A nutritional health supplement developed in China showed some benefit in preventing some cancers, as well as improving overall life expectancy, according to research done jointly by the National Cancer Institute and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

The supplement, known as “Factor D”, combines vitamin E, selenium and beta-carotene and was tested on nearly 30,000 Chinese adults who were followed for 10 years to see how the treatment affected incidence of gastric and esophageal cancers, as well as instances of death.

The data collected showed that for those who took the supplement, there was a 5 percent reduction in instances of death, 17 percent reduction in the number of esophageal cancer diagnoses among those under age 55, as well as an 11 percent reduction in gastric cancer incidence.

One potential worry is the data showing that esophageal cancer rates among those over 55 who took the supplement actually increased 14 percent.

The authors argue that the study lends credibility “to an emerging new paradigm in cancer prevention, namely, that prevention may be achievable with short-term as opposed to life-long treatment.”