Purpose <p>Oxidative stress has been implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer, but the association between antioxidant vitamin intake and risk of pancreatic cancer in Asian populations has not been establish.</p> Methods <p>We investigated the association between antioxidant vitamin intake and pancreatic cancer risk in a Japanese population based on the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study, a cohort study including 89,693 Japanese men and women aged 45–74&#xa0;years. Baseline data on medical history, lifestyle factors, and antioxidant vitamin intake were collected via validated questionnaires. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for quartiles of antioxidant vitamin intake.</p> Results <p>During an average follow-up was 15.1&#xa0;years, we documented 581 incident pancreatic cancers. Our results did not indicate a potential inverse association between antioxidant vitamin intake and risk of pancreatic cancer. When stratified by body mass index, the inverse association between dietary retinol, β-carotene, α-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin intake and risk of pancreatic cancer indicated a statistically significant association among those with BMI ≥ 25 but not BMI &lt; 25. Corresponding multivariable hazard ratios for the highest versus lowest quartiles among BMI ≥ 25 were intake of retinol activity equivalents of 0.52 (0.31–0.86; <i>P</i> = 0.01), β-carotene equivalent of 0.53 (0.31–0.91; <i>P</i> = 0.01), α-carotene of 0.57 (0.33–0.97; <i>P</i> = 0.05), and β-cryptoxanthin of 0.56 (0.33–0.95; <i>P</i> = 0.02).</p> Conclusion <p>Our findings suggests that intake of antioxidant vitamins, particularly retinol activity equivalents and β-carotene equivalents, may play a role in the prevention of pancreatic cancer in overweight subjects.</p>