A new study suggests that taking in vitamin E increases men's risk to prostate cancer by 64 percent if they have low levels of Selenium in the body.
Researchers from the Cancer Prevention Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, led by Alan Kristal, discovered that men who have high levels of Selenium in their body should not take high doses of it as well as vitamin E as both increases their chances of having prostate cancer.
They analyzed data gathered in the supposed 12-year Selenium Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) since it commenced in 2001. Initially, the study was done to see how Selenium and vitamin E supplements can protect one against prostate cancer.
In the previous study, the participants were either asked to take 200 micrograms (mcg) of selenium, 400 IU of vitamin E, or both -- all on a daily basis.
According to the U.S National Institutes of Health, the amounts were both higher than the recommended daily intake, which are 55 mcg for Selenium and about 22 IU for vitamin E.
However, researchers failed to see benefits from taking them and decided to stop the test in 2008, HealthDay reported. They analyzed toenail samples taken from participants before the study began to identify the level of Selenium present in their bodies.
After that, they re-analyzed the data and focused on the level of Selenium in the body of 1,739 participants before they developed prostate cancer.
They then found that men, with low levels of Selenium showed a 64 percent increase in the risk of prostate cancer and 111 percent risk to aggressive cancer when they take vitamin E supplements.
Furthermore, men with high levels of selenium in their body were 91 percent more at risk of high-grade cancer.
This study was published on Feb. 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
