In experimental mice that naturally develop prostate cancer, supplementing with antioxidants vitamin E, lycopene and selenium effectively blocks the development or progression of prostate cancer.
According to a study published in the Journal of Cancer Research, dietary antioxidants (vitamin E, selenium, and lycopene) inhibited prostate cancer development in a group of mice that naturally develop prostate cancer. The prostate cancer disease process in these mice is similar to the human process in many respects, providing a good research model for the natural history of human prostate cancer. Treatment of animals with the antioxidants resulted in a 4-fold reduction in the incidence of prostate cancer compared with the untreated animals. Prostate cancer developed in 73.68% (14 of 19) and 100% (19 of 19) of the animals from the standard and high fat diet, respectively. In contrast, tumors developed in only 10.53% (2 of 19) and 15.79% (3 of 19) of the animals in the standard and high fat diets supplemented with antioxidants. These observations support results from a growing body of research indicating a significant protective benefit of antioxidants on the development of prostate cancer.
Source: Antioxidants block prostate cancer in lady transgenic mice, Venkateswaran V, Fleshner NE, Sugar LM, Klotz LH, Cancer Res. 2004 Aug 15;64(16):5891-6.
