Is vitamin E linked to prostate cancer?

It was once thought that taking vitamin E could reduce the risk of prostate cancer. However, recent research suggests this is not the case. read more

The trial was designed to last 12 years, but was stopped early in 2008 after finding no protective benefit for selenium and an increased risk of prostate cancer among men taking vitamin E. During the trial, men took 200 micrograms (mcg) of selenium and 400 IU of vitamin E daily, either separately or in combination. read more

There are no clinical trials that show a benefit from taking vitamin E or selenium to reduce the risk of prostate cancer or any other cancer or heart disease (2, 3, 5-9). While the men in SELECT who took both vitamin E and selenium did not have a statistically significant increase in their risk for prostate cancer, they also did not have a reduced risk of prostate cancer or any other cancer or heart disease. read more

The SELECT trial was initiated after another study, known as the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention Trial, found that men who took vitamin E experienced fewer prostate cancer diagnoses and fewer prostate cancer deaths than men who took a placebo. read more

An earlier analysis, published in 2008, found no benefit – vitamin E and selenium, taken alone or in combination, did not prevent prostate cancer. And there were two worrisome trends: a small increase in the number of prostate cancers among vitamin-E users and a small rise in Type 2 diabetes among men taking selenium. read more