Americans should keep taking vitamin E supplements

Nov 18 2004

"To E or not to E," a question prompted by a controversial analysis released last week, is addressed by leading researchers and physicians who recommend that Americans keep taking vitamin E supplements in recommended amounts for overall health benefits.

These researchers, physicians and health officials have voiced concern and even outrage regarding a "meta-analysis" suggesting that high-dose vitamin E supplements "may increase risk of dying" among older, high-risk patients.

The Dietary Supplement Information Bureau (DSIB) has launched a new Web site - http://www.vitaminefacts.org/ - to help consumers obtain accurate information on vitamin E. Visitors will find referenced materials to help them understand the analysis generating news headlines and facts on why vitamin E is safe and beneficial.

DSIB Scientific Advisory Board members were quick to respond to the issues raised in the study:

"This meta-analysis, a study of other studies published during the last 11 years, concludes there may be a very small increase in mortality associated with high dose vitamin E supplements. However, these results were generated from clinical trials of patients sick with chronic diseases or at very high risk of such conditions and cannot be extrapolated to generally healthy people looking to promote their health and prevent disease. It is important to appreciate that these researchers examined only 19 clinical trials comprised of 135,000 patients and did not investigate at all dozens of observational studies involving millions of people that show vitamin E supplementation can be beneficial and completely safe," explains Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University.

Dr. Ronald Watson, professor in the College of Public Health and School of Medicine at the University of Arizona, who is currently editing an encyclopedia on vitamin E says, "We have carefully reviewed almost 100 articles about vitamin E, its benefits, activity, etc. There is almost no evidence of toxicity or adverse effects in doses used by the average American. In fact multitudinous animal and human studies proclaim it has limited toxicity and significant benefits. The huge amounts of data and studies on vitamin E suggest that it should be considered in supplement programs to promote health, especially in seniors."

When asked if consumers should continue taking vitamin E, Dr. Maret Traber, a vitamin E expert at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University stated, "Absolutely yes."