çelik thus notes that actually, the best vitamin intake occurs when a person gets their vitamins from foods and not from pills. He warns that the real danger occurs when vitamins are separated from natural fibers, skins and the other fresh ingredients and placed into tablets.
5 ways to protect oneself from cancer:
These are steps suggested by international health organizations, not just Dr. Çelik. Here are five things you can do to protect yourself:
Consume lots of fibrous foods. Whole wheat breads, vegetables, etc.
Avoid eating too much red meat. Eat red meat only once a week.
Reduce your consumption of oils. Even too much olive oil can be harmful to your health, as it can cause weight gain, which increases the likelihood of certain types of cancer.
Make sure you consume five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This is quite an easy task in Turkey. Have tomatoes at breakfast, have some cooked vegetables during lunch and try to eat two kinds of fruit in the evening.
Stay away from alcohol. Çelik says: “People talk about drinking a glass of wine, but even this can pose a cancer risk. As for cigarettes, these pose a risk of lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Don’t smoke cigarettes and do not be near people who smoke if you can help it.”
More advice from Dr. Çelik: “Make sure you eat right. Consume lots of fiber and especially try to eat wheat bread because whole wheat foods protect your heart, keep you from being constipated and reduce your blood pressure levels. Wheat is like medicine. If it were a medicine, I would sell it! We need to return to our villages. ... If we would eat like our ancestors, stop using taking vitamins and keep active, we would reduce our risk of cancer.”
The importance of staying active
Çelik also notes that staying active reduces your risk of cancer, saying: “Move around a lot. Walk, for example. Get off the bus one stop before your own. Don’t use the elevator, and take the stairs.”
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