Researchers have found that vitamin E may fight prostate and lung cancer.

The term vitamin E describes a family of eight antioxidants. Researchers say that form in particular appears to fight prostate cancer without harmful normal cells. But it’s not the kind of vitamin E used in most supplements. It occurs naturally in foods such as sesame seeds, walnuts, pecans and corn and sesame oils.

The form of vitamin E is called gamma-tocopherol.

Most supplements provides a different form of the vitamin, alpha-tocophereol, which has attracted attention for more than 25 years. Some studies have shown that it has anticancer abilities. Other studies have shown that the anticancer properties of increased levels of alpha-tocopherol are found only when gamma-tocopherol levels are also high.

Recently a team of scientists tested gamma-tocopherol to see if it had any cancer-fighting potential.

The researchers had nothing against alpha tocopherol, it has justifiably earned a good reputation as an antioxidant, but researchers wanted to see if other forms of vitamin E were promising.

In 2000, the researchers found that gamma-tocopherol inhibits inflammation, which has been linked to cancer. Now they used it against human prostate and lung cancer cells. For comparison, they exposed healthy human prostate cells to alpha-tocopherol gamma-tocopherol aced its lab test.It inhibited the spread of prostate and lung cancer cells without hurting the healthy cells. That indicates that gamma-tocopherol might be able to combat cancer without damaging unaffected cells.

This was how gamma-tocopherol worked, it interfered with the cell membranes of the cancer cells without hurting the healthy cells. The effect was fatal-killing off the cancer cells.

Results were even better when gamma tocopherol got a little help from its relatives. Mixing several forms of vitamin E— including gamma tocopherol— was even better at blocking cancer’s spread. Combination of different forms of vitamin E may be superior to each alone, write the researchers.

Next, they want to test different forms of vitamin E on animals and humans. Meanwhile, overindulging in nuts, seeds, and oils that contain gamma-tocopherol might not be a great idea, because foods rich in gamma-tocoopherols are also rich in fats, and some products bring other hazards. Com oil, for example, is rich in linolic acid, which has been shown to promote certain types of cancer in some studies. But sesame seed and pecans seem to be good all-around choices.

Gamma-tocopherol supplements-in appropriate amounts-might help high-risk groups, such as older men vulnerable to prostate cancer, but so far hasn’t been proven, they say.