NATIONAL NEWS - First of all – laetrile or amygdalin, also known as vitamin B17 is not a vitamin. Laetrile is a synthetic form of the natural substance amygdalin. Amygdalin is a plant substance found in raw nuts and the pips of many fruits, particularly apricot kernels.
In the 1970s laetrile was widely publisized as an alternative cancer treatment – either on its own or as part of a programme with a specific diet, high doses of vitamin supplements and pancreatic enzymes.
The vitamin B17 scam
McGill’s Dr Joe Schwarcz says megastar Steve McQueen, who died of lung cancer in 1980, introduced him to “vitamin B17” which he had been taking at a Mexican cancer clinic in an attempt to halt the progress of the disease.
“By 1980 I had been teaching for a while and had developed several lectures on vitamins. But none of the books or publications I consulted had ever referred to a vitamin B17. As it turned out, for good reason. Vitamins are substances that must be included in the diet in order to maintain health and prevent certain deficiency diseases. They cannot be synthesized by the body. So what is vitamin B17?
"Essentially a scam. In the1950s, Dr. Ernst T. Krebs came up with the idea that a compound extracted from apricot pits, amygdalin, was able to selectively target cancer cells and destroy them by releasing cyanide. Krebs and his son Ernst Jr. became the first proponents of “Laetrile” therapy. When the government began to ask for evidence that the drug actually worked, Krebs changed his approach.
"The public was becoming familiar with the benefits of vitamins so he decided to convert Laetrile into one.
"Krebs now claimed, without any evidence, that cancer was a deficiency of “vitamin B17”. Numerous studies since carried out have failed to show that this substance can treat or prevent any type of cancer.”
No evidence that B17 cures cancer
There is no scientific evidence that laetrile or amygdalin can treat cancer. In South Africa CANSA says in its fact sheet: “There is no scientific evidence to support claims that Laetrile or Amygdalin can treat cancer or any other illness. Despite this, it has been promoted as an alternative cancer treatment.”
In spite of the above, laetrile continues to be promoted as an alternative cancer treatment and people continue to use it because they believe it might improve their health, detoxify and cleanse their bodies and help them live longer.
There are websites and magazines that still encourage people to use laetrile instead of conventional cancer treatments. Most of these base their claims on unsupported opinions and anecdotal evidence.
