Researcher Disputes Hopkins Study On Vitamin E
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BALTIMORE -- A researcher disputes a
study about the possible heart risks posed by vitamin E, one
of the most popular antioxidant vitamins.
Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg said Thursday, the day after the release of a Johns Hopkins vitamin E study, that the Hopkins research looked at people already at high risk of death and that can't be used to determine what's good for healthy people. The Hopkins study found that people taking high doses of vitamin E actually had an overall death rate up to 6 percent higher than those not taking the vitamin.
So, what do you do? Many people will likely continue taking their vitamin E supplements, but the latest research recommends patients to stay away from mega doses, researchers said.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins reported today that the use of high-dose vitamin E supplements is linked to a higher overall risk of dying. The team identified high-dose as anything above 400 international units in their presentation at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2004 in New Orleans. "A lot of people take vitamins because they believe it will benefit their health in the long term and prolong life," said study lead author and internist Edgar Miller III. "But our study shows that use of high-dose vitamin E supplements certainly did not prolong life, but was associated with a higher risk of death." In the current study, the Hopkins team re-analyzed raw data from 19 major clinical trials that took place between 1993 and 2004 and involved more than 136,000 patients in North America, Europe and China. Risk of death was estimated by comparing the death rates in both groups. When the data for the trials was re-evaluated, nine
of 11 trials involving high-dose vitamin E showed an
increased risk of death. The other eight trials involved
low-dose vitamin E users.
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| Current recommendations seen to indicate that lower doses of vitamin E are safer and effective. Limit your daily intake of vitamin E to 400 IU or less. |
