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Vitamin E prevents thromboembolism.
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| Article Type: | Brief article |
| Subject: |
Vitamin E
(Health aspects) Thromboembolism (Prevention) Women (Health aspects) Women (Research) |
| Author: | Gaby, Alan R. |
| Pub Date: | 06/01/2008 |
| Publication: | Name: Townsend Letter Publisher: The Townsend Letter Group Audience: General; Professional Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2008 The Townsend Letter Group ISSN: 1940-5464 |
| Issue: | Date: June, 2008 Source Issue: 299 |
| Topic: | Event Code: 310 Science & research |
| Product: | SIC Code: 2833 Medicinals and botanicals |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States |
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| Accession Number: | 217848128 |
| Full Text: |
Some 39,876 women (aged 45 years or older) participating in the
Women's Health Study were randomly assigned to receive, in
double-blind fashion, 600 IU of vitamin E every other day or placebo for
a median of 10.2 years. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred in 213
women in the vitamin E group and in 269 of those in the placebo group
for a 21% risk reduction (p = 0.01). Among the three percent of
participants with a prior history of VTE, the risk reduction was 44% (p
< 0.05) with vitamin E, whereas women without prior VTE had an 18%
risk reduction (p = 0.04) with vitamin E. Women with either factor V
Leiden or the prothrombin mutation had a 49% risk reduction associated
with vitamin E treatment (p < 0.02). Comment: The results of this study indicate that supplementation with vitamin E can reduce the risk of VTE. Women with a prior history or a genetic predisposition to the disease appeared to receive the greatest benefit. Vitamin E probably works by inhibiting platelet aggregation. In recent years, a number of studies have questioned whether vitamin E is beneficial for preventing or treating cardiovascular disease. While vitamin E may not be effective for preventing myocardial infarction or death due to cardiovascular disease, the evidence indicates that it is effective for treating intermittent claudication and preventing thromboembolism. In addition, as noted in my recent editorial ("Vitamin E and Cardiovascular Disease: A Genetic Factor," Townsend Letter, April 2008), vitamin E has been shown to prevent cardiovascular events in diabetic patients with the haptoglobin 2-2 genotype. Glynn RJ, et al. Effects of random allocation to vitamin E supplementation on the occurrence of venous thromboembolism: report from the Women's Health Study. Circulation. 2007; 116:1497-1503. by Alan R. Gaby, MD drgaby@earthlink.net |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |
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