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September 13 2003
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Does Vitamin E Protect Against Heart Disease or Not?

 

Past research has suggested that taking carotenoids and vitamin E may protect against heart attacks, however now researchers have found that this may not be the case.

Researchers compared the levels of carotenoids and tocopherols in the blood of over 500 men who later had a heart attack with those of a control group of similar men who did not have a heart attack. They expected that individuals with high levels of these antioxidants in the blood would have a low risk of developing heart disease, however overall there were was no evidence that the carotenoids or tocopherols protected against heart attacks.

Another article may help explain why this effect occurred: while there is evidence that commercial vitamin E supplements, which consist primarily of alpha tocopherol, do not provide adequate benefits, a form of vitamin E that contains a mixture of tocopherols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) and tocotrienols (alpha, beta, delta, and gamma) may be needed to protect against disease and provide maximum benefits.

Circulation August 19, 2003

Life Extension Foundation May, 2002



Dr. Mercola Dr. Mercola's Comments:

This is an interesting account as it actually measures vitamin E and carotenoid levels in a non-supplement population. So it is possible that the levels of antioxidants in the poor diets were not high enough to generate a difference. It is also possible the assay used in the study did not measure the active isomer of the vitamins.

I don't watch the news, but I suspect this study will make many news stations, thus adding further confusion to the vitamin E issue. Most of you know that I am a minimalist when it comes to supplements, however there may be some benefits to taking regular vitamin E. But there clearly is some controversy here.

I have believed in vitamin E for over 30 years and have been taking it for many of those years. But the more I study health, the more I realize we don't know. So it all boils down to the basics again. Eat a healthy diet with minimal grains and sugars, as outlined in my Total Health Program, and eat foods that are as pure as possible. Ideally, it would also be beneficial to eat for your nutritional type. Reviewing my nutrition plan is a great way to get started.

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