Vitamin E facts.(Goodnews: essential natural health news)(Brief Article)

The November 10, 2004 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine included a new meta-analysis that--according to interpretations in the media--associates a higher risk of death with vitamin E supplementation. A closer look at the study illustrates the risk of taking conclusions out of context.

In fact, the researchers themselves warned about the risk of generalizing from the study and stated that the outcome applies only to those already afflicted with serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and kidney failure.

The meta-study simply looked at 19 previous studies--18 of which showed no greater mortality with E supplementation--and squeezed out an overall finding of risk. The total sample size for the 19 studies was quite large, giving the conclusions of just one study unwarranted weight. Also, none of the studies ...