Executive Summary

Supplementation of vitamins C, E and beta carotene in men is not linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, a study published Feb. 15 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concludes. Victoria Kirsh, NCI, et al., evaluated antioxidant intake from food and supplements in 29,361 men age 55-74 in the screening arm of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal & Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). Participants completed food frequency questionnaires that included questions about supplements and were followed for an average of 4.2 years. "There was no statistically significant association between the risk of prostate cancer and the duration of use of supplemental vitamin E, beta carotene or vitamin C," the authors state, although there was a "slightly reduced risk" for participants who had used vitamin E for 10 years or more. However, "high-dose supplemental vitamin E intake was associated with a reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer in current and recent smokers," the researchers add...