Vitamin E may prevent prostate cancer

Risk of disease reduced 32 percent in men taking supplements


By Charlene Laino

Prostate cancer check-up
Cancer Wars: Hypes vs. Hopes
New research adds to the mounting evidence that antioxidants may help prevent cancer, with scientists reporting Tuesday that the risk of prostate cancer was one third lower in men who took daily supplements of vitamin E than those who did not.

Vitamin E is abundant in vegetable oils, wheat germ, whole grain cereals and green, leafy vegetables.

IN A NEW study of 29,133 Finnish men, those who took 50 milligrams of vitamin E daily had a 32 percent
lower rate of symptomatic prostate cancer than those who did not. And the men taking the supplement were
41 percent less likely to die from the cancer, reported Dr. Olli P. Heinonen of the University of Helsinki in
Helsinki, Finland. While the study was not designed to determine why the vitamin might protect against the cancer that
will strike 185,000 American men this year, previous research has shown that anti-oxidants sop up so-called
oxygen free radicals that can damage DNA and lead to cancer, he noted. And vitamin E may also enhance the
disease-fighting abilities of the immune system, Heinonen said. The study looked at one of eight naturally occurring
forms of vitamin E — alpha-tocopherol — and its most common source in food.

The daily recommended intake of 8 to 10 milligrams daily can be consumed by eating a diet abundant in vegetable oils, wheat germ, whole grain cereals and green, leafy vegetables. For the new study, which appears in Wednesday’s issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 29,133 male smokers ages 50 to 69 in southwestern Finland were randomized to receive one of four treatments for five to eight years: vitamin E (50 milligrams daily); beta carotene (20 milligrams daily); vitamin E plus beta carotene; or placebo.

While men who received vitamin E, alone or in combination with beta carotene, were protected against prostate cancer, beta-carotene alone did not prevent the disease. In fact, there was a trend toward higher rates of prostate cancer in drinkers who took beta carotene, the researchers found. Moreover, the reduction in risk associated with vitamin E was seen only among men with more aggressive cancers that resulted in symptoms, not among those with latent, nonsymptomatic prostate cancer.

While 38,200 American men are expected to die from the cancer this year, many more live with non-symptomatic tumors, eventually dying from other causes.


RESEARCH PRAISED
Nevertheless, other researchers praised the new work. While prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among males, very little is known about its risk factors, noted William Isaacs, associate professor of urology and oncology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. But evidence is mounting that a variety of dietary factors may play a role, said Dr. Karin B.
Olson and Dr. Kenneth J. Pienta of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor. Among
the recent news: A recent study found higher rates of prostate cancer among men with low levels of vitamin E. Scientists reported that lycopenes, natural anti-oxidants abundant in tomatoes, might protect against prostate lung cancer. While lycopenes can also be found in watermelon and pink grapefruit, tomatoes are the main dietary source, noted Dr. Jean Ford of Harlem Hospital Center in New York. High intake of fat and dietary calcium may increase the risk of the disease, according to the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

 

Thanks to Joe I

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