Cataract risk not down with long-tem selenium, vitamin E

(HealthDay)—Long-term supplementation with selenium or vitamin E is not associated with a reduction in the risk of age-related cataract among men, according to a study published in the January issue of JAMA Ophthalmology.

William G. Christen, Sc.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the effect of long-term supplementation with selenium and vitamin E on the incidence of cataract. Data were collected from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) involving men aged 50 years and older for African-American participants and 55 years and older for all other men. A total of 11,267 SELECT participants participated in the SELECT Eye Endpoints ancillary study.

The researchers identified 389 cases of cataract during a mean of 5.6 years of treatment and follow-up. There was no significant difference in the number of cataracts in the selenium versus the no selenium group (185 versus 204; hazard ratio, 0.91; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.75 to 1.11; P = 0.37). No difference was seen in the vitamin E treated group versus the placebo group (197 versus 192 cases; hazard ratio, 1.02; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.84 to 1.25; P = 0.81). Results were similar for cataract extraction.

"These data from a large cohort of apparently healthy men indicate that long-term daily supplementation with selenium and/or vitamin E is unlikely to have a large beneficial effect on age-related cataract," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to Pfizer related to vitamins. Study agents, packaging, and multivitamins were provided by nutritional companies.

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