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High levels of vitamin E shown to increase prostate cancer risk

Category: Prostate

Men who consume excessive amounts of vitamin E may be significantly more likely to receive a positive PSA test for prostate cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health examined data collected from more than 35,000 men. The results showed that those who consumed more than 400 international units of vitamin E per day were 17 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer, compared to those whose daily consumption was lower.

The researchers did not give a specific reason for why vitamin E intake would be so strongly correlated with prostate cancer risk, but one group of investigators is planning to examine genetic information gathered from the participants to see if the nutrient interacts with certain genetic variations.

"There are many more questions raised by these study results than we have answers for, and thus the need for further investigation," said Laurence Baker, one of the researchers who conducted the study.

Next to skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of the disease in men.