Vitamin E Shows Heart Health Benefit for Women

A new study involving nearly 40,000 healthy women -- the longest and largest trial ever conducted on vitamin E -- found that vitamin E significantly reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease -- the #1 killer of women in the United States.

The study, published in the July 6 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also confirmed that vitamin E is safe, reporting that taking 600 IU of vitamin E supplements every other day did not increase total mortality in healthy women. In reaching the conclusion, the Women's Health Study (WHS) contradicts a recent meta-analysis that reviewed studies of people already ill with cancer, heart disease or other serious medical conditions.

"The benefits shown in this study are very encouraging and should come as welcome news to everyone," said Andrew Shao, Ph.D., CRN's vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs. "The data clearly show that vitamin E can help healthy women, especially older women. They can continue to take vitamin E with confidence and expect to derive substantial benefit."

WHS found a 24 percent reduction in cardiovascular deaths among the nearly 20,000 women who took vitamin E supplements over a 10-year period compared with the nearly 20,000 other study participants who were given placebo. For women 65 and over, the study reported that taking vitamin E supplements had an even greater positive effect. Among that population, there was a 49 percent reduction in cardiovascular death and a 34 percent reduction in heart attack.

Steve - This data should reassure all of those who were dismayed by last year's meta analysis that recklessly stated vitamin E contributed to all cause mortality.