Research Shows Individuals Respond Differently To Nutrients
Washington DC, 20 December 2002

Preliminary results of a government-sponsored study on Vitamin E's role in preventing prostate cancer have found that nutrients may be "tailored" to individuals in the future.

Research being conducted for the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, in an ongoing test of more than 30,000 men, indicates that some men may respond to certain nutrients better than others, leading to the prospect of particular recommendations of cancer-protective nutrients such as Vitamin E or selenium for individuals.

One researcher has predicted that within five years, sufficient information will be known to determine how a person's genetic structure will influence the body's response to different nutrients and foods.

The major prostate cancer study started earlier this year in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada and will continue for more than a decade. Healthy middle-aged men are being tested to determine the potential of Vitamin E to help prevent onset of prostate cancer. The mineral selenium is also being studied. Test patients in the Vitamin E group receive 400 milligrams of Vitamin E daily.

Test groups receive either Vitamin E alone, Vitamin E in combination with selenium, selenium by itself, or a placebo.

Source

Foods for the Future.