New Brunswick, NJ—A team from Rutgers University believes two forms of vitamin E could be a huge help in the fight against colon, lung, breast and prostate cancers. The group zeroed in on the gamma and delta-tocopherols forms of vitamin E, derived from soybean, canola and corn oils. “There are studies suggesting that vitamin E actually increases the risk of cancer and decreases bone density,” says Chung S. Yang, director of the Center for Cancer Prevention Research at Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.

But, Yang feels the opposite is true for the two forms studied, and bases this belief on his recent study on mice. The animals were exposed to cancer-inducing agents, but animals that had tocopherols in their food had fewer and smaller tumors, if they developed any at all. Mice in the tocopherol group that were injected with cancer cells had retarded tumor development. Yang also noted that the form of vitamin E is key for achieving the best benefit.

These findings are published in Cancer Prevention Research.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, June 2012