Vitamin E to Protect Against Heart Attack and Cancer?

There is no evidence that vitamin E can prevent heart attacks or cancer.

The essentials in brief:

• Vitamin E protects cells from oxidative damage.
• The daily requirement can be easily covered with vegetable oils and nuts.
• Overdoses from supplements can cause bleeding in some people. In men over 55 years of age, the risk of prostate cancer is increased if the daily amounts are too high.

What is behind the advertising for vitamin E?

According to advertising, taking vitamin E should protect against cancer and heart attacks, increase performance and delay the aging process. However, the law only allows one single health -related advertising claim for vitamin E , namely: “Vitamin E helps to protect cells from oxidative stress”.

Whether an additional intake of vitamin E in the form of dietary supplements contributes to protection against cancer and heart attacks has been widely discussed in the past. Studies that deal with these connections, however, did not provide any clear results. It is considered probable that vitamin E in the food group , i.e. in combination with other food ingredients, develops a health-promoting effect.

What should I look out for when using vitamin E products?

• The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) suggests 30 mg vitamin E (= 44 IU) or vitamin E equivalents per day as the maximum amount in food supplements. Various forms of the vitamin are summarized under vitamin E equivalents. However, the various compounds have different values, not each corresponds 1:1 to the active vitamin. However, the vitamin E effective amount is stated on the packaging so that you can compare the products with each other.
• The sole indication of the quantity per daily dose in the form of international units (IU) is not permitted, the quantity must be specified in milligrams.
• Please note that critically high intake levels can occur if you use high-dose products or take several vitamin E-containing food supplements at the same time or eat vitamin E-enriched foods (e.g. multivitamin juices) in addition to the food supplements. According to the BfR, the fortification of solid foods should not exceed 7 mg vitamin E per 100 g and 2 mg / 100 ml in drinks.
• Bleeding disorders are possible in some people at intakes above 30 mg/day, presumably caused by interactions with   vitamin K. In individual cases, when anticoagulants (vitamin K antagonists, e.g. Marcumar) are taken at the same time, their effectiveness is reduced.
• Long-term intake of very high doses of vitamin E (400 mg/day = 597 IU) can reduce the levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.
• Above all in men over the age of 55 there is an increased risk of developing prostate cancer with a dosage of 268 mg/day (= 400 IU) or more.
• At doses of 130 to about 200 mg/day, the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke (brain bleeding) increases.
• Anyone taking iron supplements at the same time should refrain from taking vitamin E for at least two hours.

To be on the safe side, you should inform your family doctor about taking vitamin E products, especially if they contain more than 30 mg/daily dose. This is especially true if you are ill or if you are taking medication regularly.

Tip: For fats (max. 60-80 g per day), preferably use vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil. They not only contain plenty of vitamin E, but also many valuable unsaturated fatty acids. In this way you can make an active contribution to protecting your blood vessels.

What does the body need vitamin E for?

Vitamin E refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins that share a similar ring-shaped chemical structure. The best-known and best-researched form is α-tocopherol.

As one of the most important protective vitamins, vitamin E is present in every cell in the body. It intercepts radicals that attack the fatty acids in the body cells. It thus makes a major contribution in terms of protecting the vessels and preventing arteriosclerosis. In this task it is supported by vitamin C , β-carotene and various enzymes. Vitamin E is also crucial for the function of the immune system.

In the human organism, vitamin E is found in the liver, adipose tissue, adrenal glands, in the skeletal muscles and in the heart and, in men, in the testicles.

A deficiency means that the vitamin can no longer fully perform its protective function. Radicals are no longer repelled as well, which can lead to cell damage and long-term damage to the nervous system and skeletal muscles. However, vitamin E deficiency is very rare in Germany. It occurs almost exclusively in people who cannot absorb or utilize the vitamin. This mainly affects people with a rare genetic defect and people who have had parts of their intestines surgically removed. Furthermore, a vitamin E deficiency can also be the result of cystic fibrosis or serious liver diseases.

Can I cover my daily requirement through food?

Vitamin E can only be made by plants. It protects the plant’s own polyunsaturated fatty acids from oxidation and is therefore usually found in large quantities in high-fat plants. As a fat-soluble vitamin, it is primarily found in oils such as wheat germ oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and soybean oil. But the vitamin is also absorbed through nuts, fruit, vegetables and bread. Vitamin E is only found in very small amounts in animal foods.

Since vitamin E specifically protects the unsaturated fatty acids in the organism from oxidation (“going rancid”), the requirement is closely related to the amount of unsaturated fatty acids ingested. However, because foods with these fatty acids usually also contain a lot of vitamin E, the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) does not consider it necessary to take additional dietary supplements.

This antioxidant effect of tocopherol is used in the food industry in the form of additives (E 306, E 307, E 308, E 309) to stabilize edible fats, dressings and desserts, for example. It is not known whether these additives also have a vitamin effect.

In order to achieve a plasma level of >30 µmol/l, which is considered optimal for the prevention of diseases, the DGE recommends that women take 11-12 mg of vitamin E (or compounds equivalent to the active vitamin) daily with their food. For men, 12 mg to 15 mg are given depending on age (requirement decreases with age). However, the 2008 National Consumption Study revealed that almost half of adults do not reach the recommended intake. It is therefore recommended to pay attention to vitamin E intake in the diet.

The incorporation of vegetable oils into the diet is particularly important. A tablespoon of rapeseed oil (12 g), for example, contains almost 3 mg of vitamin E, i.e. about 1/5 of the daily requirement. With a spoonful of wheat germ oil (12 g) you even absorb 20 mg of vitamin E, which far exceeds the daily requirement.

However, you should only use germ oil and sunflower oil in small amounts, because although they contain a lot of vitamin E, they contain less of the important  omega-3 fatty acids .

Consume 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oils daily, heated as little as possible, for example for stewing at low temperatures or as a salad dressing. Nuts in general, but especially hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts, also contain large amounts of vitamin E. Enjoy a handful of nuts, kernels or seeds every day. Avocados are also rich in vitamin E, but should be eaten rarely because they come from far away and need a lot of water to grow, which the population in these countries often lacks.