Setting the Record Straight on Vitamin E
A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association is receiving media attention. Vitamin E is in the news, and we know that you may be hearing questions from your customers. It is easy to become confused by headlines that present an unbalanced picture of study results.
The authors of this study, called “HOPE-TOO,” theorize that Vitamin E may increase the risk for heart failure. However, the Council for Responsible Nutrition and other scientific experts, including Jeffrey Blumberg, Chief of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, member of Shaklee's Scientific Advisory Board, and widely recognized expert on Vitamin E, disagree with these conclusions. The study was conducted with a population whose health was already compromised, and who were taking prescription medicines, making it impossible to clearly distinguish the effect of Vitamin E. Even the authors of the study have admitted that the results “cannot be confirmed at this time by other trials,” and that the unexpected results “may be due to chance.”
The March 16, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study with negative results regarding vitamin E. The Council for Responsible Nutrition and other scientific experts disagree with the conclusions of the study, which used participants who were elderly with serious pre-existing medical conditions or diseases. The preponderance of the scientific and medical data continues to support the efficacy and safety of vitamin E for the general population.
Why the study results are questionable
The statistical analysis applied in the study was unbalanced. The potential for positive effects of Vitamin E on reduction of lung cancer was discounted by the study authors. On the other hand, a less stringent statistical analysis appears to have been applied to the data suggesting potentially harmful outcomes for vascular disease.
Study participants were already at high risk. This study investigated individuals with an average age over 70, with pre-existing vascular disease, risk factors for vascular disease and/or diabetes. Data from this type of study cannot reliably be used to determine what's good for the general population.
Study participants were using powerful prescription medications along with Vitamin E -the effects of Vitamin E alone were not tested. All subjects were taking some drug or combination of drugs (beta blockers, antiplatelet agents, lipid-lowering agents, diuretics, calcium channel blockers). In HOPE TOO all subjects were recommended for ramipril, an ACE inhibitor (angiotensin converting enzyme), and it appears that all subjects were taking ramipril plus one or more of the above-listed drugs.
The authors admit that the study results could be due to chance. Indeed the results were unexpected and have not been confirmed by other trials at this time. Even the National Cancer Institute (NCI) stated, "The study was not large enough to determine if vitamin E could prevent specific cancers." NCI also state that they "place the highest priority on the safety of participants in our clinical trials" and will continue to conduct multiple intervention trials to investigate vitamin E for possible reduction in cancer incidence.
The Forum on the Safety and Therapeutic Benefits of Vitamin E and Antioxidants at the University of Southern California, held last month, was attended by scientists and researchers in the field of supplementation, including Shaklee Health Scientists. At this conference, the country's top antioxidant researchers affirmed the health benefits of Vitamin E and will issue a consensus statement in an upcoming issue of the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on this conclusion.
There are more than 1,000 studies that support the safe and efficacious use of Vitamin E supplements, including several studies that were cited in the JAMA article. Research studies on Vitamin E supplements have linked the antioxidant to numerous health benefits including reduced progression of advanced age-related macular degeneration, reduced occurrence of cataracts, slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease, slower progression of atherosclerosis, lower incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction, and reduced incidence of upper respiratory infection, to name just a few.
What should you do?
Continue to use vitamin E as you always have, and promote it to your customers and potential customers, based on the overwhelming data supporting the safety and effectiveness of vitamin E. The scientific and clinical data shows well-established benefits of Vitamin E. Supplementation with vitamins, including Vitamin E, makes sense in support of a healthy lifestyle, and for people who desire nutritional insurance for the gaps left unfilled by the typical diet.
And for additional expert information about the safety of vitamin E, see the Council for Responsible Nutrition website at: www.crnusa.org/vitaminEissafe.html
References supporting vitamin E
1993 - supplementation with vitamin E was associated with a 30-40% reduced risk for coronary disease in a study of 90,000 nurses (Nurses Health Study; NEJM 328:1444-1449)
1993 - total vitamin E intake is inversely related to the risk of colon cancer; those with a highest vitamin E intake had the lowest incidence of colon cancer (Iowa Women's Health Study; Cancer Res:53:4230-4237)
1994 - Levels of vitamin E intake were inversely correlated with coronary deaths in both women and men in a large (>5000 people), long-term (14 year follow-up) Finnish study (Am. J. Epidemiol. 139:1180-1189).
1997 - A review of the literature concerning vitamin E and breast cancer concluded "although epidemiologic study results have been inconsistent, further study of this nontoxic vitamin is warranted." (Nutr. Cancer 27:109-117).
2000 - supplementation with Vitamin E supplementation may prevent ischemic stroke in high risk hypertensive patients (Arch Neurol. 57:1503-1509; analysis of data from the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study)
2004 - protective effect of vitamin E supplementation on upper respiratory tract infections in elderly nursing home residents (JAMA 292:828-836)
2004 - supplementation with vitamins E and C in combination is associated with reduced prevalence and incidence of Alzheimer Disease (Arch. Neurol. 61:82-88; this study is from Johns Hopkins)
FDA - allows qualified health claim regarding "consumption of antioxidants (including Vitamin E) and reduced risk of some forms of cancer."
posted by Independent Shaklee Distributors @ 6:18 PM
