Association Between Serum α-Tocopherol and Serum Androgens and Estrogens in Older Men

Abstract

There is evidence supporting a role for sex hormones in the etiology of prostate cancer. Supplementation with alpha-tocopherol reduced prostate cancer in the alpha-Tocopherol, beta-Carotene Prevention Study (ATBC Study). The objective of this study was to assess the relation of baseline levels of serum alpha-tocopherol and serum sex hormones in older men. A cross-sectional analysis of serum alpha-tocopherol and sex hormone concentrations was conducted within a subset of the ATBC Study. Serum was collected in the morning after an overnight fast at baseline from 204 men ages 50-69 years participating in the ATBC Study and free of prostate cancer. Hormones were measured by radioimmunoassay, and alpha-tocopherol was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography by standard procedures. Multivariate linear regression was used to evaluate the association of serum alpha-tocopherol with nine androgens and estrogens after controlling for age, body mass index, hormone assay batch, and serum cholesterol. Serum alpha-tocopherol was significantly inversely associated with serum androstenedione, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and estrone. The difference in hormone concentration per milligram of alpha-tocopherol was 1.8-2.6% for these four hormones. These results indicated that alpha-tocopherol is related to concentrations of several sex hormones in older men and may have implications for the observed protective effect of supplemental vitamin E in relation to prostate cancer in the ATBC Study.

Effects of long-term ?-tocopherol supplementation on serum hormones in older men

“…Results of the current study are consistent with our previous ®ndings of inverse associations between serum a-tocopherol with testosterone and androstenedione. In a cross-sectional analysis of 204 ATBC Study participants, we showed that baseline serum a-tocopherol concentration was signi®cantly inversely related to baseline levels of serum androstenedione, testosterone, SHBG, and estrone [8]. In contrast to our results, in a hospitalbased study, researchers supplemented 11 men aged 30±69 with 438 mg/day a-tocopherol for 8 weeks and reported a signi®cant increase in plasma testosterone levels [14].…”

“…We previously demonstrated an inverse relationship between baseline serum a-tocopherol and serum androstenedione, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and estrone [8]. In the present study, we evaluated whether long-term a-tocopherol supplementation modi®ed serum sex hormone concentrations during follow-up in the ATBC Study.…”

CYP17Genetic Variation and Risk of Breast and Prostate Cancer from the National Cancer Institute Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3)

“…Levels of androstenedione, testosterone, estrone, and estradiol were measured in prospectively collected samples from women (n = 3,723) as part of previous studies within the EPIC (22), MEC (23), and the Nurses' Health Study (24). Levels of androstenedione and testosterone were measured in men (n = 4,960) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (25), EPIC (26), Health Professionals Follow-up Study (27), Physicians Health Study (28), and PLCO. Levels of estradiol had been measured in men (n = 2,174) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (25), the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (27), and the Physicians Health Study (28).…”

“…Levels of androstenedione and testosterone were measured in men (n = 4,960) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (25), EPIC (26), Health Professionals Follow-up Study (27), Physicians Health Study (28), and PLCO. Levels of estradiol had been measured in men (n = 2,174) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (25), the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (27), and the Physicians Health Study (28). Hormone levels were measured by either direct or indirect RIA depending on the study.…”

Dietary Factors for Prostate Cancer

“…Therefore, these results may actually be misleading [51]. This study also reported lower levels of testosterone and sex hormonebinding globulin in men with high serum vitamin E levels, suggesting a role of vitamin E on hormones [52].…”