Multivitamins could increase risk of cancer by 30 per cent and should carry health warning, charity warns

MULTIVITAMINS could increase cancer risk by 30 per cent and should carry a health warning, a charity claims.

Killing Cancer Kindly (KCK) is urging the government to make the supplements prescription-only and restrict their long-term use.

It says the products “bombard the body with huge doses of wholly unnecessary nutrients” which act as a “superfood” for cancerous cells, helping them to grow and multiply.

Natural vitamins in foods, meanwhile, pose no danger because they are absorbed slowly.

The body takes only what it needs before flushing out the rest.

KCK said “compelling” research exists to suggest a link between synthetic vitamin consumption and increased rates of lung, prostate, bowel and breast cancers.

NHS oncologist Dr Mohammad Muneeb Khan, who leads the group, said: “We face a ticking time-bomb.”

He said: “Like antibiotics, vitamins should be used sparingly, only being taken by those who have a diagnosed vitamin deficiency, and only for as long as required to restore them to health.”

But the Health and Food Supplements Information Service (HSIS) wholly disagreed with the comments, saying the evidence provided by Dr Khan was decades old, and he makes more 'astonishing' claims in his book.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, a dietitian at HSIS, says: “Over-the-counter dietary supplements in the UK are safe to use and contain recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals as per government guidelines.

"The claim about cancer risk is absolute nonsense and, in my view, irresponsible.

“Nutrient deficiency is a real problem in the UK which is why the government recommends that everyone take a daily vitamin D supplement, and women planning a pregnancy top up with a folic acid supplement.

"Children under five years are also advised to take vitamins A, C and D according to the NHS. 

“The role of supplements is to top up our diets, not to replace nutritious foods.

"Given the results from recent UK dietary surveys, our diets in the UK could certainly do with a nutrient lift as so few of us are achieving a healthy, balanced diet and as a result taking a daily multivitamin and multimineral supplement is common sense to bridge such dietary gaps”.

Almost half of Brits are thought to take a daily supplement, which usually contain a broad spectrum of what manufacturers call ‘essential’ organic compounds.

These are said to help maintain normal metabolic function - the chemical reactions in our cells that change food into energy.

Our bodies need this energy to do everything from moving and thinking, to growing and repairing.

Supplements are considered safe to use and most worthwhile for those with recognised nutritional deficiencies.

Studies have long shown that a varied, balanced diet provides all the vitamins the average person needs.

The risk is said to be the same for all adults regardless of whether they live an otherwise healthy lifestyle.