Low vitamin E levels linked to greater physical decline

Low blood levels of vitamin E are linked to greater physical decline in older people, suggests a new study from Yale University School of Medicine that appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The current study provides empirical evidence that a low concentration of vitamin E is associated with subsequent decline in physical function in a population-based sample of older persons living in the community," wrote lead author Benedetta Bartali.

"As the major lipid-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E plays a critical role in the defence from oxidative stress by donating electrons and neutralizing free radicals," wrote Bartali. "Low concentrations of vitamin E may affect this neutralization by creating an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants and, consequently, a highly reactive milieu.