Supplements don't prevent prostate cancer

SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, do not prevent prostate cancer and may slightly increase risk, U.S. researchers said.

Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, known as SELECT, showed two concerning trends: a small but not statistically significant increase in the number of prostate cancer cases among the more than 35,000 men age 50 and older in the trial taking only vitamin E and a small, but not statistically significant increase in the number of cases of adult onset diabetes in men taking only selenium.

Because this is an early analysis of the data from the study, neither of these findings proves an increased risk from the supplements and both may be due to chance, the researchers said.

The Southwest Oncology Group, an international network of research institutions, coordinates SELECT at more than 400 clinical sites in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.

SELECT participants are receiving letters explaining the study review and telling them to stop taking their study supplements. Participants will continue to have their health monitored by study staff, which may include regular digital rectal exams and prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, tests to detect prostate cancer.