Large doses of vitamin E boost prostate cancer risk

October 2011

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that mega doses of vitamin E significantly increase the risk of prostate cancer in men by 17 percent. The study is based on data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). The trial findings showed that, per 1,000 men, there were 76 prostate cancers in men who took only vitamin E supplements, vs. 65 in men on placebo over a seven-year period, or 11 more cases of prostate cancer per 1,000 men. Mayo Clinic prostate cancer expert Jeffrey Karnes M.D. discusses the results of the study.