B-12 & Folic Acid = Lung Cancer??

[Rezgirl]

Saw this on Good Morning America this AM. They said high doses of B-12 and folic acid are commonly reported as ingested by people with lung cancer. They stated that if you are deficient you should definitely take supplements but try to get these in your diet before you start poppin pills and if you do take pills then you shouldn't do high doses....anyone else hear this? What say you?

 

[AllAboutMoi]

I watched it this morning too. I wasn't too surprised to hear it. I didn't hear the reason why, did you? I also wonder if it matters if the vitamins are natural or synthetic. I was told before that if you must take vitamins make sure they are natural and not synthetic.

 

[Miss AJ]

A high dose for me may not be considered a high dose for you so how would we be able to tell we are taking too much? And I thought B vitamins were water soluble so you just end up peeing out the excess?

 

[Okay]

natural or synthetic? how can you tell? what happens if you take synthetic vitamins??

i always wondered HOW they made vitamins.. like folic acid.. where does that come from?

i feel really stupid for asking :s ..

 

[shunemite]

Any regular over the counter multi-vitamin won't have too much in it. As far as lung cancer itself, taking too much B12, is so far down the list, with smoking being way at the top. Anything you take like iron or B12 or Folate in excess is not good, no, but FDA wouldn't allow all that stuff to be over the counter in Walmart if over the counter doses were that harmful. I'm reading on the medical journals though, that b12 and folate DECREASE the risk of lung cancer.

 

[Okay]

natural or synthetic? how can you tell? what happens if you take synthetic vitamins??

i always wondered HOW they made vitamins.. like folic acid.. where does that come from?

i feel really stupid for asking :s ..

....

 

[Okay]

.................................................................

 

[taj]

Thanks for posting this! Recently I began taking high doseges of both consistently. I had no idea and I'm somewhat confused due to conflicting info. Some say it increases the risk of lung cancer and others say it decreases it.

 

[Foxglove]

I also thought you could pee out the excess bc they're water soluble
Either way low levels of B12 give you neurological problems and low levels of folic acid can lead to neural tube defects if you get pregnant (and these occur before you even realize you're pregnant) so I would still supplement them if you had low levels

 

[Foxglove]

natural or synthetic? how can you tell? what happens if you take synthetic vitamins??

i always wondered HOW they made vitamins.. like folic acid.. where does that come from?

i feel really stupid for asking :s ..

They're called vita-mins short for vital minerals bc the body needs them to live but doesn't make them
Normally we get them from food but they can be extracted from food and put in pill form
I'm pretty sure that's how most get made but I wouldn't be surprised to hear some brands make their own synthetic ones

 

[almond eyes]

High doses are the problem and also if someone is a smoker.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[Heavenly]

They're called vita-mins short for vital minerals bc the body needs them to live but doesn't make them
Normally we get them from food but they can be extracted from food and put in pill form
I'm pretty sure that's how most get made but I wouldn't be surprised to hear some brands make their own synthetic ones

Did not know this!!

Think I may have read somewhere that some vitamins are made to resemble the natural form. Apparantly (sp)... as long as the molecular structure of the synthetic vitamin resembles the natural one, then that is sufficient for its absorption into the body. For example, a vitamin can be made of pigsnot, as long as it behaves and looks like the original, and does the same thing as the original... its all good for its purpose.

Don't know if this is true, but it doesnt sit right with me.

 

[Foxglove]

Did not know this!!

Think I may have read somewhere that some vitamins are made to resemble the natural form. Apparantly (sp)... as long as the molecular structure of the synthetic vitamin resembles the natural one, then that is sufficient for its absorption into the body. For example, a vitamin can be made of pigsnot, as long as it behaves and looks like the original, and does the same thing as the original... its all good for its purpose.

Don't know if this is true, but it doesnt sit right with me.

That's why I always buy mine from GNC or Vitamin Shoppe or some other reputable sellers