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# High dietary vitamin E or alpha-tocopherol prevents aggressive prostate cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/alpha-tocopherol_prevents_aggressive_prostate_cancer_0525150113/
- Published: 2015-06-25T11:59:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-20T15:54:46.000Z
- Description: Among 2,102 men with prostate cancer, European Americans in the highest quartile of dietary alpha-tocopherol intake were 66% less likely to have aggressive disease and African Americans 42% less likely. Adipose tissue tocopherol showed no significant association.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Thursday June 25, 2015 (foodconsumer.org) -- Susan Steck from University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina and colleagues published a study in the medical journal The Prostate and found evidence suggesting that dietary sources of [tocopherols](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocopherol?ref=foodconsumer.org) may help prevent aggressive prostate cancer.

Early research suggested that vitamin E supplementation may boost risk of prostate cancer. But not all studies are consistent. Many studies actually hint that [vitamin E](https://www.foodconsumer.org/selenium%5Fvitamin%5Fe%5Fprostate%5Fcancer%5F0419141032/) along with other antioxidants such as [vitamin C](https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin%5Fe%5Fc%5Fprostate%5Fcancer%5F0723120901/) and [selenium](https://www.foodconsumer.org/selenium%5Fvitamin%5Fe%5Fprostate%5Fcancer%5F0419141032/) may help prevent prostate cancer.

The study was based on dietary data from 1,023 African Americans and 1,079 European Americans who were diagnosed with incident prostate cancer. Researchers analyzed the data to determine whether food intake of tocopherols, vitamin E supplement use, tocopherol biomarkers in adipose tissue were associated with the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

As a result, the researchers found dietary intakes of alpha- and delta-tocopherol inversely associated with the progressiveness of prostate cancer among European Americans. 

Specifically, those in the highest quartile of alpha-tocopherol were 66% less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer, compared with those in the lowest quartile of intakes. Similarly, high intake of delta-tocopherol was associated with 55% reduced risk for aggressive prostate cancer.

Among African Americans, both dietary and supplemental alpha- tocopherol were inversely associated with aggressiveness of prostate cancer. High dietary intake of alpha tocopherol was linked to 42% reduced risk for aggressive prostate cancer while supplemental alpha-tocopherol was correlated with 36% reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Adipose biomarkers of tocopherol were not significantly associated with aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

The study concluded "The inverse associations observed between dietary sources of tocopherols and CaP (prostate cancer) aggressiveness suggests a beneficial role of food sources of these tocopherols in CaP aggressiveness."

It should be noted that the study is not a trial and it did not establish a causal relationship between dietary or supplemental alpha-tocopherol and aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Alpha-tocopherol is found in [plant-based foods](https://www.foodconsumer.org/vegetable%5Frich%5Fdiet%5Ffor%5Fprostate%5Fcancer%5Ftreatment%5F0312110749/) which are known to reduce risk of prostate cancer.

[Samuel O. Antwi, Susan E. Steck, L. Joseph Su, James R. Hébert, Hongmei Zhang, Elizabeth T.H. Fontham6, Gary J. Smith, Jeannette T. Bensen, James L. Mohler and Lenore Arab, Dietary, supplement, and adipose tissue tocopherol levels in relation to prostate cancer aggressiveness among African and European Americans: The North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP), The Prostate, Article first published online: 5 JUN 2015](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pros.23025/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false&ref=foodconsumer.org)