What to know about vitamin E and prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. It originates in the prostate, a male reproductive organ that makes part of semen and is found below the bladder.

You may help lower your risk of prostate cancer with healthy daily habits. These include maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, and eating a healthy diet. You may have also heard about taking supplements to help lower your risk, particularly vitamin E. While some research has suggested a benefit from taking vitamin E, other studies have yielded different findings.

Here's what you need to know about vitamin E and prostate cancer risk.

What the research shows about vitamin E

For years, vitamin E supplements were thought to help prevent prostate cancer, among other conditions. Then data from a long-term study suggested that wasn’t the case.

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) was the largest-ever trial on prostate cancer prevention. Begun in 2001, it involved over 35,000 men across North America. They were randomly assigned to take vitamin E supplements, selenium supplements, both, or a placebo. Then researchers followed them over time, noting how many cases of prostate cancer occurred and in whom.

The findings suggested that vitamin E supplements didn't prevent prostate cancer. On the contrary, there was evidence of a modest increase in cases. However, researchers suspected, though they were not certain, that the increase was due to chance.

Later research seems to support that it was just chance. A 2022 meta-analysis looked at the results of 32 different studies of the effects of both dietary and supplemental vitamin E. Researchers found no statistical evidence for any benefits from dietary vitamin E, and no link between vitamin E supplements and prostate cancer in either raising or lowering risk.

How much vitamin E do you really need?

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that may help decrease damage to your body caused by free radicals (unstable molecules created through natural bodily processes).

Vitamin E occurs naturally in many foods, including almonds, sunflower seeds, and spinach. It’s important for good health, and the recommended daily allowance is 15 milligrams, or 22 international units (IUs). But compared with supplements, you're unlikely to get too much vitamin E in foods.

For example, an ounce of dry roasted almonds contains 6.8 milligrams or about 45 percent of your daily allowance of vitamin E. A typical supplement, by comparison, contains at least 67 milligrams, or 100 IUs, which is over four times more than the daily recommended amount.

The main takeaway? Skip vitamin E supplements for prostate cancer prevention.

How to lower your risk of prostate cancer

Risk factors increase your chances of having a medical condition. There are two types of risk factors: those you can change, and those you can’t.

Risk factors you can’t change

Age is among the strongest prostate cancer risk factor. Up to 80 percent of prostate cancers are discovered in men who are older than age 65. According to the National Cancer Institute, the average age of a new diagnosis of prostate cancer is age 67.

Family history, genetics, and race can also raise your risk. A person who has a prostate and who has a sibling or parent who has had prostate cancer has more than double the risk of developing the disease themselves. People who are African American and Caribbean or have African ancestry tend to get prostate cancer more often and at younger ages.

Risk factors you can change

But there are some ways you may help reduce your risk for prostate cancer. One is by maintaining a healthy diet and a healthy weight. While obesity doesn’t seem to raise the risk of prostate cancer, there is evidence that for those with obesity who do develop the disease, it’s a more aggressive type.

Quitting smoking is also important. Quitting helps lower your risk of many different kinds of cancer and other serious health conditions, and it may lower your risk of dying from prostate cancer.

Aim for your best health by adopting and maintaining these habits:

• Exercise regularly as you are able.
• Manage stress with techniques like meditation or breathing exercises.
• Eat a healthy diet rich in whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Avoid salt, added sugars, and saturated fat (which is solid at room temperature, like butter). Also avoid trans fats, which are found in foods that come from cows, sheep, and goats.