In France, cancer is the leading cause of death in men and the second in women. And according to Public Health France, many cancers could be avoided. In fact, approximately 41% of cancers in people over 30 are attributable to modifiable risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption or overweight and obesity.
“Prevention efforts in middle-aged and older adults today are largely limited to screening“, regrets Dr. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, main author of a new study published on April 25, 2022 in the journal Frontiers in Aging. And this study may have found a new method to prevent the risk of invasive cancer. In healthy people aged 70 or older, combination of high-dose vitamin D, omega-3s and exercise could limit the risk.
For three years, the team of researchers conducted a trial on 2157 participants from five European countries: Germany, Austria, France, Portugal and Switzerland. The participants were given high-dose vitamin D (2,000 μl per day compared to 800 according to the recommendations) as well as a supplementation of 1 g per day of omega-3 of marine origin. At the same time, they followed a muscle strengthening program, three times a week. The participants were divided into eight groups, to test the individual and combined benefits of these interventions and only one group received only a placebo.
A risk of developing cancer reduced by 61%
While several studies have already shown the benefits of physical exercise on cancer prevention, or the inhibiting effect of vitamin D or omega-3s on the development of cancer cells, no study has ever demonstrated the benefits and the effectiveness of these three combined actions.
And the results are promising. After three years of follow-up, the three treatments had benefits on the risk of invasive cancer. The individual benefit remains low, but once the three actions are combined, the overall risk of invasive cancer decreases by 61%.
“Our results, although based on multiple comparisons and requiring replication, may prove beneficial in reducing cancer burdenconcludes the main author. Future studies should verify the benefit of combination treatments in cancer prevention, also extending to longer follow-ups beyond the three-year duration assessed in this trial..”
Sources:
- “Combined Vitamin D, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and a Simple Home Exercise Program May Reduce Cancer Risk Among Active Adults Aged 70 and Older: A Randomized Clinical Trial”, Frontiers in AgingApril 25, 2022
- A combination of three simple treatments may reduce invasive cancer risk by 61% among adults aged 70+, Frontiers Science NewsApril 25, 2022
- Public Health France
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