Date: 20 Aug 1994 07:38:30 -0700 From: taltar@vertigo.helix.net (Ted Altar) Subject: Vit E (repost) Newsgroups: rec.food.veg Organization: Helix Internet Lines: 53 WHAT ABOUT VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTS TO PREVENT CANCER? Ted Altar Vitamin E *may* reduce the level of mutagens in stool, *may* block the formation of nitrosames and has been negatively *correlated* with a lower mortality of bowel, breast and lung cancer (1). These correlations, however, are confounded with lifestyle. Vegetarian women do consume more vitamin E in their diet, but also a lot more fiber, beta- carotene, vit C, cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts) and less fat (especially saturated fats). These latter factors are more directly associated with the reduction of fibers. These are the factors that the National Cancer Institute (3) listed in its dietary guidelines for cancer prevention. It did not list vitamin E. I think we are better off spending your money on good quality foods rather then vitamin E supplements. In any case, vegetarian women (2) do consume more vitamin E (9mg/1000kcal) via their foodstuffs than female omnivores (5.6mg/1000kcal) or male omnivores (5.2mg/1000kcal). Vegetarian men only slightly more so (6.5mg/1000kcal), (hey guys, starting eating more wheat germ!), yet both male and female vegetarians equally benefit with respect to a reduction in that most common cancer in the West, colon cancer. (4). Breast cancer, being the most common form of fatal cancer for Western woman, has been associated with a number of dietary factors, most notably a high fat diet. Interestingly, a diet with dietary fat as low as 20% of Kcal may be necessary to reduce the risk of breast cancer (5). Maybe that is why people seek easier solutions like vitamin E supplements, but the evidence for the efficacy of vitamin E is not nearly as strong as those dietary recommendations summarized by the NCI. REFERENCES: 1. Melvyn Werbach (1988). NUTRITIONAL INFLUENCES ON ILLNESS: A SOURCEBOOK OF CLINICAL RESEARCH. 2. Millet et al. (1989) Nutrient intake and vitamin status of healthy French vegetarians and nonvegetarians. 3. Butrim et al., (1988). NCI dietary guidelines: rationale. AMER. J. CLIN. NUTR., 48:888-95. 4. Akers (1989) A VEGETARIAN SOURCEBOOK: THE NUTRITION, ECOLOGY, AND ETHICS OF A NATURAL FOODS DIET. 5. Boyar et al. (1988). Recommendations for the prevention of chronic disease: the application for breast disease. AMER. J. CLIN. NUTR., 48:896-900