Can Vitamin E Help Women Avoid Stroke?

Source: Tufts University
September 7, 2000 (Reviewed: January 2, 2003)

Many people believe that they need to fight disease with an arsenal of dietary supplements. That arsenal often includes vitamin E. This may not be the best nutrition strategy, according to a study in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that adds to what scientists know about the disease-fighting potential of vitamin E.

In the late 1980s, scientists assessed the dietary intakes of more than 34,000 participants in the Iowa Women's Health Study, an ongoing research project that focuses on the particular health needs of older women. The scientists then kept track of the participants over the next ten years, noting the women who died of stroke during that time. After accounting for other factors that affect stroke risk, such as age, weight, and smoking status, the researchers noted that the women in the study who consumed the most vitamin E from foods, without relying on dietary supplements, were less likely than other women to suffer a stroke. Liberal use of vitamin E supplements did not appear to provide the women in this study any protection from stroke, however.

If the vitamin E from food is good, then shouldn't the added amount that supplements can provide be even better? Scientists aren't sure. The Iowa Women's Health Study is an epidemiologic study, in which researchers periodically gather health information and then monitor the participants' health over a period of years. But it is not always possible to attribute a particular disease outcome to one specific factor, since people who consume a healthful diet are also likely to practice other beneficial health habits. For instance, the women in this study who ate the most vitamin E from foods were also less likely to be overweight or to smoke, and more likely to exercise, than other study participants. In addition, a vitamin E-rich diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and vegetable oils contains plenty of other potentially beneficial nutrients in addition to E. Any or all of these factors could have combined to offer the protection from stroke attributed, in this study, to vitamin E in foods.

What's the bottom line? The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the organization responsible for setting recommendations for desirable intakes of nutrients, says there is not yet enough scientific proof that vitamin E supplements provide an added edge against disease. Research in this area continues, but in the meantime nutrition conscious consumers would be better served by shopping in the produce aisle instead of the dietary supplement aisle of the grocery store.

Source

• Intake of antioxidant vitamins and risk of death from stroke in postmenopausal women. L. Yochum,  et al., The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000, vol. 72, pp. 476--483

Related Links
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements, American Heart Association
Antioxidant Vitamins, American Dietetic Association
Tufts University's Nutrition

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