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# Alpha-tocopherol boosts high grade prostate cancer risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/alpha-tocopherol_boosts_high_grade_prostate_cancer_0722140338/
- Published: 2014-07-22T16:37:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:21:45.000Z
- Description: In SELECT trial data covering 1,746 prostate cancer cases, high plasma alpha-tocopherol was linked to 59% higher risk of high-grade prostate cancer, and among men also taking selenomethionine the highest levels carried 110% higher risk. Gamma-tocopherol showed no link.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Tuesday July 22, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study suggests that high plasma alpha tocopherol (one type of vitamin E) may increase risk of high grade prostate cancer and the increase in the risk was even more significant among men who also receive selenomethionine.

Supplementation with high doses of alpha-tocopherol was previously associated with higher prostate cancer incidence in men in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT).

The current study was to examine whether pre-supplementation plasma alpha-tocopherol or gamma-tocopherol was correlated with overall or high grade prostate cancer.

The study based on data on plasma vitamin E from 1,746 incident prostate cancer cases and 3,211 men from the SLECT trial shows that during a mean 5.5-year follow-up. 

Plasma gamma-tocopherol was not linked with prostate cancer risk. And men with high alpha tocopherol levels seemed to have risk similar to that of men with lower levels of alpha tocopherol.

However, among men who receiving selenomethionine supplement, those who had the highest plasma alpha-tocopherol were 104% more likely to develop prostate cancer.

The association seemed to be limited to high grade prostate cancer with Gleason grade 7 to 10\. High plasma alpha tocopherol was associated with 59% increased risk of high grade prostate cancer. And among men receiving selenomethionine, those who had the highest plasma alpha tocopherol were 110 % more likely to develop high grade prostate cancer.

The researchers concluded "Our findings indicate that higher plasma α-tocopherol concentrations may interact with selenomethionine supplements to increase high-grade prostate cancer risk, suggesting a biological interaction between α-tocopherol and selenium itself or selenomethionine." (David Liu, pHD)

Albanes D, Till C, Klein EA, Goodman PJ, Mondul AM, Weinstein SJ, Taylor PR, Parnes HL, Gaziano JM, Song X, Fleshner N, Brown PH, Meyskens FL, Thompson IM. Plasma Tocopherols and Risk of Prostate Cancer in the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2014 Jun 24\.