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BETA-CAROTENE SUPPLEMENTS NO GOOD FOR SMOKERS; VITAMIN E SHOWS PROMISE
Long-term follow up results from a study of vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements
in smokers confirmed the detrimental impact of beta-carotene for this group
and showed a potentially protective effect from vitamin E. The Alpha-Tocopherol,
Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Trial was conducted by NCI and the National
Public Health Institute of Finland from 1985 to 1993. Its aim was to determine
if the two different supplements would prevent lung cancer and other malignancies
in a group of 29,133 male smokers in Finland. Participants stopped taking the
supplements in 1993, but the researchers followed them through 2001 to determine
the long-term effects of the vitamins on cancer incidence and deaths.
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Men who took vitamin E had lower prostate cancer incidence while taking the supplement. Even after they stopped taking the vitamin, the men experienced slightly lower rates of prostate cancer than the placebo group, although the impact diminished as time went on.
The men taking beta-carotene had a higher mortality rate due to heart disease and lung cancer. The increased risk for lung cancer began to fall soon after the men stopped taking the supplements, but heart disease kept their mortality rate higher than the men who did not take beta-carotene. In both cases, the effects of the supplements began to disappear when supplementation was stopped.
The results confirm that smokers should avoid beta-carotene supplements. Vitamin E's protective effect against prostate cancer requires confirmation in other ongoing trials.
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