vassociated with reduced five year mortality

An article published online on July 13, 2009 in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported the results of a study conducted by researchers at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center which found that vitamin C and vitamin E supplement users had a lower risk of dying over a five year period than those who did not supplement.

For their analysis, Gaia Pocobelli and colleagues evaluated data from 77,673 participants in the Vitamins and Lifestyle Study of men and women aged 50 to 76. Questionnaires completed between 2000 and 2002 provided information on the participants' supplement use over the previous ten years. Deaths that occurred over the following five years were classified as being due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other causes. Continue Reading

Higher vitamin E levels predict improved prostate cancer survival

An article published in the May 1, 2009 issue of the journal Cancer Research reported the discovery of researchers at the National Cancer Institute of an improvement in prostate cancer survival among men with high vitamin E levels. The effect was particularly strong among those who supplemented with the vitamin.

Joanne L. Watters and colleagues analyzed data from 29,133 participants in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention Study, which evaluated the effect of vitamin E and beta-carotene on the risk of cancer in male Finnish smokers enrolled between 1985 and 1988. Blood samples collected upon enrollment and at three years were analyzed for serum levels of beta-carotene, retinol (vitamin A), and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). Although the trial concluded in April, 1993, on-going follow-up documented 1,891 prostate cancer cases and 395 deaths due to the disease through April, 2005.

Men whose serum alpha-tocopherol levels at the beginning of the study were among the top one-fifth of participants were found to have a 33 percent lower risk of dying of prostate cancer compared with those whose levels were in the lowest fifth. For those whose levels were highest at the third year of the study, a 20 percent lower risk existed. Men who received alpha-tocopherol supplements in the trial and whose baseline levels of vitamin E were highest experienced the lowest risk of prostate cancer mortality, which was 49 percent less than the risk experienced by those in the lowest 20 percent of serum alpha-tocopherol levels. This risk declined after three years to 74 percent less than the risk of those among the lowest fifth.



When all-cause mortality was analyzed among those diagnosed with prostate cancer, participants in the top one-fifth of serum vitamin E levels were shown to have a 33 percent lower risk of death over the course of follow-up, suggesting, according to the authors, "a possible effect for alpha-tocopherol on other causes of death in men with prostate cancer." Continue Reading

Vitamin E reduces inflammation in vivo

The December, 2008 issue of the journal Experimental Physiology published the discovery of researchers at the University of Illinois of an anti-inflammatory effect for vitamin E in an animal model of inflammation.

Scientists are becoming increasingly aware of the role of inflammation in a number of diseases and conditions. Chronic inflammation of the skeletal muscles in humans is a cause of significant physical impairment. Antioxidants such as vitamin E have been shown to reduce proinflammatory cytokine expression in cell culture studies, but the vitamin's effects had not been tested in the heart and skeletal muscle of mice with induced systemic inflammation.

University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Kimberly Huey and colleagues administered vitamin E or a placebo to mice for three days before injecting the animals with a low dose of E. coli lipopolysaccharide to induce inflammation. A control group received saline injections. The team found increased levels of the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in the skeletal and cardiac muscle of mice that received lipopolysaccharide, yet among those that received vitamin E, levels of these cytokines were significantly lower than those of the placebo group.

The cytokines function as intercellular communicators which assist in immune response, yet can lead to excessive inflammation. Additionally, the researchers observed decreased activation of nuclear factor kappa-beta (another agent involved in inflammation) in mice that received vitamin E. Continue Reading

Vitamin C supplementation lowers C-reactive protein levels

An article scheduled to appear in the January 1, 2008 issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine reports the finding of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley that supplementing with vitamin C reduces C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Berkeley professor emeritus of epidemiology and public health nutrition Gladys Block and her associates randomized 396 nonsmokers to receive 1000 milligrams vitamin C, 800 international units vitamin E, or a placebo for two months. Serum C-reactive protein levels were measured before and after the treatment period. Although no effects for vitamin E were observable, and no effect for vitamin C was noted among those with desirable CRP levels, for participants with elevated C-reactive protein (defined as 1 milligram per liter or higher), vitamin C lowered CRP by 0.25 milligrams per liter compared to the placebo, a reduction similar to that associated with statin drug treatment. Continue Reading

The Orthomolecular Link Between Vitamin E and the Heart

The correlation between a diet rich in Vitamin E and the heart has been analyzed and overanalyzed for decades now, and in one of the earliest incidences of using orthomolecular medicine in the treatment of a disease, the Shute brothers pioneered the idea of using doses of Vitamin E to prevent heart ailments; the vitamin, in the form of d-alpha tocopherol, is an active anti-oxidant that prevents the formation of free radicals which are known to increase the risk of cancer, cardiac ailments and other regenerative diseases.

Vitamin E prevents blood from clotting and thus improves circulation and prevents embolisms which give rise to strokes. Besides decreasing the amount of oxygen required by tissues and the amount of insulin needed to control diabetes, this vitamin also has properties that help keep prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease at bay.

Studies that deal with primary prevention of heart disease (in healthy adults) over the course of a few years have been known to have positive results, with most of those treated showing little or no signs of the formation of atherosclerotic plaque, the natural hardening of the arteries that begins from childhood and contributes to heart diseases and strokes. But those that deal with secondary prevention – in people who are known to have a history of heart problems – have not had conclusive results, probably because of the added effects of diabetes, smoking, and drugs being used to treat existent medical conditions.

The ideal daily dosage of Vitamin E has been proved to be between 200 IU and 400 IU, with the American Heart Association warning people against taking Vitamin E supplements in levels greater than 1,500 IU per day, especially those who are on anti-clotting drugs since it’s an anticoagulant and increases the risk of bleeding. If you’re looking for your daily requirements of this powerful antioxidant, look no further than natural foods like vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables and whole grain cereals. There’s no need to take added supplements. A word of caution though – foods rich in Vitamin E are often rich in fat as well, so make sure you consult your doctor and dietician before you make any drastic changes in the way you eat.

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This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of x-ray technician schools. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Alpha and gamma-tocopherol reduce oxidative stress and inflammation markers in metabolic syndrome patients

The March 15, 2008 issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine published the results of a study conducted by investigators at the University of California Davis Medical Center in collaboration with researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute who report that supplementing with alpha and gamma-tocopherol reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in men and women with metabolic syndrome. Gamma-tocopherol is one of eight forms of vitamin E, which include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols.

Alpha-tocopherol has been considered to be the main form of vitamin E for a number of years; however, research continues to confirm the importance of gamma and other tocopherols in human health.

Eighty men and women who had at least three metabolic syndrome features, which include increased waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, hypertension, elevated fasting blood sugar and low high density lipoprotein cholesterol, participated in the current study. The subjects were divided to receive 800 milligrams alpha-tocopherol, 800 milligrams gamma-tocopherol, 800 mg alpha plus 800 milligrams gamma-tocopherol, or a placebo daily for six weeks.

Blood samples collected upon enrollment and at the end of the study were analyzed for inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1b, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 6), C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation), oxidative stress biomarkers, and other factors. Urine samples were tested for nitrotyrosine, a marker for protein modification by nitric oxide-derived oxidants, which may be an inflammatory mediator in heart disease. Alpha and gamma-tocopherol and levels of their metabolites were measured in plasma and urine. Continue Reading

Lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin E show protective association against cataract

The January 14, 2008 issue of the American Medical Association journal Archives of Ophthalmology published the discovery of Harvard researchers that women whose diets are high in lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin E have a reduced risk of developing cataracts. Lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidant xanthophylls which occur in yellow or dark, leafy vegetables. Improved intake of lutein and zeaxanthin has been linked with a lower risk of another eye disease—age-related macular degeneration.

For the current study, William G. Christen, ScD, of Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and his colleagues utilized data from 35,551 participants in the Women’s Health Study. Dietary questionnaires completed upon enrollment in 1993 were analyzed for levels of antioxidants including alpha and beta-carotene, beta cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin C and vitamin E in food and multivitamin supplements. The women, who were 45 years of age or older, were followed for an average of 10 years. Continue Reading