Large observational studies have shown a benefit from vitamin E supplements, whereas controlled clinical trials have produced mixed results. Vitamin E and Healthįor a time, vitamin E supplements looked like an easy way to prevent cardiovascular disease. Lactating women need slightly more at 19 mg (28 IU) daily. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin E for males and females ages 14 years and older is 15 mg daily (or 22 international units, IU), including women who are pregnant.
However, conflicting study results have dimmed some of the promise of using high dose vitamin E to prevent chronic diseases. Vitamin E has the ability to protect cells from free radical damage as well as reduce the production of free radicals in certain situations. Antioxidant vitamins, including vitamin E, came to public attention in the 1980s when scientists began to understand that free radical damage was involved in the early stages of artery-clogging atherosclerosis, and might also contribute to cancer, vision loss, and a host of other chronic conditions. It also enhances immune function and prevents clots from forming in heart arteries. Its main role is to act as an antioxidant, scavenging loose electrons-so-called “free radicals”-that can damage cells. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with several forms, but alpha-tocopherol is the only one used by the human body.
