Vitamin E raises prostate cancer risk
17 October 2011
Vitamin E supplements may significantly increase the risk of prostate cancer among healthy men, researchers warn.
Long-term follow-up of approximately 30,000 men aged 50-plus years participating in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) found that among those taking 400 IU of vitamin E daily there were 11 more cases of prostate cancer per 1000 men compared to those on placebo ('dummy' pills), a 17 per cent increased risk (JAMA 2011; 306: 1549-56).
The trial, conducted in the US, Puerto Rico and Canada was halted early due to lack of an overall effect on prostate cancer. Examination of follow-up data showed an increased risk of the cancer with vitamin E, while men randomly allocated to a group taking selenium alone or in combination with vitamin E had no increased risk.
Last Reviewed: 21 October 2011
- 1. Klein EA, Thompson IM Jr, Tangen CM, et al. Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA 2011; 306: 1549-56. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/14/1549.long (accessed Oct 2011).
