Vitamin E Prevents DNA Damage and Liver Cancer

Experts with the Shanghai Cancer Institute at the Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, led by investigator Wei Zhang, MD, MPH, found in a new study that consuming high amounts of vitamin E can protect against the development of liver cancer.

Previous investigations have also demonstrated experimentally that the fat-soluble vitamin can also protect the body against DNA damage. Details of the new study appear in the July 17 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

This discovery has great implications for public health, since liver cancer is the third most common form of deadly cancer in the world today. Around 54 percent of all new cases occur in China, hence the interest in finding a way to prevent it, Science Blog reports.

“Overall, the take home message is that high intake of vitamin E either from diet or supplements was related to lower risk of liver cancer in middle-aged or older people from China,” Vanderbilt University professor of medicine Xiao Ou Shu, MD, PhD, explains.