Washington, Dec 31 (IANS) One of the most comprehensive and accurate studies of clinical data on vitamin E shows that indiscriminate use of the antioxidant does more harm than good.
“There were so many conflicting reports about vitamin E and its effect on various diseases, particularly heart disease, that we wanted to set the record straight, says Dov Lichtenberg, professor at the Tel Aviv University (TAU) Sackler School of Medicine.

“Our new study shows that some people may be harmed by the treatment, whereas others may benefit from it. Now we’re trying to identify groups of people that are most likely to benefit from the effects of Vitamin E,” adds study co-author Ilya Pinchuk.

Applying a very different approach than any previous study, the team put its head together to draw definitive conclusions about vitamin E, said a TAU release.

Analysis of the results revealed that subjects who did not take a vitamin E supplement enjoyed more quality-adjusted-life-years (QALY), a standard parameter used in medicine to assess the effect of medical interventions.

The results were reported in ATVB, a journal of cardiology and discussed in BioFactors.