CR Health

Vitamin E Pills - Now its Thumbs-Down

Once acclaimed for everything from treating kitchen burns to preventing heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer, the value of vitamin E supplements has not stood up to serious study. In two clinical trials testing topical vitamin E for burns and surgical wounds, for example, the vitamin prevented scarring no better than a placebo ointment. In some cases it worsened scars or triggered rashes.

Now, three large, new studies have bolstered the grwoing evidence that supplements of vitamin E will not reduce your risk of chronic disease and might even increase it. In one long-running trial involving some 7,000 participants, 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E per day not only failed to reduce the risk of both cardiovascular disease and cancer but may have increased the risk of heart failure in people with diabetes or clogged arteries. IN a second trial, the same dose of the vitamin nearly tripled the risk of new cancers among 540 patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer, compared with placebo. Stopping the vitamin appeared to reduce that risk. Finally, a very large dose of vitamin E - 2,000 IU per day -- was no better than placebo at preventing the onset of Alzheimer's disease in a three year study of 769 older men and women with mild cognitive impairment.

The new findings follow a series of large clinical trials that essentially dashed the hope, raised in earlier observational stuides, that vitamin E might benefit the heart. And a controversial meta-analysis published in January determined that 400 IU or more per day of the vitamin E increased the risk of dying prematurely in older adults and people with chronic disease. (A smaller dose of 200 IU appeared safe).

If small doses of antioxidants are good for you, why aren't large doses even better? Researchers speculate that since nutrients tend to work in concert, ingesting too much of a single nutrient may create imbalances in the body that do more harm than good.

Taken together, these findings call into serious question whether anyone should bother-- or risk -- taking high doses of vitamin E or other antioxidant vitamin.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

Disease Prevention - Based on the current evidence, there is no reason to take vitamin E supplements to prevent disease. STudies fo vitamin E for the prevention of prostate cancer and some other conditions remain under way.

Eye health - Research supports the use of antioxidant pills with moderately large doses of Vitamin E for slowing macular degeneration, a seriuous eye condition. the supplements are still recommended for that purpose and for some people at risk for the disease under doctor's supervision.

Blood thinning. Avoid taking vitamin E if you take anti-clotting drugs, such as daily low-dose aspirin or warfaring (Coumadin), since the vitamin can further thin the blood.

Preventing deficiencies - Most people in the U.S. can get the governments recommended daily value of 30 IU a day from eating vitamin E- rich foods, namely nuts, sunflower seeds and vegetable oils. If not, a multivitamin provides plenty.