Vitamin E - to supplement or not ?

Vitamin E supplements - dangerous or healthy ?


Suddenly Vitamin E gets back into the news.

On December 30th, 2008 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported that taking Vitamin E, Vitamin C and/or Beta-carotene didn't have any impact on cancer risk. This was a nearly 10 year study involving researchers from Harvard and Brigham-Young.

At almost the same moment the January 2009 issue of the Wellness Letter (published by the University of California, Berkley) arrives leading with the question "Should anyone take Vitamin E ?"

Vitamin E was discovered by University of California, Berkeley researchers in 1922 and since around 1995 the Wellness Letter has advocated taking Vitamin E supplements but now it's reversed it's stance and now says - get your Vitamin E from food.

Vitamin E is found in the following foods:
* Wheat germ
* Corn
* Nuts
* Seeds
* Olives
* Spinach and other green leafy vegetables
* Asparagus
* Vegetable oils -- corn, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed

The Wellness Letter position in a nutshell:
Vitamin E in retreat
The Wellness Letter has tracked vitamin E for our readers for many years. About 15 years ago we started recommending E supplements (400 IU a day) because the findings about the potential benefits seemed plausible and exciting. But in 2001, after more research appeared and disappointment set in, we halved our suggested amount to 200 IU. Then, in 2005 we stopped recommending E altogether. When hundreds of studies fail to find a benefit, and so many contradictions emerge, you have to be skeptical.

Bottom line: Get your vitamin E from food, not supplements. The supplements have not proved beneficial, and may even be risky. We stick by our advice that most people can benefit from a basic multivitamin/mineral supplement, which usually supplies the RDA for vitamin E.

• Vitamin E exists naturally in eight forms (four tocopherols and four tocotrienols), of which alpha-tocopherol is probably the most important and the most often studied.

• It acts as an antioxidant—that is, it helps neutralize free radicals (oxygen molecules that can harm cells and may contribute to chronic diseases).

• It is fat-soluble and can thus be stored in the body.

• It is measured in milligrams or International Units (IU); the latter are used on supplement labels. The daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adults is 15 milligrams (about 23 IU).

• Deficiency in E is unknown, except in people with rare genetic disorders or malnutrition, or in preterm infants.

• Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, whole grains, and leafy greens supply the most vitamin E. Broccoli, tomato sauce, red peppers, carrots, and some fish are also good sources.

So that's it then - no more Vitamin E ?

Maybe not !

There is this report from early in 208 that low levels of Vitamin E are linked to physical decline in seniors. This study did not look at supplements as the researchers position is that sufficient Vitamin E can easily be obtained from food.

Tufts researchers analyzed what Americans were actually eating and came to the conclusion "The majority of men and women in the United States fail to meet the current recommendations for vitamin E intake. Many of the top contributors are not particularly high sources of alpha-tocopherol but are consumed frequently. Greater inclusion of sources such as nuts, seeds, and vitamin E-rich oils, could improve intake of alpha-tocopherol."

The Linus Pauling Institute, which has been an advocate of high levels of supplementation on many nutrition items, recommends 200 IUs a day of Vitamin E supplement (in the form of Alpha-tocopherol) - taken with food.

The 200 IUs a day contrasts with the government set recommendation of 22.5 IUs per day but going too high is probably not an issue. In November, 2004, the American Heart Association stated that high amounts of vitamin E can be harmful. Taking 400 IU per day, or higher, may increase the risk of death. So don't go totaly crazy !

One way forward could be a tablespoon of Wheat germ oil which will get you just about all the Vitamin E you essentially need. However it is pretty intense in flavor and a tablespoon might be difficult to swallow so soft capsules might be the way to go.

Then of course there is the question of absorption of Vitamin E out of capsules. This report thinks that fortified cereals provide a better way to absorb Vitamin E than consuming capsules.

Bottom line for me is that there are certain molecules that our bodies do not make and we call these things vitamins. Our bodies don't make these molecules because they used to be so common in our food that there was no point in making these molecules. So a healthy variety of food is the best way to go. Of course, for many this is too difficult and if you are in this situation then it has to be supplementation. Do it through foods fortified with Vitamin D rather than swallowing a lot of capsules.