Antioxidant supplements and their risk of skin cancers.

摘要

In their recent exhaustive and excellent review of the potential harmful effects of nutritional supplements, Driscoll et al discussed studies of zinc supplementation and skin cancer risk. In particular, they reviewed the Supplementation en Vitamines et Mineraux Antioxydants (SUVIMAX) and Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) studies.2'3 The first of these studies (SUVIMAX) was a randomized placebo-controlled study that reported an elevatedrisk of skin cancers in women-but notmen -taking a cocktail of antioxidants (ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, beta-carotene, zinc, and selenium). The second (VITAL) was a nonrandomized naturalistic study in which individuals taking these same antioxidants by choice were compared with people who chose not to take such nutritional supplements.