EDITOR'S NOTE: The Council for Responsible Nutrition published a FACT SHEET -- Vitamin E meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine: What’s wrong with this picture? --  in late 2004 to help consumers better understand the "negative" press about Vitamin E. This negative press continues to today -- and the information in the FACT SHEET is still tremendously valid for all to read! The FACT SHEET even discusses the "upcoming SELECT" test (which has just been published -- with negative press, of course) and prefaces that upcoming test as part of the meta-analysis process.

Please take the time to read this important FACT SHEET and, if you have any questions, feel free to call us at 800.833.4368, and we will be happy to discuss the positive truths about Vitamin E going back to the 1930s.

Below are excerpts from the topics discussed in the FACT SHEET:

FACT SHEET

Vitamin E meta-analysis in Annals of Internal Medicine: What’s wrong with this picture?

What is a meta-analysis?
A meta-analysis is not a clinical trial. It is a statistical technique for combining the results of many existing studies in order to clarify possible effects.

What is all-cause mortality?
A certain number of people in long term studies are going to die, and all-cause mortality is the number of people who died from any cause — whether or not the cause has anything to do with the purpose of the study.

What did this study find, overall?
Overall, Vitamin E supplementation did not  affect all-cause mortality.

What did the study find, relating to high and low doses of Vitamin E?
However, they go on to generalize, saying that people should avoid high-dose Vitamin E and indeed high doses of any Vitamin — a conclusion much more sweeping than is justified by their analysis.

Were there other findings?
The researchers also did a dose-response analysis of the clinical trials, which found a statistically significant (but very small) increase in mortality only when the Vitamin E dose was greater than 900 IU.  This is contrary to the finding in their main meta-analysis that doses over 400 IU might confer increased risk.

What were the 19 studies used in this meta-analysis?
Some of the studies involved over 20,000 people, and some involved only a few hundred people.  Doses used in the studies ranged from 16.5 IU to 2000 IU and were given for periods from one to 8 years . . . some of the studies found a benefit of Vitamin E for these purposes.

Do any of the studies show a benefit from Vitamin E?
Yes. Many of the 19 clinical studies used in this meta-analysis actually showed a health benefit from Vitamin E.

Do epidemiologic studies show a benefit from Vitamin E?
Yes. Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown a benefit from Vitamin E. 

Are more studies being done using high-dose Vitamin E?
Yes. A number of new clinical trials are now under way, and researchers are attempting to reassure the people enrolled in these trials that Vitamin E is safe and that the research should continue.

Was it reasonable to select 400 IU as the cutoff between low-dose and high-dose Vitamin E?
No. Four hundred IU was an arbitrary number.

How much Vitamin E is safe?
The Institute of Medicine, a scientific advisory body, has concluded that Vitamin E is safe for chronicuse in the general population at levels up to 1000 mg (1000 IU synthetic Vitamin E, 1500 IU natural Vitamin E).

What should people think about this meta-analysis?
Consumers who are already using Vitamin E should continue to use it with confidence, and people who are not currently using at least a multiVitamin containing Vitamin E should consider doing so, since the overwhelming majority of the population fails to get the recommended amount of Vitamin E from diet alone.

(Read report here)

Vitamin E Could Reduce Muscle Inflammation, Study Finds

by Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor

December 10th, 2008 - It's no wonder muscle aches and pains can be not only uncomfortable but also result in significant impairment. After all, about half of your body mass is made up of skeletal muscles and chronic inflammation of those muscles can be agonizing. But University of Illinois research has demonstrated that the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E may be able to put a damper on the cause of ongoing inflammation.

Here's how: Cytokines are regulatory proteins that are released by cells of the immune system to act as intercellular mediators when an immune response is needed. This is a desirable and natural part of the immune system, as long as the cytokine response isn't excessive or "stuck", resulting in chronic inflammation. The new research, just published in the December issue of the journal Experimental Physiology, suggests Vitamin E could keep many of these cytokines in check, thereby easing inflammation throughout the body.

The study marks the first time researchers have looked at the effects of Vitamin E administration on local inflammatory responses in skeletal and cardiac muscle in animals. The research team included Rodney Johnson, a University of Illinois professor of animal sciences whose previous work has suggested a possible link between short-term Vitamin E supplementation and a reduction in brain inflammation.

The scientists examined the impact Vitamin E had on three specific pro-inflammatory cytokines -- interleukin (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-1beta -- and compared the results to those an inactive placebo produced. One group of mice in the study were administered Vitamin E for three days and then injected with a low dose of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce a minor systemic bacterial infection that caused inflammation. A control group received a placebo instead of the vitamin. The researchers found that the mice who had received Vitamin E had a significant decrease in two of the inflammation-causing cytokines, IL-6 and IL-1beta.

The researchers decided to also look at the amount of oxidized proteins in muscles. The reason? Oxidation in muscles has been associated with reduced muscle strength. Once again, the Vitamin E treated animals came out ahead. They had far better muscle function than the mice in the control group.

"There was a significant reduction in the amount of LPS-induced oxidized proteins with Vitamin E compared to placebo. So that's a good thing. Potentially, if you reduce the oxidized proteins, that may correlate to increased muscle strength," University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Kimberly Huey, who headed the study, said in a statement to the media.

Although more research is needed to see how these findings may apply to people, Huey also said that Vitamin E "may be beneficial in individuals with chronic inflammation, such as the elderly or patients with type II diabetes or chronic heart failure. Vitamin E is a supplement that is already approved, and these results may suggest an additional benefit of taking Vitamin E beyond what's already been shown."

What a daily multivitamin does for your DNA

By Dr. Patrick Massey | Columnist

May 18, 2009 - Does taking a daily multivitamin result in better health and longevity?

About two years ago, one of my articles described a study correlating the length of a person's DNA, his or her internal, or cellular, age and the person's health. The bottom line was that regardless of the person's actual age, shorter DNA correlated with an older internal age and longer DNA indicated a younger internal age.

Every time a cell replicates, it needs to make a new set of DNA. However, with each replication, a small piece of DNA is lost. This loss of DNA happens at the ends of the strands in a part of the DNA that does not code for any genes. These ends of the DNA are called telomeres. There are only a limited number of cellular replications that happen before important DNA is lost and the cell dies.

Imagine a spool of movie film. There is always blank film at the beginning of the movie and at the end of the movie. Now envision that a small piece of the blank film is removed every time the movie is played. If you played the movie enough times, all of the blank film would be lost and pieces of the movie itself would vanish.

This is similar to what happens to DNA and telomeres. The longer the telomere, the longer the cell can replicate. Telomere length has been hypothesized to be key to health and longevity.

Therefore, longer telomeres are better than shorter telomeres. In humans, it has been shown that telomere length can be improved through lifestyle changes such as stress reduction and exercise. In a recent study at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, taking a daily multivitamin was associated with significantly longer telomeres.

Although this was a small study, only involving 58 women, the improvements in telomere length were statistically significant. The average increase in telomere length was 5.1 percent, and that is a lot. In addition, vitamin E and vitamin C seemed to be most important. High dietary intake of vitamin C and vitamin E had a greater effect on telomere length than other vitamins.

The study is also important because it underscores the effect of good nutrition on health. There is ample medical research indicating that the average American diet is woefully deficient in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and that 10 percent to 15 percent of Americans do not get the minimum recommended amount of vitamins and minerals.

Several years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published research detailing the state of nutrition in American and is was strongly recommended that everybody have a daily multivitamin. With the recent research on telomere length and vitamins, there is increasing evidence that a good multivitamin may have a significant affect on health and longevity.

• Patrick B. Massey, M.D., Ph.D., is medical director for alternative and complementary medicine for the Alexian Brothers Medical Network.

E for emerging nutrient? The growth of vitamin E tocotrienols

By Stephen Daniells, 20-May-2009

Speaking at Vitafoods 2009 in Geneva about vitamin E tocotrienols, Dr. Barrie Tan explained the differences between vitamin E in its tocopherol and tocotrienol form.

“In terms of benefits to the body, [tocotrienols] would protect a larger area of membrane in a cell, than a tocopherol that stays stationary in one place.”

Awareness of the tocotrienol form of vitamin E tocotrienols, obtained from palm, rice oil, or annatto, is increasing slowly, and clear health benefits are emerging.

“Scientists are making points to differentiate functions of tocotrienols to those of tocopherols. The three areas that delineate the tocotrienol functions from tocopherols are cancer, cardiovascular benefits, and diabetes.”

(Read article and view video here)