Preventing Dialysis-Related Cancer

It has long been established that patients on dialysis have a significantly higher cancer rate than the general population. Recent research, however, has shown that the cancer risk in this patient group can be reduced by giving them Benfotiamine, a provitamin of thiamine (vitamin B1). Benfotiamine has been available over-the-counter since 1959 in Germany and is so safe that the German package insert reports that "no side-effects have ever been reported" and that in case of accidental overdose, "no medical intervention is necessary." After Benfotiamine was shown in research published in 2003 to have an effect in preventing the development of diabetic complications, it has become quite a popular supplement and can be purchased without a prescription at a number of internet sites, or directly from a German pharmacy.

Source: N. Schupp, et al, "New Approaches for the Treatment of Genomic Damage in Endstage Renal Disease," Journal of Renal Nutrition vol. 18, no. 1 (January, 2008) pp. 127-133.