You are in Living Better . Despite favorable animal studies and some inconclusive evidence in people, a study in the Jan. 20 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that taking vitamin E supplements every day for over four years does not reduce the risk of death or heart attack in people with heart disease or diabetes. In several studies, fruits, vegetables, and other foods containing antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E have been associated with a reduction in the risk of heart disease and levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol.
Antioxidants prevent the formation of free radicals that cause disease.
However, the new study found no significant differences in deaths from heart disease or stroke, or in the incidence of second heart attacks or death from any cause, in men and women aged 55 or older who were randomly assigned to take either vitamin E or a placebo every day for four and a half years. The trial was stopped last year when investigators felt they had enough evidence that Altace was beneficial and vitamin E was not. There were no significant differences between the groups in the numbers of deaths from heart causes, heart attacks, deaths from coronary heart disease, or strokes. The findings are consistent with those of several other studies that have shown no significant reduction in heart disease among people assigned to take large or small amounts of vitamin E daily. Rimm tells WebMD that the HOPE trial is a well-done study with compelling results, but says the findings have numerous caveats, including the health of the participants and the length of duration of supplementation, that must be considered when translating the results to other populations and comparing them to previous studies.