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. Cancer Prev Res; 1–5. ©2012 AACR.