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Supplements for Cancer Patients

Supplements are additions to a normal diet meant to provide increased health benefits. While they are commonly used throughout the United States, they may be of particular interest to cancer patients who seek to offset or reduce the effects of their treatment. However, as of 2009, mainstream health authorities urge caution and consultation prior to supplement use.

  1. The Facts

    • According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, dietary supplements are any products taken orally that contain an ingredient meant to supplement (make an addition to) an individual's daily diet. Common supplement ingredients include minerals, herbs or other botanicals, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes. Supplement products come in forms including capsules, powders, tablets, gel caps, softgels and liquids. While regulation is improving, dietary supplements do not currently receive the same rigorous testing as drugs or medications.

    Function

    • The general purpose of dietary supplements is to provide health benefits that are not provided through normal food intake. These benefits may offset a lack in an individual's basic daily diet or add an improvement in body function not available through common food sources. In the case of cancer patients, dietary supplements are typically meant to support or enhance immune function, offset the effects of standard cancer treatments or directly reduce or kill cancer cells.

    Warning

    • Officials at the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society advise against unmonitored use of dietary supplements for cancer patients. Among their concerns are popular misconceptions about the effects of supplements and the potential of common supplements to diminish the effectiveness of cancer treatment. One example is use of the antioxidant vitamin E, which can negate certain forms of chemotherapy and radiation therapy by blocking their ability to target cancer cells' DNA.

    Considerations

    • Another serious consideration with supplement use is the difficulty in determining how they will act in the body. Even when substances have been studied in a laboratory, researchers often cannot predict their real-world effects. Supplements that appear beneficial in theory may cause actual harm. This problem is worsened by the lack of regulation of supplement contents. Supplements do not come in standardized doses, and items with the same name may vary widely in strength or purity.

    Potential

    • Despite current circumstances, mainstream researchers do not rule out the potential use of supplements in future cancer treatment. Dr. Jeffrey Wright, director of the government's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM), identifies advances in combined treatment approaches as "an area of special interest," and researchers at OCCAM and elsewhere are actively seeking effective ways to utilize supplementation along with chemotherapy and other treatments.

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