Vitamin E Supplementation Linked to Prostate Cancer

An NIH study has established a link between vitamin E supplementation and prostate cancer. Men who took 400 iu’s of vitamin E daily had more prostate cancers compared with men who took a placebo. The findings showed that, per 1,000 men, there were 76 prostate cancers in men who took only vitamin E supplements versus 65 in men on placebo over a seven-year period, or 11 more cases of prostate cancer per 1,000 men. This represents a 17% increase in prostate cancers relative to those who took a placebo, the study noted. The current lifetime risk of prostate cancer for American men is 16%. In 2011, there will be an estimated 240,890 new cases of prostate cancer and 33,720 deaths from this disease in the US. JAMA Oct 11, 2011