Ann's NOTE: Here is a classic example of inappropriate headlines in an article, READ IT CAREFULLY. The study being written about has demonstrated that gamma-tocopherol(a Vitamin E aspect) and alpha-tocopherol (most well-known aspect of Vitamin E) combine to help reduce incidence of prostate cancer. The Annie Appleseed Project always recommends eating healthy foods (organic please), so eating more nuts are well within that mandate. (This is healthy fat). Vitamin E Pills May Not Be Enough Study casts doubt on supplement's effectiveness against prostate cancer If you're trying to avoid prostate cancer, you may be popping a vitamin E pill every day. But that pill may not be doing you as much good as you think, say scientists at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. A better weapon against prostate cancer may be another form of vitamin E that is found in foods such as pecans and walnuts. In a study in yesterday's Journal of the National Cancer Institute, gamma-tocopherol was linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer than alpha-tocopherol, the popular form of vitamin E contained in supplements. Researchers also found that high levels of gamma-tocopherol boost the prostate cancer-fighting abilities of both alpha-tocopherol and selenium. "Perhaps you'll get some benefit by taking alpha-tocopherol, but you'll get a better benefit, perhaps, if you take alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol together," says Dr. Kathy J. Helzlsouer, lead investigator on the study. The researchers looked at 10,456 Maryland men who donated blood in 1989 as part of a study to determine causes of cancer and heart disease. The men reported what medicines and vitamin supplements they had taken within the previous 48 hours. In 1996, the men were sent a questionnaire asking them about their cancer history. By looking at blood analyses from 1989, the researchers determined the risk of prostate cancer was lower among men with higher concentrations of alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and selenium. But the lowest risk appeared to be among the men with the most gamma-tocopherol, researchers found. They had a fivefold reduction in risk of developing prostate cancer, compared to men with the lowest concentrations of gamma-tocopherol. Moreover, the protective associations of alpha-tocopherol and selenium were strongest at higher levels of gamma-tocopherol. "We observed that it was the gamma-tocopherol that seemed to be very important, along with the alpha," Helzlsouer says. Complicating matters is the fact that taking alpha-tocopherol supplements can sometimes lower your levels of gamma-tocopherol. But before you throw your hands up in exasperation, look on the bright side, Helzlsouer says. "It's encouraging. It looks like there is something you can do to lower your risk of prostate cancer, either through diet or supplements," she says. Not so fast, says Alan Kristal, a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Kristal believes the study's data don't support its conclusions. The study looked at 117 prostate patients -- not enough for a rigorous analysis, he says. The small group of men that seemed to benefit from high gamma-tocopherol levels could have been an aberration, he adds. "This thing is interesting, but it could very well be a flash-in-the-pan, chance finding," he says. Gamma-tocopherol has not been studied much, so it's too early to put it to use in cancer prevention trials, as the Johns Hopkins study recommends, Kristal says. "We don't have a clue about gamma-tocopherol," he says. Thanks to Anne Burke HealthScout Reporter Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.