B Complex /B6 Vitamins

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Where are you Vivre??? :) 

 My BC was ER+/PR+ --- would it benefit me to take BComplex vitamins? 

I was trying to search the internet but can't find any infor. on B Vitamins benefits

Comments

  • Fantomia
    Fantomia Member Posts: 16
    edited December 2009

    I have read that cancer patients should not have to much folic acid, but I don't know if there are other B-vitamins to avoid - are there studies that show that ER+ and PR+ positive women should not have b-vitamins? I am ER and PR positive myself, and I take B-vitamins in form of brewers yeast. I prefer vitamins in natural form as they are in natural balance then and not some of the vitamins pumped up in volume because the latest research shows benefit on some diseases - like folic acid on heart diseases.. (also I try to avoid all the pills and I believe vitamins works better in synergy) If anyone know about this - about brewers yeast too (it made on beets, not grains and hoops)  I'm very curious too..

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited December 2009

    Sorry, just bumping this up - hoping someone can share what they have learned/been told?

    I was reading about the folic acid - there is some contradictory information.

  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited December 2009

    Folic acid blocks the action of certain chemotherapy drugs.  Once chemo is done there should be no problem taking folic acid. 

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited December 2009

    Yikes, I didn't know anything about interactions between chemo and folic acid.  My doc has had me on 5 mg of folic acid for a few years since I had an aneurysm.  What chemo drugs are blocked because of folic acid?  Thanks,

    tucker

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited December 2009

    "An anticancer drug used for chemotherapy called methotrexate is known to be less absorbed by patients taking excessive dosages of folic acid"

    I wouldn't think 5mg of folic acid would be excessive.

  • KEW
    KEW Member Posts: 745
    edited December 2009

    I would read these articles and decide for yourself

    http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/302/19/2119 

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18714059 

    They are actually abstracts, I've seen the whole paper but can't find it today.  It boils down that there were studies going on looking at the effects of B12 and B6 on heart issues, and the studies were stopped because there was a statistically significant increase of cancer in the patients who were recieiving folic acid, B6.  It would have be unethical to continue the studies.  From what I read their contention was not that folic acid caused cancer, but if there were cancer cells in the body it encouraged growth.  I think trying to get nutrients as closely as we can to how they were intended is probably a good idea.  I like the brewers yeast idea.

    KEW 

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited December 2009

    Supposedly I don't have any cancer cells in my body. There were no nodes that were positive, no vascular invasion, and I had a double mast just in case.  But I will quit the folic acid anyway. 

    Folic acid is in most multivitamins, though.  What do you do about that?  Because I had chemo in late '08 and for a few months in '09 I think building my immune system is #1 priority.  I do that with vitamins as well as eating fresh fruits/veggies and juicing. 

    tuckertwo

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited January 2010

    KEW - THANKS for the links!! I agree with you ladies - fruits/veggies are the best way to go.

  • NativeMainer
    NativeMainer Member Posts: 10,462
    edited January 2010

    There's a chemo regimen called "High dose methotrexate with leukovorin rescue" that uses a toxic dose of methotrexate followed by a dose of leukovorin (folic acid) to deactivate the methotrexate after a certain time, usually a few hours. 

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