Current issues

	Maintaining cell membrane integrity and reducing cellular aging
	Inhibition of potentially damaging peroxynitrite radical
	Inhibition of melanoma cell growth in mice
	Prevention of abnormal blood clotting
	Synergize with vitamin A to protect the lungs against pollutants
	Protecting the nervous system and retina
	Lowering the risk of ischemic and coronary heart disease
	Lowering the risk of certain kinds of cancer
	Protecting the immune function
	Reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Conary Heart disease is caused by blockages in arteries which lead to heart attacks and atherosclerosis, which are due to the oxidation of ‘bad’ LDL- cholesterol. Antioxidants such as vitamin E prevent/ reduce the rate of LDL-cholesterol being oxidised and therefore reducing the chances of blood clots. Vitamin E has also be found to reduce the risk of Alziehemers disease, stated in an article in the Journal of American Medical Association on a population based study of antioxidants.

Initial studies of the relationship of vitamin E and cancer occurred in 1946 when Jaffe compared rats injected with methylcholanthrene (a carcinogen) alone or supplemented with wheat germ oil. There has since been vast research with the connection between vitamin E and different forms of cancer, especially breast cancer. It has been shown that vitamin E reduces the risk of breast cancer amongst women with a family history of it by 80% and women with no family history by 60%. The risk reduction of breast cancer does however vary with different groups of women:

It is now believed that there are clear indications that breast cancer is reduced by a steady vitamin E intake.

There are conflicting views about the positive effects of vitamin E and whether it should be recommended to patients. Some doctors believe that there is not enough evidence proving that there are no long term effects of such a supplement. And also that patients that take supplements will ‘slack off’ more established methods, such as a low cholesterol diet, exercise and smoking cessation to help their condition, i.e. suffering from a chronic disease. There are also views that vitamin E has no effect against cardiovascular diseases and that it may even be harmful. This is stated by Dr Marc Penn a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic foundation, who said that vitamin E supplements may even slightly increase the risk of dying from such illnesses. However it is a more common view that vitamin E has very positive effects, reducing risks of many devastating conditions.

Patient Category	Breast cancer incidence based on comparing the highest to lowest levels of vitamin E intake
Premenopausal women with family history of breast cancer	90% risk reduction
Premenopausal women without family history of breast cancer	50% risk reduction
Postmenopausal women with a family history of breast cancer	30% risk reduction
Postmenopausal women without a family history of breast cancer	50% risk reduction
Please note that the statistics above are based on total vitamin E intake. Food-derived vitamin E contains primarily gamma tocopherol and to a lesser extent, the tocotrienols.[10]