Selenium and vitamin E supplements ‘increase prostate cancer risk”
Monday 24 February 2014 – 12am PST

A new study recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that taking high doses of selenium and vitamin E supplements may increase the risk of prostate cancer, depending on a man’s selenium levels prior to taking the supplements.
The research team, including first author Dr. Alan Kristal of the Public Health Sciences Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, analyzed 1,739 patients with prostate cancer and 3,117 matched controls from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT).
According to the investigators, previous research has suggested that men who already have an adequate intake of selenium would not benefit from supplements of the nutrient.
Therefore, the researchers took selenium measurements from the toenails of participants at the baseline of the study.
Selenium is a chemical element most commonly found in seafoods and organ meats, such as liver. Other food sources of selenium include muscle meats, cereals and dairy products.
The National Institutes of Health state that selenium is nutritionally essential for humans and plays roles in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism and DNA syntheses, as well as protects against oxidative damage and infection.
According to the Food and Nutrition Board, the recommended dietary allowance for both males and females aged 14 years and over is 55 mcg per day.
For the study, the researchers wanted to determine whether taking daily high doses of vitamin E (400 IU) and/or selenium (200 mcg) may reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Vitamin E is a group of fat-soluble compounds that act as an antioxidant in the body. The vitamin is commonly found in foods such as nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals.
Dietary supplements ‘not necessarily helpful or innocuous’SELECT began in 2001 and was scheduled to carry on for 12 years. But in 2008, the study was called to a halt on the grounds that no protective effects were found from selenium supplements and vitamin E supplements were thought to increase the risk of prostate cancer.
However, although the men stopped taking the supplements in 2008, the researchers continued following them in order to monitor their prostate cancer risk.
The findings revealed that men who had high selenium levels at the beginning of the study had a 91% increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer. According to the researchers, the levels of selenium for these men became toxic.
The investigators also found that for men with low selenium levels at the baseline of the study, vitamin E increased total prostate cancer risk by 63%, while high-grade prostate cancer risk increased by 111%.
“Many people think that dietary supplements are helpful or at the least innocuous. This is not true,” says Dr. Kristal.
“We know from several other studies that some high-dose dietary supplements – that is, supplements that provide far more than the daily recommended intakes of micronutrients – increase cancer risk.
We knew this based on randomized, controlled, double-blinded studies for folate and beta carotene, and now we know it for vitamin E and selenium.”
He adds that people taking vitamin E or selenium supplements should stop because there is no evidence that they produce any health benefits – only risks.
Dr. Kristal says that even standard multivitamins – which he says have yet to demonstrate any risk – could be harmful in high doses.
“Taking a broad view of the recent scientific studies, there is an emerging consistency about how we think about optimal intake of micronutrients,” he adds.
“There are optimal levels, and these are often the levels obtained from a healthful diet, but either below or above the levels there are risks.”
Of late, there have been many studies questioning the health benefits of vitamin supplements. Medical News Today recently reported on a study suggesting that vitamin C and E supplements may hinder athletes’ training, while other research suggests that multivitamins are a waste of money and have no health benefits.
Written by Honor Whiteman


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….SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A national, multi-institutional database study found readmission and complication rates were significantly lower for robotic-assisted prostate surgery than for open prostate surgery.1 The full study results were published in the November 19 electronic edition of the Journal of Endourology.

“Readmissions for Medicare patients alone currently add $17.4 billion each year in health care spending,” said Lead Investigator Robert Nadler MD, Northwestern Medicine Vice Chair of Urology. “The findings from this study show that beyond the patient benefit, robotic-assisted surgery may be relevant to reducing health care costs as it results in reduced readmission rates compared to open surgery.”

This retrospective study used the National Surgical Quality Improvement (NSQIP) database to analyze data on patients who received a prostatectomy in 2011. A total of 5,471 patients and more than 400 hospitals were included in the study. Of those patients, 1,097 (20 percent) had an open procedure and 4,374 (80 percent) had a minimally invasive robotic-assisted procedure. No patients had a laparoscopic procedure.

Overall, the robotic-assisted group experienced significantly lower overall complication rates, surgical complication rates, and unplanned readmission rates. Although the operative time was significantly longer for the robotic-assisted group than for the open group, this did not result in higher complications during or after surgery. A full comparison between the two procedures showed:1

Robotic-assisted Prostatectomy(n=4374) versus Open Prostatectomy(n=1097)
Overall Complication Rate : 5.62% versus 23.25%
Surgical Complication Rate : 0.91% versus 3.37%
Unplanned Readmission Rate : 3.48% versus 5.47%
Operative Time : 212.3 minutes versus 174.0 minutes

When you’re being treated for cancer, it’s more important than ever to eat right and get adequate nutrition — but it can also be more difficult than ever to adhere to a balanced cancer diet. Your body is working overtime to fight the cancer, while it’s also doing extra duty to repair healthy cells that may have been damaged as a side effect of treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. At the same time, many cancer treatments — especially chemotherapy — come with side effects that drain your strength and sap your appetite. So how can you make sure you’re getting all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals you need to keep a balanced cancer diet?

1.Participate in regular exercise. Walking is best.
2.Limit your calorie intake. Excess calories are bad for cancer growth. Eat what you need to get to the next meal, not the usual American style of eating all you can as if you are never going to eat again.
3.Get sunshine daily. Darker-skinned people need more sunshine.
4.Don’t follow these or any guidelines to excess. Moderation is the key.
5.Heart healthy is prostate healthy. Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer, even in men with prostate cancer.
6.Variety in the foods you eat is important. Increase the diversity.
7.Remember supplements are supplements. They are not intended to replace an intelligent diet; their purpose is to supplement an intelligent diet. Supplements are a poor alternative to eating foods that are high in the desired nutrients.
8.See a doctor regularly for early detection and preventative care. Be proactive rather than reactive.

Nutritional Recommendations
The two diets known to be associated with longevity and reduced risks for prostate cancer are the traditional Japanese diet and a Southern Mediterranean diet. The Japanese diet is high in green tea, soy, vegetables, and fish, as well as low in calories and fat. The Mediterranean diet is high is fresh fruits and vegetables, garlic, tomatoes, red wine, olive oil, and fish. Both are low in red meat.

Specifically, you should incorporate these principles when reevaluating your daily diet:

1.Reduce animal fat in your diet. Studies show that excess fat, primarily red meat and high-fat dairy, stimulates prostate cancer to grow.
2.Avoid trans fatty acids, which are known to promote cancer growth. These are high in margarines, and fried and baked foods.
3.Increase your fresh fish intake, which is high in the very beneficial alpha omega-3 fatty acids. Ideally eat cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, and trout, at least two to three times a week. The fish should be poached, baked, or grilled (not burned or charred). Avoid fried fish.
4.Significantly increase your fresh fruit, herb, and vegetable consumption daily. Powerful anticancer nutrients are being discovered regularly in colorful fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, leafy green vegetables, nuts, berries, and seeds.
5.Avoid high-calcium diets, which have been shown to stimulate prostate cancer growth.
6.Take a multivitamin with B complex and folic acid daily.
7.Avoid high-dose zinc supplements.
8.Increase your natural vitamin C consumption — this includes citrus, berries, spinach, cantaloupe, sweet peppers, and mango.
9.Drink green tea several times each week.
10.Avoid excess preserved, pickled, or salted foods.
11.at red grapes, drink red grape juice, or red wine regularly.
12.Eat leafy dark-green vegetables frequently.
13.Cruciferous vegetables are cancer protective. These include cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
14.Tomatoes and especially tomato products are very high in lycopene, a powerful anticancer substance. This includes pizza sauce, tomato paste, and ketchup.
15.Avoid flax seed oil. This can stimulate prostate cancer to grow. You can obtain the very healthy alpha omega-3 fatty acids you need through fresh fish and nuts.
16.Use olive oil, which is very healthy and rich in vitamin E and antioxidants. Avocado oil is also good. Avoid oils high in polyunsaturated fats such as corn, canola, or soybean.
17.Take vitamin E, 50 to 100 IU of gamma and d-alpha, only with the approval of your doctor. Some recent studies have raised concerns over serious risks with vitamin E intake. Natural sources include nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, wheat germ, peas, and nonfat milk.
18.Selenium is a very powerful antioxidant and the backbone molecule of your body’s immune system. Most studies support a daily selenium supplement of 200 micrograms a day. The benefits appear to be only for those who have low selenium levels, which is difficult and expensive to measure. Since it only costs about 7 cents a day and is not toxic at these levels, it is reasonable for all men to take selenium. Natural sources include Brazil nuts, fresh fish, grains, mushrooms, wheat germ, bran, whole-wheat bread, oats, and brown rice.

WebMD expert and urologist Sheldon Marks, MD, shares his thought on how men can help prevent prostate cancer through nutrition.