Lethal consequences of vitamin E overdose

Recent studies reveal that people who take high doses of vitamin E to improve their health may not be getting any benefits and may, in fact, be slightly increasing their risks of dying earlier.

The adverse effect was tiny, however, and some experts with no connections to the &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/90/360/14490_rose.html' target=_blank>vitamin industry say they are not convinced it was demonstrated. It emerged only when the researchers pooled the results from 19 clinical trials involving 135,967 participants. That led them to conclude that there were 39 additional deaths per 10,000 people who were taking vitamin E doses exceeding 400 international units a day, informs The New York Times.

According to The Globe and Mail, "Vitamin E is absolutely safe," insisted Vic Neufeld, president of Jamieson Laboratories, the largest Canadian vitamin maker. He called the new report "irresponsible," adding that the researchers "didn't care to choose to comment on over 200 positive studies."

Other researchers, who were not connected with the study, said the findings could unduly alarm the public.

"My concern would be people panicking and thinking they are going to die tomorrow because they took vitamin E -- and I don't think that is right," said Eva Lonn, a professor of medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton.

The study was not intended to investigate how vitamin E might do harm. However, Dr. Miller speculated that high doses of vitamin E could be upsetting the body's natural defence mechanisms.