Does vitamin E prevent or promote cancer?

Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2012 May;5(5):701-5. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-12-0045. Epub 2012 Apr 3.

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.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Avitaminosis / complications
  • Avitaminosis / epidemiology
  • Chemoprevention / methods
  • Clinical Trials as Topic / methods
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Tocopherols / administration & dosage
  • Tocopherols / therapeutic use
  • Vitamin E / adverse effects
  • Vitamin E / pharmacology
  • Vitamin E / physiology*
  • Vitamin E / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Vitamin E
  • Tocopherols