Risk was highest when men had high or low levels of selenium already in their body
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Men taking selenium or vitamin E supplements might double their risk of prostate cancer, depending on the levels of selenium already in their bodies, a new study suggests.
Men who already have high concentrations of selenium in their bodies nearly double their risk of aggressive prostate cancer if they take selenium supplements, said lead author Dr. Alan Kristal, associate head of the Cancer Prevention Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
The new study, published Feb. 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, also found that vitamin E supplements can more than double a man's prostate cancer risk, but only if the man has low concentrations of selenium in his body.
The upshot, said Kristal, is simple: Don't take high-dose selenium or vitamin E supplements.
"No one's ever been able to demonstrate any benefit for taking high doses of selenium or vitamin E, so why do it?" he said. "There's no benefit, there's only risk, so what's the point?"
Men can still take their daily multivitamin without fear, however.
"The levels they were giving these men in the study are much higher than would be found in most multivitamins and higher than the daily recommended allowance," said Dr. Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancers for the American Cancer Society.
The new study is based on data gathered during the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), which was funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The study, begun in 2001, was prompted by early research that indicated the supplements might protect against prostate cancer.
The trial was designed to last 12 years, but was stopped early in 2008 after finding no protective benefit for selenium and an increased risk of prostate cancer among men taking vitamin E.
During the trial, men took 200 micrograms (mcg) of selenium and 400 IU of vitamin E daily, either separately or in combination.
By comparison, the recommended daily intake of selenium for adults is 55 mcg, and recommended daily intake of vitamin E is about 22 IU, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Researchers in this new study used toenail samples taken from SELECT participants to determine the level of selenium already in their bodies before taking the supplements.
They then re-analyzed the data to see if the amount of selenium already present in the body made any difference when it came to prostate cancer risk. They focused in on 1,739 men from the SELECT trial who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and, for comparison purposes, a random sample of 3,117 men without prostate cancer who were matched to the others by race and age.
source : Vitamin E, Selenium Supplements Might Double Chances of Prostate Cancer
