Vitamin E Decreases Risk of Cardiac-Related Mortality in Women

Vitamin E Decreases Risk of Cardiac-Related Mortality in Women

BOSTONVitamin E decreased therisk of cardiovascular disease-related death among healthy women in the WomensHealth Trial, a long-term study published in the Journalof the American Medical Association (JAMA) (294,1:56-65, 2005).

Researchers conducted the study between 1992 and 2004 on39,876 seemingly healthy U.S. women aged 45 years or older. Using a 2 x 2factorial design, study participants were randomized to receive 600 IU ofvitamin E (provided by the Natural Source Vitamin E Association) or placebo andaspirin or placebo on alternate days, and were monitored for majorcardiovascular events (including nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal strokeor cardiovascular death) as well as total invasive cancer for an average of 10.1years.

The researchers recorded 482 and 517 major cardiovascularevents in the vitamin E group and the placebo group, respectively, representinga insignificant, 7-percent reduction in the risk of major cardiovascular eventsamong those supplemented with vitamin E. However, there was a significant, 24-percent reduction in cardiovascular death among individualssupplemented with vitamin E. The incidences of myocardial infarction, stroke andischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, total cancer, deaths from cancer and totalmortality did not differ between groups.

The researchers concluded the data indicated 600 IU ofnaturalsource vitamin E taken every other day provided no overall benefit formajor cardiovascular events or cancer and did not affect total mortality, butdecreased cardiovascular mortality in healthy women. They added the data do notsupport recommending vitamin E supplementation for CVD or cancer preventionamong healthy women.

According to Andrew Shao, Ph.D., vice president of regulatoryand scientific affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), thestudys positive implications for the use of vitamin E supplementation in theprevention of CVD argue against negative findings of other recent studies onvitamin E, including a meta-analysis of randomized trials published last fall inthe Annals of Internal Medicine suggestinghigh-dose vitamin E supplementation could increase all-cause mortality, as wellas a seven-year study (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation [HOPE]) published inJAMA (293:1338-47, 2005)suggesting vitamin E may not prevent and may increase adverse cardiovascularevents.

Previous research has managed to confuse consumers, Shaosaid. [The Meta-analysis published in the Annals]focused on elderly populations already suffering from illnesses, was acollection of studies rather than primary research, and has been criticized bystatisticians. The HOPE study sought to find whether taking vitamin E wouldslow or reverse disease among subjects who already had CVD, which is difficultto determine with regard to a single nutrient, and its results are difficult toextrapolate from a diseased population to a healthy population. In contrast, theWomens Health Study is primary research conducted within a healthypopulation, the largest and longest trial on vitamin E done to date and helpsget the message out to consumers that vitamin E is safe and beneficial and canhelp promote overall health in conjunction with diet, exercise and otherfactors.