Recently I have added many additional supplements into my diets and in doing so I like to do my research on the effects of these supplements. While doing so I found some alarming accusations and studies that supported that a few of the supplements that I take could lead to cancer, usually kidney, liver, and colon cancer to be specific. Most of the arguments made sense seeing as how most of them argued that the body would have a harder time processing these supplements then regular food and this would stress these organs, which would lead to cancer. I will list a few of the supplements that I did research on and talk about if this theory is true or not.
First I will talk about Protein supplements, most common is Whey Protein. I have been taking this supplement for years now but recently dramatically increased the amount I took so I wanted to see how this could affect me. At first everywhere I looked people talked about the benefits of taking whey protein, but there were always one or two people out there in various forums that stated that taking protein could cause kidney, liver, or colon cancer. Because of this I decided to do my own research and look into this problem. Searching through the internet I found many articles, studies and health sites that had various opinions on the matter. Although some sites were uncertain about whether or not whey protein causes cancer or not, most of the studies I found concluded that contrary to the theory intake of whey protein actually decreased the risk of colon cancer. One such study is as follows.
First I will talk about Protein supplements, most common is Whey Protein. I have been taking this supplement for years now but recently dramatically increased the amount I took so I wanted to see how this could affect me. At first everywhere I looked people talked about the benefits of taking whey protein, but there were always one or two people out there in various forums that stated that taking protein could cause kidney, liver, or colon cancer. Because of this I decided to do my own research and look into this problem. Searching through the internet I found many articles, studies and health sites that had various opinions on the matter. Although some sites were uncertain about whether or not whey protein causes cancer or not, most of the studies I found concluded that contrary to the theory intake of whey protein actually decreased the risk of colon cancer. One such study is as follows.
Pregnant female Sprague Dawley rats (days 3–4 of gestation) were maintained on modified AIN-93G diets formulated with a single protein source of either casein or whey. Life-time exposure to these diets was studied in the F1 generation (experiment A) or the F2 generation (experiment B). Male offspring were weaned to the same diets as the dams and were maintained on these diets throughout the study. At age 90 days, all rats received azoxymethane once a week for 2 weeks (s.c., 15 mg/kg). Forty weeks after the last azoxymethane injection, all rats were euthanized, the colon was examined visually for tumors, and each tumor was histologically evaluated. The weights and distribution of all of the tumors were recorded. In experiment A, rats fed the casein diet had a 56% incidence of colon tumors compared with 30% of the rats on whey-based diets (P < 0.05). In experiment B, rats fed the casein diet had 50% incidence of colon tumors compared with 29% in the whey group (P < 0.05). There were no significant effects of diet on tumor multiplicity or mass. These results suggest that consumption of whey protein-containing diets may reduce the risk of developing colon tumors.Most other sites I found had similar conclusions. If there was a connection in taking whey protein and it causing cancer, the only advice I would give is to not abuse and take the recommended amount according to you weight.
The second supplement I looked into was creatine. I have heard many negative things about creatine and wanted to look into whether these statements were true or not. Upon reading research found on the internet the conclusion ended up being the same as with whey protein. Long term studies showed no negative effects on the liver. Even a study that I found on PubMed showed that there was no harm to your system from taking creatine. But again I would still caution taking excessive amounts of this supplement because like whey, most of these sites also said that over consumption of both of these supplements could have other negative effects such as the development of kidney stones.
Lastly the supplement that surprised me the most was fish oil supplements. I have been told by many people and doctors to take fish oil supplements because they are great for my health. Because of this I really did not do any research on if this supplement could cause cancer but upon reading a few nutrition forums looking for information on whey and creatine I ran into one that stated that taking fish oil which contains omega-3 could cause cancer. I was under impression that omega-3’s were great for your body, and was the main reason most people took fish oil supplements. Also omega-3’s are a known anti-inflammatory which from class I learned helped to deter cancer. According to an article in science daily, a study done on omega-3 found that intake of omega-3 instead had a two and a half times risk of developing aggressive high grade prostate cancer! On a positive not though taking fish oil and other substances that contain omega-3’s do help in preventing heart disease because of their anti-inflammatory effects. On a side not, I also did some research on multi vitamin supplements but like whey and creatine most sites were unsure of actual effects of long-term effects. Still they advise that it is always better to get your vitamins from natural sources such as vegetables.
This research to me was very interesting and even though there MAY be some risk of cancer or other diseases from taking these supplements, I believe that the benefits from taking these supplements outweigh the damages. If taken wisely and under correct amounts, I believe that there will be no harm on my kidney, liver or colon. But of course always do research and if you already have problems with these organs it would probably wise to stay away from these supplements and get them from natural sources.
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Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/261806-whey-protein-kidney-damage/
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/creatine-000297.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12500988
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110425135643.htm
http://www.about-muscle.com/articles/fighting-cancer-with-whey.php
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/10/5/555.full
http://www.livestrong.com/article/335503-creatine-effects-on-the-liver/
http://www.ezhealthydiet.com/casein-protein.html
