The Finns also eat a lot of whole-grain products, like dark rye breads, which gives them a higher fiber intake and they eat more dairy products. Vitamin E and beta-carotene were chosen because epidemiologic studies have linked high dietary intake and high serum levels of these micronutrients to a reduced risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer. The mechanisms by which vitamin E may reduce prostate cancer risk are not clear. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant. The men in the study took one pill each day, which contained either vitamin E, beta-carotene, both, or neither.
Vitamin E is found mainly in oils, such as vegetable oils, and in nuts and grains.
NCI has never recommended that Americans take supplements. For all Americans who wish to reduce their risk of cancer, a low-fat diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and grains remains the choice to make. NCI has a number of different agents under study, including calcium, fiber, tamoxifen, finasteride, and others. The only ongoing large-scale study of vitamin E is the Women's Health Study, headed by researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. E,100 mg aspirin, or placebos every other day.