Vitamin E increases risk of internal bleeding stroke

Vitamin E increases risk of internal bleeding stroke

Vitamin E supplements, thought to prevent strokes, may actually increase the risk for brain attacks, according to a new study published today in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal.

Harvard researchers said that vitamin E upped the risk of a particularly lethal kind of stroke by as much as 22 percent. The vitamin, however, decreased the risk of a less dangerous type of stroke by ten percent.

A total of 118,756 individuals were covered by the study with one-half of them taking the supplement while the rest taking a placebo. The researchers discovered that there was an increased risk for hemorrhagic (internal bleedings) stroke while there was a decreased risk of ischemic (blood-vessel blockage) stroke, the less lethal type.

The researchers said that regular exercise, anti-hypertensive drugs or medications that lower cholesterol levels are far more effective in preventing strokes than vitamin E supplements, which are taken by 13 percent of Americans.

Past research about vitamin’s effectiveness to prevent stroke have been mixed, with some studies showing protective function, others showing no effect, and other studies showing an increased risk.

“Given the relatively small risk reduction of ischemic stroke and the generally more severe outcome of hemorrhagic stroke, indiscriminate widespread use of vitamin E should be cautioned against,” the authors, led by Markus Schuerks of Harvard Medical School, said in the study.

One out of 1,250 patients experienced a hemorrhagic stroke while one patient out of 476 had an ischemic stroke.

An estimated 137,000 deaths out of 800,000 cases of stroke are recorded every year, the American Heart Association says.

Posted by George Daniels on Monday November 08 2010, 6:20 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0