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The Great Vitamin E Debate

vitaminsThe great debate about the safety and efficacy of vitamin E is over! O.V.E.R. Case closed. To summarize, vitamin E won’t kill you. It also doesn’t cure diseases.

Confused? So were millions of vitamin E users who were told that the supplement was being linked to an increased risk of death. (Insert audible gasp.)

 

Over the years, clinical evidence has been published hypothesizing that vitamin E might reduce the risk of one disease or another. This promise of a cure-all led many to supplement with vitamin E. Later research actually linked vitamin E supplementation to an increased risk of death. These conflicting findings created a conundrum for consumers.

 

Was vitamin E a savior or a Satan?

 

Researchers affiliated with Tufts University in Boston attempted to answer this question with a meta-analysis study of pooled data from 57 separate clinical trials. The trials collectively included some 24,000 participants.

 

The new data reveals “supplementation with vitamin E appears to have no effect on all-cause mortality [death] at doses up to 5,500 IU per day. “ On the flip side “vitamin E supplementation for prevention or treatment of disease has not been supported by the accumulated evidence.”

 

So what’s the takeaway? There are several actually. First, vitamin E is safe yet ineffective. Second, be cautious of any clinical trial that boasts hard to believe outcomes. It is easy for one or two clinical trials to be either positive or negative, so it’s important to look at the entire body of evidence..

About Regie Simmons

Regie has worked in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry for nearly 10 years. In addition to being a working professional and sponsored athlete, Regie also competes in the NPC’s Men’s Physique division and is a health and fitness writer for numerous websites. He has a BS in Communications from Howard University and an MBA in Pharmaceutical Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.

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