Vitamin E Supplementation Increases The Risk Of One Type Of Stroke By 22%

A multinational team of researchers who examined results of clinical trials that studied whether widely used vitamin E supplements prevent stroke found mixed – but very sobering – results. The researchers looked at data from nine randomized trials involving nearly 119,000 people. Noting that the “results were largely disappointing,” they discovered that vitamin E actually increased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding within the brain) by 22 percent, but reduced the risk of ischemic stroke (brain tissue death from lack of oxygen) by 10 percent. They argued that vitamin E’s 10 percent risk reduction was negligible compared to other types of intervention, especially blood pressure medication and lifestyle changes. The conclusion: “Indiscriminate widespread use of vitamin E should be cautioned against.”