Data from longitudinal studies shows that the prevalence of vitamin E supplementation fell from 44.3% in 2002 to 19.8% in 2006, much of which was linked to the meta-analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine (published in print in 2005, but electronically in 2004). The meta-analysis has been criticized extensively over the years, but the dip produced in vitamin E sales was deep and long.
The list of potential health benefits linked to vitamin E continues to grow, and here we review some of the most read articles on NutraIngredients-USA from 2014:
Safety
Researchers from Harvard reported findings from their analysis of data from the Physicians’ Health Study II randomized trial, which indicated that long-term use of vitamin C and E supplements do not increase the risk of cancer.
PHS II is the only large-scale, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the long-term effects of a common multivitamin (Centrum Silver), and individual vitamin C (500 mg synthetic ascorbic acid per day; BASF) and vitamin E supplements (400 IU synthetic alpha-tocopherol every other day; BASF) in the prevention of chronic disease.
Duffy MacKay, ND, senior vice president, scientific & regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), told NutraIngredients-USA in July that the paper was “reassuring”.
“At the time SELCT was published, CRN reminded consumers that this study provides an important addition to the knowledge base, but we should be reminded it is one study that should be looked at in context with all of the evidence. Well, now we have another good intervention study that suggests no negative effect,” said Dr MacKay.
“The results of the current study tilt the preponderance of evidence even further towards supporting the safety of long-term vitamin E consumption.”
For the full article, please click here: ‘Reassuring’: Harvard’s large-scale randomized trial in men supports safety of vitamin C and E supplements
Brain health
First up is the article “Vitamin E tocotrienols show brain health benefits”, which reported on the largest ever human clinical study using tocotrienols for neuroprotection. The study included 121 people aged 35 and above with cardiovascular risk factors and white matter lesions, which are linked to development of neurodegenerative diseases and to an increased stroke risk.
Data showed that mean white matter lesions volume of the placebo group increased whereas those who received vitamin E tocotrienol supplementation remained unchanged.
More brain health benefits were reported by scientists from Osaka University and Osaka Medical College in Acta Paediatrica. The Japanese scientists reported that supplementing extremely low birth weight infants for greater than six months was associated with significantly lower odds of for impaired mental development at eight years, compared with the control group.
“Currently there is no clear requirement to ensure that extremely low birth weight infants receive regular intake of vitamin E,” they wrote. “Daily supplementation of 5-25 international units (IU) of vitamin E for preterm infants is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Committee on Nutrition (AAP) (Committee N 1985). Our supplementation dose of 20mg (20 IU) /kg was much higher than the AAP’s recommended dose for infants,” they wrote.
Click on the following link for the full article: “Vitamin E may boost IQ for low birth weight infants, says study”
The recommendations
We also ran coverage from the 3rd World Congress of Public Health Nutrition in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria and the presentations by Dr Keith West from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and DSM’s senior VP of nutrition science and advocacy, Dr Manfred Eggersdorffer, about vitamin E’s emerging science and the need for policy changes regarding the recommendations: “Time for a vitamin E intake rethink? Emerging data builds argument”
Bones
The potential bone health benefits of the micronutrient were reported by scientists from Uppsala University and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Data collected over 19 years from 14,738 women indicated that the lowest average levels of alpha-tocopherol were associated with an 86% increase in the rate of hip fracture, while use of alpha-tocopherol-containing supplements were associated with a 22% reduction in the rate of hip fracture.
Similar protective effects from higher vitamin E levels were observed in men, according to data collected over 12 years in 1,138 men.
“Vitamin E has been proposed to have positive effects on both bone and muscle mass owing to its antioxidant properties, rendering a theoretical consequential lower fracture risk with a higher alpha-tocopherol intake,” wrote the researchers in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Our results support these experimental findings: higher intakes were associated with higher BMD, higher lean muscle mass, and lower fracture risk.”
To read our full report, please click: Vitamin E supplements may reduce bone fracture rate in the elderly: Study