Halt Called to Vitamin E and Selenium Supplements Trial, Possible Risk

October 28, 2008: 05:47 PM EST

Vitamin E and selenium do not prevent prostate cancer and may in fact pose a risk to users, forcing the government to stop part of a major study. The SELECT trial involved more than 35,000 men age 50 and older taking one or both supplements or dummy pills. Early data show that slightly more people taking vitamin E alone were getting prostate cancer, and slightly more users of selenium on its own were getting diabetes. The National Cancer Institute says that the link could be coincidental and that there’s no proof there is a risk from the supplements. Previous smaller studies have suggested the two supplements could be beneficial. The men’s health will be tracked for a further three years.

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Halt Called to Vitamin E and Selenium Supplements Trial, Possible Risk

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