Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Prostate cancer

Neither vitamin E nor selenium prevent prostate cancer

Data on the value of dietary supplements in reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer have been conflicting; however, two large randomized trials have indicated that prostate cancer risk is not reduced by the long-term use of vitamin E, vitamin C or selenium supplements.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Lippman, S. M. et al. Effect of selenium and vitamin E on risk of prostate cancer and other cancers: the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). JAMA 301, 39–51 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Gaziano, J. M. et al. Vitamins E and C in the prevention of prostate and total cancer in men: the Physicians' Health Study II randomized controlled trial. JAMA 301, 52–62 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Clark, L. C. et al. Effects of selenium supplementation for cancer prevention in patients with carcinoma of the skin. A randomized controlled trial. Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Study Group. JAMA 276, 1957–1963 (1996).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Virtamo, J. et al. Incidence of cancer and mortality following α-tocopherol and β-carotene supplementation: a post-intervention follow-up. JAMA 290, 476–485 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Lonn, E. et al. Effects of long-term vitamin E supplementation on cardiovascular events and cancer: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 293, 1338–1347 (2005).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Chan, J. M., Gann, P. H. & Giovannucci, E. L. Role of diet in prostate cancer development and progression. J. Clin. Oncol. 23, 8152–8160 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Key, T. J. et al. Plasma carotenoids, retinol, and tocopherols and the risk of prostate cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 86, 672–681 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Allen, N. E. et al. Plasma selenium concentration and prostate cancer risk: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 88, 1567–1575 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Duffield-Lillico, A. J. et al. Selenium supplementation, baseline plasma selenium status and incidence of prostate cancer: an analysis of the complete treatment period of the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial. BJU Int. 91, 608–612 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Roddam, A. W. et al. Insulin-like growth factors, their binding proteins, and prostate cancer risk: analysis of individual patient data from 12 prospective studies. Ann. Intern. Med. 149, 461–471 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naomi E. Allen.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Allen, N., Key, T. Neither vitamin E nor selenium prevent prostate cancer. Nat Rev Urol 6, 187–188 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2009.47

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2009.47

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing