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Friday, 05 December 2008
Selenium and vitamin E supplements do not prevent prostate cancer and may in fact be a little bit dangerous, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
The study of 35,000 men showed the supplements did not work together or alone to prevent prostate cancer, the most common type of cancer in men in the United States.
"As we continue to monitor the health of these 35,000 men, this information may help us understand why two nutrients that showed strong initial evidence to be able to prevent prostate cancer did not do so," Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who worked on the study, said in a statement.
Other, earlier studies had suggested that the two supplements might prevent prostate cancer. Both are antioxidants -- compounds that interfere with chemical reactions that can damage cells and DNA.
The National Cancer Institute, which helped organize the study, said men taking part are being told to stop taking the supplements they had been given but will continue to have their health monitored for about three more years.
"The data also showed two concerning, but not statistically significant, trends: there were slightly more cases of prostate cancer in men taking only vitamin E and slightly more cases of diabetes in men taking only selenium," the NCI, one of he National Institutes of Health, said in a statement.
"Neither of these findings proves an increased risk from the supplements and may be due to chance."
The men in the study were randomly assigned to take one of four sets of supplements or placebos, with one group taking both selenium and vitamin E; one taking selenium and a placebo; one taking vitamin E and a placebo; and the final group getting two dummy pills.
The American Cancer Society predicts that in 2008, an estimated 186,320 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 28,660 will die from it in the United States alone.
Source:
Reuters
Reported by Maggie Fox
http://www.reuters.com/
Comment:
Recently, there were a few news articles, revolving around the use of supplements and cholesterol-lowering statins in separate studies involving prostate cancer. It is not surprising that supplements came out as "not effective" while the statins proved to be successful. The articles were also prompt in mentioning that supplements "may in fact be little bit dangerous," and "statins lower the blood markers in prostate cancer." It would be thought provoking to read these articles with the background that Pfizer – the largest beneficiary from Lipitor sales – has posted a huge drop in their profits in 2008 and Lipitor (a statin) and few other blockbuster drugs are going off patent very soon. When the company is trying to all avenues to recover the enormous potential loss such confusing studies cannot come at a better time, appropriate to scare patients away from supplements and lure them towards statins.
This particular study claims that selenium and vitamin E are not effective and in fact are dangerous for prostate cancer patients. However the January 2007 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study proving exactly the opposite: Selenium reduces prostate cancer risk in men taking extra vitamin E. Previous studies have also found that high serum selenium levels were linked with a reduced risk of prostate cancer, however in the 2007 study, men who were found to have the highest serum selenium levels and also reported taking high quantities of vitamin E experienced a 42 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer compared to those with the lowest serum selenium. In addition in that study the high serum selenium was linked to a 35 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer in smokers.
Scientists from Dr. Rath's Research Institute have used the "synergistic approach" using natural, safe and effective nutrients, such as vitamin C, lysine, proline, and green tea extract combined with supporting nutrients like selenium, vitamin E, N-Acetyl Cysteine, etc., to combat almost 30 different types of cancers including prostate cancer. Dr. Rath has been pioneer of the concept of "Nutrient Synergy" – by using specific nutrients in precise combinations for better results than mega doses of any single nutrient. You can read more about Dr. Rath's cancer research and several peer-reviewed scientific publications on www.drrathresearch.org and understand the concept of Nutrient Synergy on www.cellularhealthtraining.org
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