Vitamin E no influence on women's heart failure risk

Thursday March 22nd, 2012

A new study suggests that vitamin E supplements do not help prevent women developing heart failure - nor do they worsen the risk.

Dr Claudia Chae of Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, and her team investigated the effect of vitamin E on heart failure by studying nearly 40,000 initially healthy women in the ongoing Women's Health Study.

Participants, aged 45 or above, took 600 International Units of vitamin E or placebo every other day for about ten years. During this time there were 220 cases of heart failure among the women.

Vitamin E supplementation appeared to have no effect either way on heart failure overall - but there was a 41 per cent drop in the risk of developing one type of heart failure in which the heart's normal pumping function is maintained.

Dr Chae warns that this finding needs confirmation.

In the journal Circulation: Heart Failure yesterday, the team concludes: "Vitamin E does not prevent heart failure. Prevention strategies should instead focus on what has been shown in research to reduce heart failure risk, such as controlling blood pressure and preventing heart disease."

Fears were raised in 2005 when a study by international researchers indicated that, far from preventing heart failure, vitamin E supplements were linked with a 13 per cent higher chance of experiencing, and a 21 per cent higher chance of being hospitalised for heart failure.

Generally, trials have not shown evidence that high-dose vitamin E supplements can prevent heart disease or reduce mortality rates. However, further research is needed on younger participants without heart disease risk factors.

Chae, C. U. et al. Circulation: Heart Failure March 21 2012.

Tags: Diet & Food | Heart Health | North America | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

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