Vitamin E boosts prostate cancer risk
US researchers warned Tuesday of an alarming link between vitamin E supplements and a 17 percent increased risk of prostate cancer, describing the findings as an “important public health concern.” Ten years after the start of a randomized trial of more than 35,000 men, researchers discovered the spike in prostate cancer among those assigned to take vitamin E rather than selenium or a placebo.
“Dietary supplementation with vitamin E significantly increased the risk of prostate cancer among healthy men,” said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Selenium, a trace mineral found in foods like Brazil nuts, tuna and beef, is often deficient in areas such as China and Russia where it is lacking in the soil.
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