Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the number one cause of death in the U.S. for 114 of the last 115 years. Lifestyle factors that promote CVD also appear to increase
prostate cancer risk and those that reduce CVD risk also appear to reduce the risk of
prostate cancer. The largest randomized trials utilizing dietary supplements or pharmacologic agents for
prostate cancer prevention (
Selenium and
Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial [SELECT]) have also shed light on the problems and future solutions in this area. Dietary supplements that have not been found to be CVD protective, such as
selenium and
Vitamin E have not been found to be prostate protective. In addition, over exposure to specific
anti-oxidants in nutritionally replete populations may be encouraging
cancer growth. Future trials of dietary supplements to prevent
prostate cancer could be problematic because by the time a definitive trial is initiated the participants will no longer be "deficient" in the nutrient being tested, which arguably occurred in the SELECT trial. It is also interesting that
statins,
aspirin, and/or
metformin (S.A.M.) are 3 generic, low-cost, heart healthy agents derived from natural sources with separate mechanism of actions, which all appear to have the best benefit to risk ratio compared to any other agent available for
prostate cancer prevention, especially aggressive disease, or as an ancillary agent (s) to conventional
cancer treatment. It is time to focus on the forest over the trees and recommend proven CVD protective measures for men concerned about their risk of
prostate cancer.