Defying death, I continue to ingest vitamin E

This morning, as I have done for years, I took a 400IU capsule of vitamin E. This is in addition to the 400IU contained in my full dose of daily multivitamin-mineral tablets. My total daily consumption then, is 800 IU. Both of these, by the way, are natural-source vitamin E, not synthetic.

"The results of at least five large observational studies suggest that increased vitamin E consumption is associated with decreased risk of [heart attack] or death from heart disease in both men and women." So states the Linus Pauling institute. Since heart disease is a major killer in the United States, well... you can do the math. Read what vitamin E can and can't do for you here.

Additional information on the study showing increased risk of death in users of vitamin E supplements: The recent meta-study mentioned in yesterday's entry "reported that adults who took supplements of 400 IU/day or more were 6% more likely to die from any cause than those who did not take vitamin E supplements. However, further breakdown of the risk by vitamin E dose and adjustment for other vitamin and mineral supplements revealed that the increased risk of death was statistically significant only at a dose of 2,000 IU/day..." (Linus Pauling Institute, at the link above.)

Vitamin E almost certainly works best in partnership with a wide spectrum of other vitamins and minerals. And the best way to ensure you're getting those is to eat many many servings of fruits and vegetables, organically grown if you can get them, and as fresh as possible. In addition, a good multivitamin-mineral supplement will provide not only vitamin E, but the vitamin and mineral partners each nutrient needs to work efficiently.