Scientific Experts Meet to Discuss Safety & Benefits of Vitamin E (neurological disorders included)

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Scientific Experts Meet to Discuss Safety and Benefits of Vitamin E

03 Mar 2005 Medical News Today

USC Forum Held February 26 Reviewed Body of Research and Makes Recommendations

for Future Study on the Health Benefits of Antioxidants -

Scientific experts in pharmacology, toxicology and nutrition gathered at the

University of Southern California (USC) on February 26 for a forum to discuss

the benefits and safety of vitamin E. The group concluded that due to promising

results from existing clinical studies, antioxidant supplements are safe and

appear to confer a health benefit in certain individuals. Future research in

well-defined populations with both clinical and biomarker end-points needs to be

undertaken.

During the day-long forum, scientists discussed topics ranging from the effects

of vitamin E on neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease to the overall

safety of vitamin E supplementation in the general population and the elderly.

Lester Packer, Ph.D., adjunct professor of molecular pharmacology and toxicology

at the USC School of Pharmacy and Ishwarlal Jialal, M.D., Ph.D., E.

Stowell Endowed Chair in Experimental Pathology and director of the Laboratory

for Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research at UC School of Medicine, led

this group of nine scientists in panel discussions reviewing clinical research

demonstrating the value of vitamin E supplementation to human health.

Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, acts as an antioxidant to protect cells in the

body against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging

by-products of cell metabolism. Common food sources of vitamin E include

vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals.

Current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines advise that a person's

daily intake of vitamin E should be met primarily through food sources, but that

many Americans require supplements to get the nutrients they need. Vitamin E

supplement capsules typically contain 400 IU to 800 IU. The Institute of

Medicine advises adults can consume up to 1500 IU of vitamin E a day.

Numerous scientific studies suggest vitamin E supplements offer a variety of

health benefits including helping to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer

and Alzheimer's disease. A study conducted by s Hopkins University,

published in the Journal of Archives of Neurology in 2004 found in 4,740 men and

women over age 65 who took daily doses of 500-1500 mg of vitamin C and 400-1000

IU of Vitamin E reduced the prevalence and risk of Alzheimer disease. Vitamins C

and E are associated with maintaining the health of brain cells.

In November 2004, another Hopkins meta-analysis found that older patients

(47-84 years of age) with existing conditions such as heart disease, Parkinson's

disease and kidney disease, who took more than 400 IUs of vitamin E or more per

day, had an increased risk of all-cause mortality. But the study noted,

" overall, vitamin E supplementation did not affect all cause mortality. " The

study also concluded, " ... high dosage vitamin E trials were often performed in

patients with various chronic diseases, and we could not evaluate the

generalizability of our findings to healthy adult populations. "

Referencing the body of clinical research on vitamin E safety, scientists

participating in the USC Vitamin E Forum agreed it would be premature to apply

this study's isolated findings to the general population. The group urged the

scientific community to conduct long-term, large-scale trials on vitamin E

supplementation in well-defined populations because they appear to be beneficial

to the health of certain individuals.

Leiner Health Products and the University of Southern California School of

Pharmacy organized the USC Vitamin E Forum. Sponsors included Archer, s,

Midland Company; BASF Corporation, China Vitamins LLC, Cognis Nutrition and

Health.

University of Southern California