In a study on over 30,000 males published recently, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) showed that taking antioxidant supplements does not protect nonsmoking men from developing prostate cancer. However, the study does present some positive result for smokers, namely that vitamin E supplements help them in the fight for this type of cancer, the risk dropping 71%.

Smokers have low levels of antioxidants and vitamin E helps improve this deficiency. The study is based on food the subjects ate and supplements they took, covering about 137 foods.

Vitamin C and beta-carotene appear not to influence the risk for prostate cancer but the smokers that took vitamin E stood out as more safe against this type of cancer.

The results are surely intriguing, but the risk of developing prostate cancer for smokers will surely diminish if they quit smoking.

This disease remains one of the most common types of cancer in men; this year are estimated to be discovered over 230,000 new cases. Even if the illness in its early stages can be cured, it is said that about 27,000 men will die by this cause in the coming year.