Just before everyone flushes their Vitamin E down the drain in reaction to recent news reports of a study
published in the March 16 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) which suggests
a "daily-dose" of vitamin E (400 international units) among high-risk (chronically ill) cardiovascular patient
populations is associated with a greater risk of heart failure, please consider the following facts:
1. There was not a definitive conclusion to this study, except to state that more studies were needed.
2. It was unusual that the researchers, on the one hand applied stringent statistical rules to data
suggesting a potential anticancer effect of vitamin E, but on the other hand failed to apply the same
rules for the only indication of harm.
3. The patients in the study were at least 55 years old (average age was 70 years) and suffered with
vascular disease or diabetes mellitus, and, at least one other significant cardiovascular risk factor.
4. The subjects in the study were typically taking five different medications in addition to vitamin E --
including:
yet the increase in heart failure (from 12.1 percent in the placebo group to 13.5 percent in the vitamin E group)
was attributed exclusively to vitamin E, with no adjustment for pharmacotherapy effects.
5. Numerous studies with much larger patient populations have shown significant cardiovascular benefits from
vitamin E supplementation and its role as an effective and safe part of a healthy lifestyle among average consumers.
6. Numerous other scientific studies have attested to vitamin E's great health benefits and safety,
not only for cardiovascular health, but also for immune function, DNA repair and to help protect the
body against the effects of free radicals.
7. The study participants were taking high dosages of vitamin E as an individual supplement. Most research
has supported our view that balance and synergy are extremely important for optimal benefit and safety from
nutritional supplementation. This is especially important in populations exposed to high levels of oxidative
stress, such as smokers and chronically ill patients.
8. Vitamin E has many potential long-term benefits for healthy people, including reducing harmful inflammation
and preventing oxidative damage to body cells. The best way to take advantage of the benefits of vitamin E
is to eat a varied, healthy diet and take a high-quality balanced supplement that includes a broad spectrum
of antioxidants along with vitamin E.
March 23, 2005
Higher vitamin E
levels reduce prostate cancer risk
In a Brief Communication
published in the March 2, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, researchers analyzed data from the Alpha-Tocopherol,
Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study, which found an association
between supplementation with vitamin E and lower risk of prostate cancer
among 29,133 men.
For the current study, the researchers selected 100 participants who had
developed prostate cancer during the ATBC study follow-up, and matched them
with 200 subjects who did not have the disease.
Based on blood samples taken at the beginning of the study, men with serum
levels of alpha-tocopherol within the top one-third of participants had a
51 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those whose
levels were in the lowest third. Those with higher gamma- tocopherol levels
were similarly protected, with a 43 percent reduction in risk.
In addition, the reduction in cancer risk was even greater in those
taking vitamin E supplements, providing evidence that alpha-tocopherol
supplements were beneficial and did not negatively impact gamma-tocopherol
status.
April 11, 2005
From the BBC
| Vitamin E 'relieves
period pain' |
 |
| |
Vitamin E is available in
chemists and health food shops |
| Taking
vitamin E can significantly reduce the severity and duration of period
pain, research suggests.
The condition, also known as dysmenorrhoea,
usually affects teenage girls, and can significantly disrupt their
education.
The research, by a team from Tarbait Modarres
University in Iran, is published in the British Journal of Obstetrics
and Gynaecology.
UK experts said the "breakthrough" could help
thousands of young girls.
Period pain affects around 40% of adult
menstruating women, and over 10% report it severely limits what they can
do for up to three days during each cycle.
'Marked effect'
Just under 280 girls aged 15 to 17 who had
reported suffering from period pain took part in the study.
Half were given 200 "international units" (IU)
twice a day (a total equivalent to about 270mg), while the rest took
dummy pills (placebos), over four consecutive menstrual periods.
They were asked to rate the pain they experienced
during each period, and how many painkillers they took.
The amount of blood lost was also monitored.
At the end of the study, researchers found girls
who took vitamin E reported the greatest decrease in the intensity of
pain which they felt, which was reflected in a significant reduction in
the number of painkillers they took.
Those who took the vitamin also experienced less
blood loss than the placebo group.
Writing in the British Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology, the researchers say: "The use of vitamin E for
dysmenorrhoea in adolescent women is attractive because of the marked
effect we have demonstrated, coupled with the absence of significant
side effects from vitamin E in therapeutic doses."
Mr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, of the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: "This is particularly exciting
because such treatment is readily available over the counter, is free
from side effects, avoids the use of hormones or pain relievers and
appears to be very effective.
"This may be a breakthrough in a condition
affecting thousands of young girls."
Boost in Immune Response Fights Common
Cold
By
Rosalie Marion
Bliss
April 5, 2005
Nursing facility residents who consumed 200
International Units (IUs) of vitamin E daily for one year were less
likely to get the sniffles than those who took a placebo. Scientists
funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
found that those who took the moderate supplements were 20 percent less
likely to contract upper respiratory infections, such as colds.
The study was led by
Simin Nikbin Meydani, director of the
Nutritional Immunology Laboratory at the
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts
University in Boston, Mass. The findings are important because, due to
aging, the elderly have lowered immune responses and incur greater
health risks from upper respiratory infections.
The scientists studied 617 people over 65 years of age
who met the study's eligibility requirements. All 451 participants who
completed the study were residents in some type of long-term-care
nursing facility located in or around the Boston area.
About half of the participants were given the daily
dose of 200 IUs of vitamin E; the remaining participants received a
daily placebo capsule containing only four IUs of vitamin E. To help
control other dietary factors that affect immune response, all
participants received a capsule containing 50 percent of the recommended
dietary allowance for essential micronutrients. Each volunteer was
examined for health status on a weekly basis.
Good dietary sources of vitamin E include certain
cereals, wheat germ, nuts--especially sunflower seeds and almonds--leafy
green vegetables and vegetable oils. The
National
Academy of Sciences has set an upper tolerable limit for vitamin E
of 1,500 IUs a day.
The study results were published in
The Journal of the American Medical
Association.
Read more about this research
in the April issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
May 6, 2005
Long-term vitamin E use
slows cataract development
The April 2005 issue of
the journal Archives of Opthalmology reports that long- term
use of vitamin E supplements and an increased intake of the B vitamins
thiamin and riboflavin are associated with a reduction in the
progression of cataracts.
Researchers from Harvard and Tufts Universities analyzed data from 408
participants in the Nurses' Health Study between the ages 52 to 74. The
association of cataract development with B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin
and niacin, vitamins C and E, and carotenoids was evaluated.
Computer-assisted image analysis was used to determine the amount of
lens nuclear opacification (cloudiness) that occurred during the
duration of the study.
Long-term vitamin E supplement use, and higher intakes of thiamin and
riboflavin were associated with a reduced progression of opacities.
Niacin additionally appeared to have an effect, although it was smaller
than that of the other B vitamins.
The current research is consistent with prior studies which documented
an association between long-term vitamin E supplement use and a lower
risk of cataracts.
|
|
This may be a breakthrough in a condition affecting thousands
of young girls
