Research
Micronutrients & recovery
High-dose alpha-tocopherol and selenium supplementation failed to prevent prostate cancer and may increase risk, contradicting earlier observational studies.
Do not rely on high-dose alpha-tocopherol and selenium supplements to prevent prostate cancer. Current high-quality evidence suggests they are ineffective and may carry risks. Focus on a balanced diet rich in natural vitamin E sources instead.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
The Se and vitamin E doses and formulations used in SELECT were found to be ineffective, and concern was raised about a possible trend in developing type 2 diabetes mellitus among the study participants taking Se... a statistically nonsignificant increased risk of PCa was also seen in the vitamin E group participants.
Why this rating
Based on a large, phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled human trial (SELECT), which is high-quality evidence for the specific intervention tested.
Source
Pharmacological potential of tocotrienols: a review
Haseeb Ahsan et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2014
DOI 10.1186/1743-7075-11-52
narrative_reviewCited 323×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Tocotrienols (specifically gamma and delta forms) exhibit superior antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties compared to alpha-tocopherol, primarily due to their unsaturated isoprenoid side chain enabling better tissue penetration and unique metabolic pathways.Moderate
- Tocotrienols show promise in managing diabetes and hyperlipidemia by reducing blood glucose, improving insulin sensitivity, and lowering lipid levels in animal models.Moderate
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