Study Do These Supplements Increase Cancer Risk?

What effect does the intake of iron supplements have??

There have been discussions for a long time about how useful dietary supplements are for humans. Researchers now found that two common compounds in dietary supplements with iron can increase the growth of a known cancer biomarker.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, the UK Medical Research Council and the University of Cambridge found in their study that dietary supplements with iron increase a biomarker for cancer. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Oncotarget".

Dietary supplements are not always good for your health. There are also ingredients that can harm people. (Image: pat_hastings / fotolia.com)

Compounds in iron can increase amphiregulin

In their research, the experts examined the effects of ferric citrate and iron (III) -differment, which are widely used in nutritional supplements. The team used normal dosages of compounds and compared the effect to iron sulfate, another commonly available iron compound. The researchers found that although iron (II) sulfate has no effect on the cells, both ferric citrate and ferric EDTA cause an increase in amphiregulin.

What is amphiregulin??

From the results, it can be concluded that ferric citrate and ferric EDTA may be carcinogenic as they both enhance the production of amphiregulin, say the physicians. Amphiregulin, a well-known cancer marker most commonly associated with long-lasting cancer with poor prognosis, adds study author Nathalie Scheers of Chalmers University of Technology in a press release. However, both iron citrate and ferric EDTA would be used in products available around the world, including the US and the EU.

There are many different types of iron compounds

With so many different types of iron supplements available, which can contain at least 20 different iron compounds, it can be difficult for consumers to know what they are buying and what they should avoid, say the experts. Many stores and suppliers do not really indicate what type of iron compound is present in their products. This also applies to pharmacies. Normally, the packaging only contains iron or iron mineral, which can be quite problematic for consumers, explains Scheers.

Further research is needed

It has to be taken into account that the study was carried out on human cancer cells which were cultured in the laboratory. But the possible mechanisms and the observed effects still call for caution, explain the researchers. Further investigations are needed now. The experts suggest that people who want to use an iron supplement should avoid supplements with iron citrate. Despite many studies on this topic remains unclear whether the intake of vitamin supplements brings health benefits.

Dietary supplements are harmful to your health?

Some studies suggest that such dietary supplements may be beneficial to health, for example, through the link between taking vitamin D supplements and reducing the risk of asthma. Other studies have found that some dietary supplements are ineffective at best and harmful in the worst case, say the authors.

A 2017 US study found a link between high-dose long-term supplementation of vitamins B6 and B12 and increased lung cancer risk in men. Another study over a period of ten years in 2015 found that the recommended doses of supplements (such as multi-vitamin) increase the risk of developing cancer and heart disease by more than 20 percent. (As)