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# Alpha- and gamma-tocopherol help prevent breast cancer
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/tocopherol_vitamin_e_breast_cancer_1004120143/
- Published: 2012-10-04T02:40:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:18:14.000Z
- Description: In rats with chemically induced breast tumors, delta- and gamma-tocopherol supplements cut total tumor mass to about 7 grams versus 10.6 grams and reduced tumor multiplicity by 42% and 32%, while alpha-tocopherol did neither, Cancer Prevention Research reports.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Supplements, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By Jimmy Downs

Thursday Oct 4, 2012 ([Foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- A new study in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that taking vitamin E, specifically δ- and γ-tocopherol (alpha- and gamma-tocopherol) dietary supplements may help slow the development of breast cancer even though both may not be able to completely stop the tumor growth.

There are four types of tocopherols in the vitamin E family including α, β, γ, and δ and some studies on cancer prevention suggest that α tocopherol does not prevent breast cancer while δ- and γ-tocopherol may be more effective.

The current study led by Nanjoo Suh, Department of Chemical Biology at Rutgers University and colleagues showed that δ- and γ-tocopherol dietary supplements slowed the growth of breast cancer mass and also tumor multiplicity.

In the study, animal models of breast cancer were fed two diets, one with 0.3% of α-, δ- or γ-tocopherol and one with 0.3% of a γ-tocopherol rich mixture.

Supplementation of tocopherols could not prevent human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu)-driven cancer development whereas δ- and γ-tocopherols inhibited hormone-dependent breast cancer development in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU)-treated female Sprague Dawley rats.

The carcinogen-treated rats with receiving any tocopherol developed an average total tumor mass of 10.6 grams at 11 weeks of the dietary supplementation. In comparison, those fed the diet with δ- and γ-tocopherols developed total tumor mass of 7.2 grams and 7.1 grams respectively.

δ- and γ-tocopherol treatment also reduced tumor multiplicity by 42% and 32%, respectively whereas α-tocopherol could not decrease either tumor burden or multiplicity. 

In breast cancer tumors, alpha- and gamma-tocopherols and the γ-tocopherol rich mixture increased the protein levels of pro-apoptotic markers (BAX, cleaved-caspase 9, cleaved-caspase 3, cleaved-PARP) and inhibited anti-apoptotic markers (Bcl2, XIAP).

Additionally, the alpha- and gamma tocopherols affected markers of cell proliferation (PCNA, PKCα), survival (PPARγ, PTEN, phospho-Akt) and cell cycle (p53, p21). Both δ- and γ-tocopherols, but not α tocopherol, seems to be promising agents for the prevention of hormone-dependent breast cancer, the researchers concluded.

Breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed in more than 230,000 women in 2012 and the disease will kill more than 37,000 in the same year, according to the National Cancer Institute.