"Vitamin E May Increase Your Risk Of Death"

By Kearney Adams


Vitamin E at a glance

Is It Bad For Me?

Should I Take It At All?

What Is The Best Way For Me To Get Adequate Amounts?

What Types Are There?

What Is A Safe Dosage For Me?

I'm sure you've known for quite a while that antioxidant vitamins are valuable free radical scavengers.

However, a report from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine puts one particular antioxidant in a whole new light.

In fact, this report reveals taking high doses of

Vitamin E increases your chances of death from all causes.

is It Bad For Me?
those taking Vitamin A may also risk an early death

[Top]  According to lead author and internist Edgar R. Miller III, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the results of this study did not support the use of high-dose supplementation of this vitamin.

For those of you taking a multivitamin, you should make sure it contains no more than a low dose of vitamin E.

Additionally, Miller stated:

"A lot of people take vitamins because they believe it will benefit their health in the long term and prolong life. “

Furthermore, he went on to say that using high-doses of this vitamin certainly did not prolong life, but was associated with an increased risk of death.

Interestingly enough, the researchers examined 19 studies including almost 136,000 participants. They stated that your risk of death starts to increase at a dose of 150 IUs.


learn what other antioxidant can extend your life by as much as 6 years

The facts seem to indicate that, when the dosage is increased to 400 IUs, your risk of death from all causes is approximately 10 percent higher than would be found in individuals not taking the vitamin.

Almonds when taken at megadoses, such as 2000 IUs or greater, your risk increases to 20 percent.

And yet, this is in opposition to an earlier study that indicated that this antioxidant reduced your risk of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) by 40 percent.

Subsequently, this study, the Nurses' Health Study, found that the 83,234 women participating in it were at a 40 percent lower risk of developing CAD then those not taking the vitamin.

Should I Take It At All?
you may find it to be a useful treatment for Cataracts

[Top]  In spite of these results, there are still numerous conditions that you may find it useful for. It has shown to be beneficial for the following conditions:
  • Reducing the symptoms of Altitude Sickness
  • Slowing the oxidation of your bad, LDL cholesterol
  • Reducing your risk of developing Diabetes
  • Minimizing your risk of having a Stroke

It is important to remember that further research in these areas needs to be done before any definite conclusions are made regarding their efficacy.


Google News reports on a story from the The Times of India that certain vitamins could help prevent a loss of vision in those suffering from Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

According to a study published by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, a correct usage of vitamin supplements may help prevent a loss of vision in those suffering from AMD.

A 2001 clinical trial by the Age-Related Eye Disease Study found that a specific formula of the vitamins C, E, Zinc and beta-carotine were effective in preventing the disease from progressing to advanced AMD by 25 percent

They study goes on to say that most individuals lacked an understanding of how supplements could prove beneficial for AMD.

Additionally, they stated 40 percent of those most likely to benefit from supplementation were not taking the correct supplements or were not taking the correct dosage.



What Is The Best Way To Get Adequate Amounts?
it may be hard eating over 15 mg of E from food alone

[Top]  You can find Vitamin E in many foods. Here is a partial list:

Corn

  • Vegetable oils, such as corn, sunflower, sesame, cottonseed, canola, peanut, sunflower, rice bran, sesame, and palm oils
  • Corn, oats, lentils, rice, northern beans chickpeas, wheat, and Barley Grass
  • Almonds

  • Nuts such as peanuts, pistachios almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts
  • Wheat germ oil
However, scientists think it may be difficult for you to obtain adequate amounts of this vitamin from diet alone without increasing your fat intake over suggested levels.

What Types Are There?
each form has alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta- versions

[Top]   Vitamin E comes in natural and synthetic versions. The natural version provides you more of the vitamin than does the synthetic version.

Plus, it has eight different forms; four known as the tocopherols, with four additional forms known as the tocotrienols.

So, your best choice would be a natural version of the vitamin including as many forms as you can find.

What Is A Safe Dosage?
your upper tolerable intake level of vitamin E is 1,000 mg

Based on the report from Johns Hopkins, to play its safe, you shouldn't exceed 150 IUs.


In conclusion, this report has certainly changed our view of the antioxidant landscape. However, we feel, if you take it safely, Vitamin E still has many healthy uses.

Indeed, our advice is, if you are taking megadoses of Vitamin E, you should reduce your intake immediately.

We would hate for you, a valued reader, to become another mortality statistic.


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