Life Extension

Many people whether they consider themselves to be believers in the life extension practice or not, take vitamins and supplements in an effort to reduce their risk of cancer. This is completely understandable. Cancer is a devastating disease and people want to take steps to avoid it with diet, exercise and supplements.

Supplements such as antioxidants found in green tea, vitamin C and vitamin E have been shown to help in the fight against free radicals. Free radicals are cells that are abnormal and begin to accumulate in a particular area. They are thought to be the beginning stage of cancer and other diseases. Antioxidants work by preventing the formation of these abnormal cell groups. In a way they stop cancer before it has a chance to start.

In addition to antioxidants, many people take dehydroepiandrosterone, known as DHEA. DHEA has been shown in laboratory tests on mice to inhibit cancers in the lung, breast, colon and the skin. It does so blocking an enzyme known as glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase. This enzyme, G6PDH, is one that promotes cancer cell development, so by blocking it, the DHEA gets in the way of cancer production. And even more amazing, DHEA is able to block the cancer development without the toxic side effects associated with treatment options like chemotherapy.

Analysis of patients with cancer shows that they have a decreased level of DHEA. This decrease is also seen in the general population as they get older. This correlation has lead many people with a family history of cancer as well as those pursuing a life extension plan to take DHEA as a supplement.

While antioxidants are widely embraced by mainstream doctors as a way to protect the body against the onset of cancer, DHEA does not enjoy the same standing. To date DHEA has only been tested in laboratory settings on mice. Like other supplements it is not subject to FDA approval. This step-child status was highlighted in a major study released by the National Cancer Institute.

In the study the Institute compared the use of multivitamins and supplements to the risk of prostate cancer. As life extension proponent Ray Kurzweil points out, the study seems to be misleading due to several biases.

When the study points out the fact that men who take these supplements have a higher occurrence of prostate cancer than the general population, they are suggesting a causal link between the supplements and the disease. According to Kurzweil, this is not a fair comparison because men who take supplements may be more subject to cancer due to a family history of the disease. Also men who take supplements in general are more health conscience and therefore more likely to seek cancer screening.

Kurzweil went on to point out that a diagnosis of cancer would also lead a man to begin a supplement routine in hopes of lessening the cancer or reducing the risk of additional cancer. All of these factors make it unfair to try to establish causation between the supplements and the onset of prostate cancer.