Vitamin E: Good for Your Heart?

Vitamin E is best known as an antioxidant that fights free radical damage. But is vitamin E really good for your heart? Let's try to make some sense of the current "confusing" research and the link between vitamin E and your heart.

The journal Circulation, published by the American Heart Association recently reported that vitamin E can reduce the risk of blood clots. In a study of over 40,000 women who were studied for a period of 10 years, supplementation with vitamin E resulted in a decreased incidence of the formation of blood clots. This was especially true for women who had a history of developing blood clots, a serious life-threatening condition.

For athletes or people who exercise, vitamin E has also been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the body, resulting in less damage to muscles. The benefit is less muscle soreness and less recovery time, great news for people who strength train and for bodybuilders.

Here is where the vitamin E research gets a little confusing. A 10-year study of over 9,000 Americans at risk of developing heart disease found that people who took 400 international units of vitamin E daily did not show a reduced risk of heart attack. In fact, those who supplemented with vitamin E actually were at higher risk.

So, what's the verdict? Should you or should you not supplement with Vitamin E? Well, if you are at risk of heart disease or blood clotting, loading up on vitamin E for its heart-healthy benefits appears not to be the correct course of action. Consult with your physician first.

Now, if you have a healthy heart and a healthy circulatory system, vitamin E supplementation may be right for you, especially if you exercise regularly. There is a ton of research showing the positive effects of taking a vitamin E supplement. A great resource can be found at Vitamin & Herb University. There, you'll find everything you need to know about vitamin E and summaries of all of the current research.

That's it for now. Talk to you tomorrow.

Sandy Huard, President, Women's Health Supply International