This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Weinstein, S. J. Articles by Albanes, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Weinstein, S. J. Articles by Albanes, D. Related Collections Epidemiology Epidemiology: Nutritional Epidemiology

Serum and Dietary Vitamin E in Relation to Prostate Cancer Risk

¹ Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland; ² Information Management Services, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland; and ³ Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

Requests for reprints: Stephanie J. Weinstein, Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Department of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Room 320, 6120 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20892. Phone: 301-594-7297; Fax: 301-496-6829. E-mail: weinstes{at}mail.nih.gov

-Tocopherol supplementation (50 mg daily for 5-8 years) reduced prostate cancer incidence by 32% in the -Tocopherol, ß-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study. We investigated whether serum -tocopherol or intake of vitamin E (eight tocopherols and tocotrienols) was associated with prostate cancer risk with up to 19 years of follow-up in the -Tocopherol, ß-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study cohort. Of the 29,133 Finnish male smokers, ages 50 to 69 years recruited into the study, 1,732 were diagnosed with incident prostate cancer between 1985 and 2004. Baseline serum -tocopherol was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and the components of vitamin E intake were estimated based on a 276-item food frequency questionnaire and food chemistry analyses. Proportional hazard models were used to determine multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Higher serum -tocopherol was associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.96 for highest versus lowest quintile; P_trend = 0.03) and was strongly and inversely related to the risk of developing advanced disease (RR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.36-0.85; P_trend = 0.002). The inverse serum -tocopherol-prostate cancer association was greater among those who were supplemented with either -tocopherol or ß-carotene during the trial. There were no associations between prostate cancer and the individual dietary tocopherols and tocotrienols. In summary, higher prediagnostic serum concentrations of -tocopherol, but not dietary vitamin E, was associated with lower risk of developing prostate cancer, particularly advanced prostate cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1253–9)