title: Does vitamin E prevent or promote cancer?
abstract: The cancer preventive activity of vitamin E has been suggested by many epidemiologic studies. However, several recent large-scale human trials with α-tocopherol, the most commonly recognized and used form of vitamin E, failed to show a cancer preventive effect. The recently finished follow-up of the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) even showed higher prostate cancer incidence in subjects who took α-tocopherol supplementation. The scientific community and the general public are faced with a question: "Does vitamin E prevent or promote cancer?" Our recent results in animal models have shown the cancer preventive activity of γ- and δ-tocopherols as well as a naturally occurring mixture of tocopherols, and the lack of cancer preventive activity by α-tocopherol. On the basis of these results as well as information from the literature, we suggest that vitamin E, as ingested in the diet or in supplements that are rich in γ- and δ-tocopherols, is cancer preventive; whereas supplementation with high doses of α-tocopherol is not.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, 08854, USA. csyang@pharmacy.rutgers.edu
authors.forename: Chung S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Nanjoo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Ah-Ng Tony
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001361:Avitaminosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D018890:Chemoprevention / Q000379:methods; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D024505:Tocopherols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D024505:Tocopherols