According to latest research, men who consume supplements of vitamin E are at a higher risk of being affected with prostrate cancer. The research was carried out by researchers from Cleveland Clinic. They said that the results of their study are in direct contradiction with the most commonly accepted norms in the society today. In the United States, the risk of prostrate cancer is 16%. The research has found that this percentage increased in men with Vitamin E consumption in comparison to those who do not use such supplements. Natural sources of vitamin E are the best way to provide the vitamin to the body. Presently, vitamin E supplements are thought of as a shield against the disease. The same applies for selenium supplements as well. A study named Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, which was conducted and reported in 2008 said that consumption of these supplements did nothing to reduce the risk of cancer.

Rather, the risk multiplied albeit insignificantly. More studies have been carried out to establish a stronger relation between consumption of Vitamin E supplements and prostrate cancer. For the present study, cases of 35,533 men were collected from 427 centers in USA, Canada and Puerto Rico. The period of consideration was between August 2001 and June 2004. The study was conducted by a team lead by Eric A. Klein. The selection process of men for study was not random. They were all scanned in order to ascertain that there is no appearance of cancer anywhere in the body by means of a digital rectal examination. All men were above fifty years of age. The group consisted of both whites and African Americans. 34,887 men were divided into four groups comprising of roughly 8700 men each. Each one of the groups was administered with Selenium, Vitamin E, both the supplements and dummy supplements that contained no nutritive value.

The effects were studied for a period of at least seven years and up to twelve years. In 2011, final data was gathered and the entire data was analyzed. It was found that the risk of cancer was highest in people who consumed selenium and vitamin E supplements. Between the two, vitamin E was found to induce higher risks of cancer. On the whole, in the span of twelve years, the group that consumed dummy pills registered 529 cancer cases, selenium group registered 575 cases, combined group registered 555 cases and vitamin E group registered 620 cases.  It was found that vitamin E increased the risk by 17%.