Re: Vitamin and mineral use and risk of prostate cancer: the case–control surveillance: Zhang et al. Cancer Causes Control. 2008 Dec 18 [Epub ahead of print]

Excerpt

The report of Zhang et al. [1] concludes that, “long-term zinc intake from multivitamins or single supplements was associated with a doubling in risk of prostate cancer adds to the growing evidence for an unfavorable effect of zinc on prostate cancer carcinogenesis.” Such conclusions have serious consequences on the thinking and actions of the medical, scientific, and public communities. In the absence of a knowledgeable background, most readers will accept at face value the report’s conclusion regarding zinc supplement use and the development of prostate cancer. Therefore, it is important to question and raise serious issues regarding the appropriateness of the study and its conclusions. In this brief response, we highlight some important specific concerns regarding the findings of Zhang et al.; and direct the reader to the Taubes report and responses [2, 3] and to our review [4] for more extensive descriptions. …