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| To
E or Not to E? That is the Question |
People Confused Due
to Vitamin E Study
Ever since a study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine came
out in November 2004 on vitamin E, many people are being told by their
physician to stop taking it, some have stopped on their own, and many
others are just confused and concerned. Why? Because they are claiming
their findings show that those who take high doses of vitamin E regularly
have increased risk of an all-cause mortality (death rate) among older
high-risk patients.
Poll Reveals Reduced
Use of Vitamin E Due to Study
In a national poll taken by the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau
it was discovered that 1 in 10 American adults is less likely to use
a dietary supplement due to the negative findings of vitamin E in this
study, and that 18 percent of the participants were less likely to take
it.
Study Produces Avalanche
of Misinformation Confusing Public and Physicians
Elliott Balbert, the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau president,
said the vitamin E study produced an avalanche of "misinformation"
that may put consumers at a health risk. "Numerous scientific studies
have shown that Americans, especially seniors, should take vitamin E
supplements to combat cardiovascular disease," he stated.
Misinformation Could Have Negative Impact on American Health
In a statement released by the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau
, eminent members of the scientific community also expressed concern
about the potential impact the study could have on American health.
Barbara Levine, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition in medicine,
Weill Medical College of Cornell University, was quoted as saying, "Vitamin
E is such an important antioxidant. If consumers base their lifestyles
on this inconclusive meta-analysis, we could see an increased risk of
cardiovascular disease, cancers and age-related macular degeneration
in an otherwise healthy population."
One Study Does Not Outweigh Years of Many Positive Studies On
Vitamin E
Another authority on nutrition, C. Wayne Callaway, M.D., said in the
same statement, "One study does not outweigh the many studies that
document the benefits of vitamin E in people who need it and the lack
of harm in people who do not." In
response to the study, the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau launched
a Web site (http://www.vitaminEfacts.org)
to provide consumers with up-to-date information about the role of vitamin
E in human health.
Now that you have read that information about the negative study put about by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, please read the study below about a very positive effect vitamin E has against Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Vitamin
E May Lower Lou Gehrig's Disease Mortality |
BOSTON—Regular
use of vitamin E may decrease risk of mortality in patients with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a recent study conducted by researchers
from Harvard School of Public Health and published online ahead of print
in the November 2004 online issue of Annals of Neurology
(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/109751028/ABSTRACT).
Lower Risk of Lou Gehrig's Disease Among Vitamin E Users
Investigating the role of oxidation in the disease, also known as Lou
Gehrig's disease, Alberto Ascherio, M.D., and colleagues reviewed data
on 957,740 participants in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention
Study II, which began in 1982. The study charted the use of antioxidant
vitamins E and C by the subjects, who were 30 years of age or older,
and followed up for ALS deaths. The researchers found the risk of death
from ALS was significantly lower (62 percent) in regular vitamin E users
compared to nonusers.
Oxidation (cellular damage from oxygen) May Contribute to Lou Gehrig's
Disease
In the report, the study's authors concluded oxidation may contribute
to ALS development. The lack of benefit from vitamin C, they noted,
may be because it is water soluble and has different properties than
vitamin E.
Discovery Counteracts Recent Research Findings
The discovery of vitamin E's potential ability to lower ALS mortality
counteracts recent research findings from Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine claiming an increased all-cause mortality risk among those
who take high doses of the vitamin regularly. The negative vitamin E
study, a meta-analysis of randomized trials, was published in the Nov.
10 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
Years of Research
Back Up Vitamin E's Effectiveness
I would like to conclude this newsletter by stating that vitamin E research
has been going on for a very long time all over the world. The Shute
brothers of Canada, who are also physicians and founders of the famous
Canadian Shute Institute, have used vitamin E on thousands of their
patients for years and have had great success in even reversing heart
disease. Their knowledge and experience of vitamin E use is probably
one of the most extensive in the world.
Vitamin E is a powerful free radical scavenger which can protect us from many diseases and pre-aging. Whenever I here people telling me that they are going to quit using vitamin E and other dietary supplements of proven effectiveness, because of incomplete and flawed studies, I feel that they are putting themselves at greater risk of disease and early death, especially when some of these people have very unhealthy lifestyles.
Natural vitamin E has a proven track record and it would indeed be very foolish to make a decision not to take it any more based on this one inconclusive study by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
