Selenium may reduce prostate cancer risk

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Selenium may reduce prostate cancer risk

 

Researchers report that men whose diets include high

levels of selenium significantly reduce their risk of

progressive prostate cancer.

 

According to the study, published in the Journal of

the National Cancer Institute, scientists were

interested in finding a connection between selenium

and prostate cancer protection. “Epidemiologic studies

suggest that low selenium levels are associated with

an increased incidence of prostate cancer, although

results are conflicting,” researchers said. “We

examined the association between pre-diagnostic plasma

selenium levels and risk of prostate cancer in men

enrolled in the Physicians’ Health Study.”

 

Using plasma samples obtained in 1982 from healthy men

enrolled in the Physicians' Health Study, scientists

conducted a nested case-control study among 586 men

diagnosed with prostate cancer during 13 years of

follow-up, and 577 control subjects.

 

They found that high blood levels of selenium

decreased the risk of advanced prostate cancer. In

addition, for men who had above-normal levels of

prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at the start of the

study, high selenium levels significantly reduced risk

of all prostate cancer. PSA is a protein that is found

in all men, but it shows up in higher levels in men

with prostate cancer or other prostate problems.

 

Researchers concluded: “The inverse association

between baseline plasma selenium levels and risk of

advanced prostate cancer, even among men diagnosed

during the post-PSA era, suggests that higher levels

of selenium may slow prostate cancer tumor

progression. Ongoing randomized trials of selenium

supplements may help to further evaluate this issue.”

 

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

96(9):696-703, 2004