Ask the doctor: Prostate cancer and multivitamins
In the May 2014 issue, you reported on findings from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), which said that taking vitamin E and selenium raises the risk of prostate cancer. My multivitamin contains both of these nutrients. Should I worry?In SELECT, men also took a daily supplement of 200 micrograms (mcg) of selenium, 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E, or both selenium and vitamin E, every day for years. SELECT found that these doses are associated with a higher rate of prostate cancer, compared with men who did not take supplements.
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