The incidence of prostate cancer continues to increase.

What separates prostate cancer from other malignancies is the sheer volume of men who develop the disease. There were thousands of new cases diagnosed last year in Europe, but of greater concern autopsy findings showing that a significant percentage of men have underlying prostate cancer without even knowing it.

For men who intend to live a long and healthy life, taking steps to reduce the risk of prostate cancer becomes an important part of a life extension program.

Encouraging news come from recent studies indicating that certain dietary supplements may dramatically lower the risk of developing prostate cancer or prevent latent prostate cancer cells from maturing into a full-blown tumour.

According to a study published in the December 20, 2000 issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute, men who had the highest blood levels of gamma tocopherol were five times less likely to get prostate cancer.

What made this study particularly significant was that it was conducted at the prestigious John Hopkins School of Public Health and it evaluated a large group (10,456 men) over a seven year period. In addition to the finding that higher levels of gamma tocopherol significantly reduced prostate cancer risk, the study showed that selenium and alpha tocopherol also reduced prostate cancer incidence, but only when gamma tocopherol levels are high.

Gamma tocopherol is a form of vitamin E that is lacking in almost all commercial vitamin E supplements. 

When high doses of alpha tocopherol vitamin is consumed, it displaces critically important gamma tocopherol in the cells. While alpha tocopherol inhibits the production of free radicals, it is the gamma tocopherol form of vitamin E that is required to trap and neutralise existing free radicals.

In an editorial accompanying the John Hopkins report, Dr. Edward Giovannucci of Harvard Medical School calls the findings "further reason for optimism" that vitamin E and other compounds may fight prostate cancer. Dr. Giovannucci noted, however, that commercial vitamin E supplements – mainly alpha-tocopherol – can lead to lower blood levels of gamma tocopherol, This can now be rectified by taking supplementary gamma tocopherol.