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Effects of long‐term α‐tocopherol supplementation on serum hormones in older men *
Author(s) -
Hartman Terryl J.,
Dorgan Joanne F.,
Woodson Karen,
Virtamo Jarmo,
Tangrea Joseph A.,
Hein Olli P.,
Taylor Philip R.,
Barrett Michael J.,
Albanes Demetrius
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0045(200101)46:1<33::aid-pros1005>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - medicine , placebo , testosterone (patch) , endocrinology , tocopherol , androstenedione , prostate cancer , hormone , body mass index , lean body mass , confidence interval , sex hormone binding globulin , androgen , vitamin e , cancer , biology , antioxidant , biochemistry , alternative medicine , pathology , body weight
Background α‐tocopherol supplementation significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer in the Alpha‐Tocopherol Beta‐Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study. Sex hormones are thought to be involved in the etiology of prostate cancer. We examined whether long‐term supplementation with α‐tocopherol modified serum hormone levels. Methods Men who were cancer‐free consumed ≥ 90% of the study capsules, and who had both baseline and follow‐up blood available, were eligible for the study. One hundred men who received α‐tocopherol were matched on age, study center, and length of time between blood draws to 100 men who received a placebo. Multivariate linear regression models which allowed for a separate intercept for each matched pair were used to evaluate the effect of α‐tocopherol supplementation on follow‐up hormone concentrations. Results Compared to men who received a placebo, we found significantly lower serum androstenedione ( P = 0.04) and testosterone ( P = 0.04) concentrations among men who received α‐tocopherol, after controlling for baseline hormone level, follow‐up serum cholesterol concentration, body mass index, smoking, and fasting time. Geometric mean (95% confidence interval; CI) androstenedione concentration among men who received α‐tocopherol was 145 ng/dl (CI, 137–153) after adjusting for covariates, compared to 158 ng/dl (CI, 148–167) among men who received a placebo. Mean testosterone concentrations for men who received α‐tocopherol and placebo were 539 (CI, 517–562) and 573 (CI, 549–598) ng/dl, respectively. Conclusions These results suggest that long‐term α‐tocopherol supplementation decreases serum androgen concentrations, and could have been one of the factors contributing to the observed reduction in incidence and mortality of prostate cancer in the α‐tocopherol treatment group of the ATBC Study. Prostate 46:33–38, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.