Posted by Larry Hoover on November 17, 2004, at 18:07:16
In reply to New Vitamin E findings and the media, posted by Glydin on November 17, 2004, at 13:05:13
> Does anyone but me get tried of the alarmist, scare producing media reports that surface? I think it's fine to go for good solid info that's to public advantage, but -- just but..
>
> The latest big news on Vit. E is a prime example. This data, as far I can tell, was based on a patient population of over 60 years old, most, with already established heart disease. Also, I can find no source that gives the REASON or even a speculation as why the increased risk of death was noted - meaning, what pathology was occurring due to the Vit. E consumption? If someone else can find this information, I really would like to know.
>
> I think just being alive right now pretty much puts you at 100% risk of death sometime in the future, true?If you follow this thread, it's been talked out thoroughly, I think.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20041108/msgs/414208.html
I'll give you the cliff notes version. Vitamin E that is most often used in these sorts of studies is alpha-tocopherol. The problem is that if you supplement alpha-tocopherol above, oh, about 600 IU/day, you displace other forms of tocopherol from their appointed places in your antioxidant defense systems. Those other forms are beta-, gamma-, and delta- tocopherol, and the four similarly named tocotrienols. The risk is because the nutrition idiots didn't sort out what the other forms of vitamin E do, and make sure that their subjects took supplements with substantial amounts of (especially) gamma-tocopherol. Vitamin E should be mixed tocopherols, not alphatocopherol.
In any case, the increased risk is so slight that you'd just about need a magnifying glass to see it. It's a tiny increase in risk, and only at high doses of alpha-tocopherol.
If you follow this thread on sci.med.nutrition, you'll get a more detailed picture of why the article is a distortion of reality. I gave some detailed arguments there, as did others.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:417102
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20041108/msgs/417176.html