Q: I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and will begin chemotherapy very soon. Are there any supplements or vitamins that I should start taking in order to prepare for that?
A: Before you take any supplements that might include vitamins, minerals or herbs, you need to have a thorough discussion with your oncologist and primary care doctor about the safety of taking such substances. If you are already taking any supplements you should tell your oncologist and he or she may or may not have you stop them during your chemotherapy treatments.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to your very important question. We know that getting the very best nutrition from the foods that you choose to eat is one of the most important things you can do for yourself as a cancer patient. It is very important that you try to get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat. Being optimized nutritionally is very important for all of us but especially important for cancer patients. Your body needs all of the defense mechanisms it can get in working to fight off the cancer and keep up a strong immune system (the system that helps the body fight disease and infection).
But the issue of taking vitamins during chemotherapy is complex. While it's possible that it might be a helpful thing to do, there is also evidence that taking vitamins during chemotherapy might actually interfere with some chemotherapy treatments and lessen its ability to help your cancer go away. So for now, the general recommendation is that patients should probably not take vitamins, supplements or herbs during active treatment (such as receiving chemotherapy or radiation). For those who are unable to get the RDA from their diet, some oncologists believe that it is acceptable to take a multivitamin during treatment as long as the content just meets the RDA of vitamins and minerals and doesn't exceed those values. The risk of having supplements interfere with treatment is greater as the dose of supplements increase. Be sure to follow the recommendations of your oncologist on this issue.
When your treatments have finished, and your oncologist says it's okay, I would highly recommend that you take a multivitamin along with paying close attention to getting the proper balance of nutrients in your diet. Many Americans do not get the RDA of certain vitamins and minerals even when trying to follow a balanced diet and therefore should supplement with a multivitamin. A multivitamin can help make sure that RDA levels are being met.
The RDA represents the bare minimum of nutrients that bodies need to be healthy. The optimal daily intake of nutrients, which many believe should be higher than the RDA, has not been clearly determined. Fortunately, there is ongoing research occurring that will more clearly determine the optimal levels of nutrients that the body needs to be strong when healthy and when dealing with disease. |
