Prostate cancer chances rise with vitamin E, selenium supplements

[SidDithers]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/prostate-cancer-chances-rise-with-vitamin-e-selenium-supplements-1.2546998

Men should avoid taking vitamin E or selenium supplements according to U.S. researchers who say the pills — which are often taken for cancer prevention — actually increased the risk of aggressive prostate cancer in some cases.

The study used data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, or SELECT, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of more than 35,000 men in the U.S.

The trial was stopped earlier than planned because it showed no protective effect for selenium and suggested an increased risk of cancer from vitamin E. Researchers told the men in the study to stop taking the supplements and kept checking in with them.

Investigators then re-analyzed the data for 1,739 men from the trial who were previously diagnosed with prostate cancer, compared with 3,117 others, without prostate cancer, who were matched to the patients by race and age.

Sid

[dipsydoodle]

1. I think its usually cancer institutes which prescribe selenium

for those with aggressive forms of cancer : not those who might get it. Didn't help my wife who died from a brain tumour when she was 45.

Limited experience but I've only ever come some taking vit E to help stop smoking.