MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Rather than promoting prostate health, taking vitamin E supplements may lead to increased risk of prostate cancer, researchers have found.
Researchers began studying the connection between prostate health and vitamin E in 2001, including more than 35,000 men at 400 sites in the U.S.
The study was cut short in 2008 when the researchers found clear evidence that there was no health benefit to taking the vitamin, according to a press release. All sites were closed by 2010 and more than half of the men in the study agreed to have their health monitored via questionnaires.
The continued monitoring found that the men who had taken the supplements, rather than the placebo, had a 17 percent increase in prostate cancer cases. Because of these findings, researchers are attempting to organize a long-term follow-up to continue tracking outcomes.
The study results were funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. Results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Health care sector adding jobs faster than any other
Employment in the health care sector is growing faster than in any other field in the U.S., Healthwatch reported.
Making stents last longer
A type of cell called a neutrophils may make implanted stents more effective by keeping cells from regrowing and re-blocking an artery, according to researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
Doctor-patient miscommunication muddles ICD deactivation
While most patients trust their doctors as the primary source of information about their medical devices, most physicians don’t initiate discussions regarding device deactivation as part of end-of-life care, Heartwire reported.
