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Vitamin E Has No Effect on Cardiovascular Disease

Clinical Question: Does vitamin E have a role in the treatment or prevention of heart disease?

Setting: Various (meta-analysis)

Study Design: Meta-analysis (randomized controlled trials)

Synopsis: Investigators in this systematic review searched 11 databases for research on vitamin E and its relatives. The authors located 8,173 studies in any language, and narrowed this number to 84 controlled trials of vitamin E that evaluated clinical outcomes. In six studies, in which follow-up ranged from two to seven years, vitamin E supplementation did not affect mortality when used as secondary or primary prevention. Cardiovascular mortality rates were similar when the five large studies were combined. Vitamin E therapy had no effect on rates of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction. Vitamin E also did not increase the risk of any outcomes. In these studies, thousands of patients were evaluated. However, most of the studies were of low quality (i.e., Jadad score: 3 or less out of a possible 5).

Bottom Line: Vitamin E has no effect on the cardiovascular system. It is not useful for the prevention or treatment of heart disease. (Level of Evidence: 1a)

ALLEN F. SHAUGHNESSY, PHARM.D.

Study Reference: Shekelle PG, et al. Effect of supplemental vitamin E for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. J Gen Intern Med April 2004;19:380-9.

Used with permission from Shaughnessy AF. Vitamin E has no effect on cardiovascular disease. Accessed online August 26, 2004, at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.