Does Vitamin E prevent or cause cancer?

Interesting question.  Some reports demonstrate cancer prevention, but some show a lack of cancer prevention.  Many human and animal studies have demonstrated an association with dietary Vitamin E and fewer cancers.  BUT, a recent report from the SELECT Trial (Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial) showed an increase in prostate cancers in men supplementing their diet with Vitamin E, and which one, alpha-Tocopherol.  


Therein may lie the answer.  Vitamin E is a group of essential fat soluble vitamins: 4 tocopherols and several tocotrienols.  The tocopherols are the major source of Vitamin E in the US diet, they are all antioxidants but they are not all the same.  Recent research from Rutgers University http://news.rutgers.edu/medrel/news-releases/2012/04/rutgers-study-vitami-20120420 may have the answer.  


The simple answer to quote Dr. Chung S Yang, "Our message is that Vitamin E in the form of gamma-tocopherols...and delta-tocopherols...are beneficial in preventing cancers while the form of Vitamin E, alpha-tocopherol...has no such benefit".


Why is this important and how do we make this work for us?  The gamma and delta forms we get from our diet: plant seeds, avocados, nuts and oils (sunflower, sesame, cottonseed and canola), whole grains.  The supplement Vitamin E you buy at the health food store is almost always alpha-tocopherol.  So, if you buy a Vitamin E supplement make sure it provides a mixture of gamma and delta tocopherols similar to our diet.  The gamma and delta forms are cancer preventers in animal models of lung, colon, breast and prostate cancers.  Hopefully more research will show that they are cancer preventers in humans.  




Together we can prevent 75,000 breast cancer cases each year!




This content is informational and not personal medical advice.


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