The SELECT trial: Due to prior evidence that selenium and vitamin E may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, the SELECT trial evaluated these two agents for the potential of prostate cancer prevention in a randomized, placebo controlled trial. Over 35,000 men greater than 50 years of age with no sign of prostate cancer by exam or PSA testing were randomized to receive selenium 200 mcg, vitamin E 400 I.U., placebo or both for 7-12 years. Not only did researchers calculate hazard ratios and find that vitamin E significantly increased the risk of prostate cancer compared with placebo, they also determined that prostate cancer was not prevented by selenium supplementation. (10,11)
