Thursday, March 12, 2009

Zinc from supplements associated with reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer

The March, 2009 issue of Nutrition and Cancer published the finding of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center of an association between long term consumption of zinc supplements and a reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer in men.

Prostate tissue contains ten times the level of zinc than other soft tissues in the body, while adenocarcinoma cells from prostate tumors lose the ability to concentrate the mineral. These and other factors led Emily White and colleagues to hypothesize that prostate cancer risk could be lowered by increased zinc intake.

For the current study, they evaluated data from 35,242 men between the ages of 50 to 76 who participated in the VITamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study of the impact of dietary supplements on cancer risk. Questionnaires completed upon enrollment provided information concerning diet and nutritional supplement intake over the past ten years, as well as demographic characteristics and health history. Eight hundred thirty-two of these participants developed invasive prostate cancers over a four year follow-up period, categorized as local, regional or distant invasion. Continue Reading

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