For many years Vitamin E has been regarded as a potent antioxidant and beneficial to health. Supplementation with Vitamin E was believed to help protect against the development of heart disease and many other health ailments because of its antioxidant action. However recent research published found that Vitamin E supplementation in doses higher than 400 IU per day may actually increase the incidence of diseases such as heart disease.
The Women’s Health Study examined the effects of supplementation on the incidence of heart disease and cancer. The study enrolled over 38,000 women. The study design was a long-term prospective study using double-blind, placebo-controlled trials over a 10-year period.
Women in the study were given a dose of 600 IU of Vitamin E every other day. The primary outcomes measured included myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, cardiovascular death, cancer incidence and total mortality.
The study found that women who supplemented with 600 IU of Vitamin E every other day had a decrease in heart attack and stroke by 7%. This result was not significant. The incidence of death due to a cardiovascular incidence was decreased in the treatment group by 24%, a significant reduction. So Vitamin E supplementation may not decrease the risk of MI or stroke, but it dose show a protective effect against dying from heart attack or stroke.
There was no effect on breast, colorectal, or lung cancer incidence as well as total cancer incidence due to supplementation with Vitamin E.
Though the study does show a small reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease due to supplementation with Vitamin E, the authors conclude that this study does not support the use of Vitamin E as a supplement strongly enough. The authors felt that previous studies showing an increase in cardiovascular events are stronger than the results of this study.
