A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology
showed that vitamin supplements containing even modest amounts of vitamin E are protective
against ischemic stroke.
Ischemic stroke is caused by a clot or arterial disease blocking blood flow to the
brain. A study conducted by researchers at New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital
comparing 342 stroke patients to 501 healthy people showed that vitamin E
supplements can reduce stroke risk by 53%.
While stroke risk was not significantly different between patients and healthy study
participants when investigators compared dietary intake of vitamin E, "higher
total vitamin E intake significantly decreased stroke risk by 53%," they report,
an effect they attributed mainly to vitamin supplementation.
According to US government guidelines, people need 15 IU of dietary vitamin E a day as
a minimum requirement. However, as researcher Dr. Richard Benson pointed out, very few
people in their study achieved even that level of vitamin E from dietary sources alone. In
comparison, vitamin supplements typically contain 30 to 50 IU vitamin E, he noted.
This study joins the hundreds of others that clearly show Vitamin E supplements in
concentration above the US recommended guideline provide indisputable health benefits.
