Posted on 11/10/2004 8:12:34 AM PST by libtoken
Vitamin E may do "more harm than good"
Vitamin E supplements, which millions take in the hope of longer, healthier lives, may do more harm than good, researchers have reported. In fact, people taking high doses of vitamin E may in some cases be more likely to die earlier, although the reasons are not clear, Dr. Edgar Miller of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who led the study, said on Wednesday.
(snip)
Miller and colleagues re-analysed 19 studies of vitamin E and health between 1993 and 2004. The trials involved more than 136,000 mostly elderly patients in North America, Europe and China. People who took 200 international units of vitamin E a day or more died at a higher rate during the study, which lasted three years, than people who did not take supplements, they told a meeting of the American Heart Association. "It's about a 5 percent increased risk at 45 years in the trials pooled together," Miller said.
(snip)
Nuts, oils, whole grains and green leafy vegetables are all rich in vitamin E.
MUCH MORE THAN NEEDED
The average U.S. diet supplies six to 10 IU of E, Miller said. The Institute of Medicine, which sets recommended doses of vitamins and minerals, gives 1,500 IU of E as a daily upper limit. "I would say it is too high," Miller said.
(snip)
Miller, who was surprised by the findings of the study, said there could be several ways the vitamin supplementation is damaging the body. While vitamin E in low doses is a powerful antioxidant, in higher doses its effects may promote oxidative damage, and may also overwhelm the body's natural antioxidants, he said. (snip)
Let me be first.
Everything is a poison, depending on the dose.
I know there are a lot of vitamin C junkies out there too -- people who take like 20,000 milligrams a day. Their bodies adjust to the dose, and if they quit, they sometimes go through a withdrawel period with symptoms resembling scurvy (or so I've read).
But vitamin C is water soluble and your body readily flushes out the excess. Vitamin E, on the other hand, is fat-soluble, which probably makes it tougher for your body to deal with an excessive intake.
Have been taking 1200 IU daily since 1976...checked the obits today & I wasn't there...
Dr. Linus Pauling took 18,000 mg. of vitamin c per day.
I've been taking 800 IU of E-complex, mixed tocopherols for many yrs. too. I think they are dead wrong about this study, E prevents cholesterol and cell membranes from becoming oxidized. I will continue to take it and the others too.
It's ridiculous. I was listening to Jerry Hickey talk about this study. Sure if you use vitamin e on gravely ill people that are already dying, you can say vitamin e is bad for your health.
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