The findings of two recent nutrition studies indicate that taking a daily dose of vitamin E may cut the risk of heart disease by as much as 50 percent.
Both studies were conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. One study involved more than 87,000 women nurses throughout the country, 17 percent of whom took vitamin E daily. The results showed that the women who took daily dosages of vitamin E for more than two years reduced their risk of heart disease by 46 percent.The other study, involving more than 51,000 male health professionals, showed that those who took vitamin E supplements regularly had a 37 percent lower risk of heart disease.
Barbara Struempler, an extension service nutritionist at Auburn University in Alabama, says the results provide further evidence that certain kinds of vitamins and other substances can provide safeguards against oxidization, a biochemical process that has been linked consistently to heart disease.